Students Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing and Use Sign Language: Considerations and Strategies for Developing Spoken Language and Literacy Skills

Abstract

There is a core body of knowledge, experience, and skills integral to facilitating auditory, speech, and spoken language development when working with the general population of students who are deaf and hard of hearing. There are additional issues, strategies, and challenges inherent in speech habilitation/rehabilitation practices essential to the population of deaf and hard of hearing students who also use sign language. This article will highlight philosophical and practical considerations related to practices used to facilitate spoken language development and associated literacy skills for children and adolescents who sign. It will discuss considerations for planning and implementing practices that acknowledge and utilize a student's abilities in sign language, and address how to link these skills to developing and using spoken language. Included will be considerations for children from early childhood through high school with a broad range of auditory access, language, and communication characteristics.

Communication, Language, and Modality in the Education of Deaf Students

“…Visual supports can include use of American Sign Language (ASL), or signs used to support spoken language, in addition to visual supports such as Cued Speech, speech reading (lip reading), pictures, objects, written words, gestures, and facial expressions" [31]. In a similar vein, Nussbaum et al [32] describe two continuums-"a receptive continuum for how a child accesses language (ranging from visual only to auditory only) and an expressive continuum for how a child expresses language (ranging from sign only to oral only)" (p. 313). As illustrated in Table 2, receptively, students might be primarily visual learners and develop auditory skills to supplement their language and communication, while others may be primarily auditory learners who use sign as the supplement, and yet some might move equally between accessing both visual and spoken language.…”

Enhancing interaction and learning experience for deaf students through sign language translator

“…Communication between teachers and deaf students faces challenges due to limited access to spoken language and the lack of sign language proficiency among both parties [1], [2]. This impacts comprehension of verbal instructions, participation in group discussions, and understanding of visual aids.…”

Experiences of parents of deaf and hard-of-hearing children with supporting the literacy education of their children

“…Many of the families said they translated word for word from English to ASL, just trying to assist their young children in acquiring vocabulary. This was supported by Nussbaum et al (2012), who found that exposure to ASL at a young age leads to advantages in linguistic aptitude for DHH youth.…”

“…This led researchers to study whether ASL signs could be used as a bridge to written English. This is supported by Nussbaum et al (2012), which contended that a "strong body of evidence documents the linguistic advantages of early visual language for DHH children" (p. 312). Another study found a relationship between ASL fluency and narrative comprehension (Chamberlain & Mayberry, 2006).…”

“…It is not a way to communicate English to deaf individuals, but rather is a language used to communicate meaning (Bockmiller, 1981). According to Nussbaum et al (2012), ASL "is a complete natural visual language with all the components of any language including its own vocabulary and grammar" (pp. 310-311).…”