The "Potential" Contributions of Cognitive Behavior Modification to Literacy Training for Deaf Students

Abstract

This article will address the background and "potential" use of Cognitive Behavior Modification (CBM) as an approach for increasing literacy skills among deaf people. We highlight the word "potential" because most CBM interventions with the deaf have been quite preliminary. But before we consider this "potential" let us first examine the role illiteracy plays for both deaf and hearing adults as they enter the workforce today. For many decades, the literature has documented significant academic and employment underachievement among the deaf population. The itemization of this underachievement, relative to their hearing counterparts, sets the stage for the present proposal and represents a "call to action" for all who are interested in nurturing literacy in deaf children and adults. Consider the following findings on the relative levels of academic underachievement of the deaf population. 1. Thirty percent of students with hearing impairment exit school without a diploma or certificate (Nash, 1992). 2. The average math achievement level at secondary school graduation for deaf students is only at the sixth to seventh grades (Allen, 1986). 3. The reading achievement test scores of deaf children continue to lag far behind those of hearing students, with reading achievement test scores remaining at approximately the third-grade level (Allen, 1986). While many members of the deaf community rise above these academic limitations, for those who do not the financial, social, and personal consequences can be substantial. A major contributing factor to the bleak employment picture is an individual's level of literacy. We are using this term "literacy" in its broadest meaning to include not only the comprehension of prose in its various forms, but also literacy in reading the demands and expectations of social and employment situations.

Mathematics Strategies for Secondary Students with Learning Disabilities or Mathematics Deficiencies: A Cognitive Approach

“…Instructors or mentors interpose themselves between the learner and the external task (Feuerstein, 1980), structure the task (Bruner, 1985), model strategies for problem solving (S. P. Portes, 1985;Rivera & Smith, 1987), direct routines and subroutines, serve as repositors of memory, provide feedback and reinforcement, help combine subroutines, or serve as executive controls until learners can provide their own controls (Kaye, 1982). Mentoring, or scaffolded instruction, can help students develop their own metacognitive skills and become more selfdirected (Loera & Meichenbaum, 1993).…”

A Pilot Study of Reading Comprehension Strategies of Students Who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing in a Non-English-Speaking Country

“…They also need to establish a framework for using metacognitive strategies related to reading to retain skills and strategies to which they have been exposed. Loera and Meichenbaum (1993) recommended the use of cognitive behavior modification (CBM) as a means of strengthening metacognitive skills such as self-awareness, self-regulation and self-instruction. CBM focuses on scaffolded instruction, which helps students move from following external speech to inner or private speech resulting in the ability to perform a task independently.…”

Literacy Intervention for a Deaf Child with Severe Reading Disorder

“…The role of the instructor is conceived as that of a guide, helping the student in his endeavor (cf. Loera & Meichenbaum, 1993). The main tools for guiding him to become aware of orthography structure and understand the functions of written language were process-oriented writing, manual signing, drawings, and word processing augmented by a word prediction program.…”