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Contents of the Summer 2009 (Volume 154, No. 3) Issue of the Annals
Demographics and Sample Bias Estimates of
the Deaf and Hard of Hearing School Age Population [Editorial]
by Donald F. Moores
Great Expectations: Perspectives on Cochlear
Implantation of Deaf Children in Norway
by Eva Simonsen, Ann-Elise Kristoffersen, Mervyn B. Hyde, and Oddvar
Hjulstad
the authors describe the use of cochlear implants with deaf children in Norway and examine how this intervention has raised new expectations and some tensions concerning the future of education for deaf students. They report on two studies of communication within school learning environments of young children with implants in Norwegian preschools and primary/elementary schools. These studies involved observations of classroom discourse and teaching activity and interviews with teachers, administrators, parents, and pupils. Results suggested varied patterns of use of Norwegian and of Norwegian Sign Language and several modes of communication, including speech alone, sign alone, and speech with sign. Conclusions are drawn regarding the reasons for the observed variations and the future impact of cochlear implantation on educational policies and services for deaf children and their families in Norway.
Universal Lessons Learned by a
Gastroenterologist From a Deaf and Mute Patient: The Importance of
Nonverbal Communication and Establishing Patient Rapport and Trust
by Mitchell S. Cappell
deaf and mute patients may require minimal extra attention to establish trust and allay anxieties before minor medical maneuvers such as rectal examination. An extreme case is reported of the consequences from failure to accomplish this. A generally cooperative deaf and mute patient struggled and suffered a rectal tear and perforation during enema insertion that required emergency colorectal surgery; his nurse had failed to establish a trusting relationship before enema insertion. Ironically, the patient’s physician had earlier easily performed digital rectal examination, a similar medical maneuver, with patient cooperation after establishing patient rapport. This report demonstrates the importance of treating individuals with disabilities like everyone else in addressing anxieties before medical maneuvers. The health care worker has the same responsibility of calming the patient, whether deaf or not; the sole difference is that communication between deaf and hearing requires greater skill and patience.
Service-Learning: Recentering the Deaf
Community in Interpreter Education
by Sherry Shaw and Len Roberson
an
observational study of reading instruction was conducted in general
education, resource, and self-contained classrooms, grades 1–4, in public
schools. Participants included students who were deaf or hard of hearing
and their reading teachers. Results indicated that time engaged in reading
and/or academically responding varied significantly by grade level
enrolled, reading curriculum grade level, and instructional setting, but
not level of hearing loss or presence or absence of concomitant
conditions. Students working with reading curriculum one grade level below
spent significantly less time in reading instruction and reading than
students working on grade level or two levels below. Students in general
education settings spent significantly more time in reading instruction
and reading silently than students in self-contained settings. The
probability that students would engage in reading was significantly
increased by several teacher and ecological conditions more likely to be
observed in general education settings.
Auditory, Visual, and Auditory-Visual Speech
Perception by Individuals With Cochlear Implants Versus Individuals With
Hearing Aids
by Tova Most, Hilla Rothem, and Michal Luntz
the researchers evaluated the contribution of cochlear implants (CIs) to speech perception by a sample of prelingually deaf individuals implanted after age 8 years. This group was compared with a group with profound hearing impairment (HA-P), and with a group with severe hearing impairment (HA-S), both of which used hearing aids. Words and sentences were presented to the auditory channel alone, the visual channel alone, and the combined auditory-visual channel. Some of the results indicated better performance of the CI group than the HA-P group, thus indicating the advantage of CIs over hearing aids for “late” implantees, especially under difficult listening conditions. In addition, all participants relied on visual information under difficult auditory conditions. These last outcomes suggest that intervention with CI users should include exposure to visual as well as auditory information and should emphasize auditory-visual integration.
Program-wide Behavior Support Plans for
Programs Serving Students Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing in Illinois
by Cheri Sinnott
positive behavior interventions and Supports (PBIS) programs are being introduced in school districts throughout Illinois and the rest of the United States, resulting in decreased behavioral incidents and increased academic achievement. Programs for students who are deaf or hard of hearing benefit from implementation of this type of universal-level program, which includes teaching expected behaviors and reinforcing them when they are demonstrated. Staff training and data collection systems are essential components of the development and implementation of these programs.
The Social Network Map as an Instrument for
Identifying Social Relations in Deaf Research and Practice
by Manfred Hintermair
social support has shown itself to be an important factor in many areas as regard to mental health development and conservation. Numerous empirical findings also document its significance in various areas of research into deafness. Questionnaires are only one means of gathering information when we are trying to gain access to the social networks of deaf and hard of hearing people, their families, and relatives. The social network map is an approach that provides qualitative access to insights into social relationships and has proven, in conjunction with a qualitative interview, to be a useful tool in allowing a more detailed description and in-depth understanding of the processes of both social support and stress. The special strength of the social network map lies in the combination of visualizing social relationships and reflecting them in an interpersonal dialogue. This article describes how to go about creating a network map and illustrates this with an example of a mother of a multi-handicapped, deaf child. It concludes with a discussion of the opportunities that the use of a social network map offers as well as its potential limitations.
Children With Cochlear Implants: A Review of
Demographics and Communication Outcomes
by Kate A. Belzner and Brenda C. Seal
children with with severe to profound hearing loss in the United States are diverse in their racial-ethnic backgrounds, comorbid disabilities, socioeconomic levels, and communication modalities. The present article addresses demographic variables and communication outcomes of children with cochlear implants by means of a review of longitudinal studies published from 2000 through 2007. Information gathered from these reports reflects several trends over the years. Chi-square testing, however, revealed that two large samples chosen from the review failed to conform to expected population profiles for demographic diversity. This literature review and synthesis provides a body of evidence that should be useful for cochlear implant educators, clinicians, and researchers in determining the relevance of previous outcomes to individuals and groups who differ from those reported, and in devising suggestions for increased efforts to represent children of diverse backgrounds in investigations of implant outcomes.