American Annals of the Deaf最新文献

Deaf and hard of hearing (d/DHH) students are often labeled with one or more educationally significant disabilities in addition to their hearing loss. According to the Gallaudet Research Institution's most recent Annual Survey of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children and Youth (2013), almost 40% of d/DHH students nationwide receive special education services for one or more comorbid disabilities. However, relatively few prevalence rate estimates have been published over the last decade. Knowledge regarding the current prevalence of educationally significant disabilities among d/DHH students is therefore limited. The present study surveyed teachers of the deaf and hard of hearing (TODHHs) in a midwestern state regarding the number of d/DHH students on their caseloads with one or more comorbid disabilities. Within the sample population (N = 451), nearly 65% were reported to receive special education services for disabilities other than deafness or hearing impairment.

Children, including those who are deaf, become aware of and learn about their environments through playing and social and cultural interactions. For most deaf children, preschool classrooms are optimal spaces for these interactions to occur, but only if they can fully engage with this environment. We discuss the need for and constituent aspects of full access to learning in these environments for deaf children. Vygotsky's sociocultural theory is employed chiefly as the basis for exploring and analyzing useful strategies for educators and families of deaf children. Our analysis focuses on processes in which individuals create knowledge through interacting with other people and the environment, a core emphasis of our work. We also discuss that, concomitant with full access to linguistic and social opportunities, deaf preschoolers develop a stronger sense of self, which leads to the development of cultures and languages in and out of their families.

Deaf education research and practice have not always lived up to the ideal of improving deaf students' lives. Consequently, we have constructed novel arguments supporting deaf pedagogy using pragmatic ethics, the aim of which is to increase benefit and decrease harm to individuals and society. The ideal of harm reduction asks the pragmatist to pursue the path of action least likely to result in injury to others. Besides applying ideas that reduce harm, educators must also increase benefits for deaf students. Our analysis synthesizes Vygotskian perspectives on deaf pedagogy and pragmatic ideals about reducing harm and increasing benefit. We propose six arguments that can enable deaf educators to think about and enact deaf-positive concepts and strengths-based classroom interactions, including the use of sign language, images, and text, among other modes, such as speech. Our goal is to reduce the threat of harm from language deprivation.

The researchers investigated parents' perspectives on the outcome of cochlear implantation on the deaf child and the family in Saudi Arabia with respect to linguistic, social, psychological, and educational aspects. They also explored potential factors influencing parents' perspectives on the outcome of a cochlear implant (CI). Seventy-seven parents completed the questionnaire, and multiple linear regression and descriptive statistics were used to answer the research questions. Most of the parents (88.5%) reported choosing a CI for their deaf child because they wanted their child to be part of the hearing world. About half of the parents (49.4%) expressed the belief that the CI would help their child find a better job in the future. The study also found that, overall, the model was not significant, and the independent variables explained little of the variance in parents' perspectives on the outcome of their child's cochlear implantation.

The changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in more virtual instruction in schools. Teachers experienced multiple new challenges while moving online. As Fleming (2020) notes, "Unlike developing a whole-class lesson plan online, special education teachers are now tasked with developing unique plans for every student that align with their IEPs [individualized education programs], as required by federal mandate" (p. 1). In the present article, we consider how to best incorporate active learning, engagement, and critical thinking into an online learning environment while supporting language and social development for all students. Alexander (2020) notes the importance of socialization, observing that the loss of face-to-face interactions decreases students' confidence and affects their mental health. We also consider how to meaningfully incorporate social interaction, engagement, and active learning to support deaf and hard of hearing students in developing a sense of classroom and school community.

Online learning environments are challenging for deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) individuals. A major concern is split attention, which occurs when one simultaneously attends to multiple stimuli, a situation that characterizes most multimedia presentations and instruction that combines sound, text, images, graphs or charts, and video. Needing to take notes adds another stimulus. DHH learners face this issue when auditory content is accommodated visually, in combination with visually presented content. No one can view multiple visual signals simultaneously. Learners must choose to view one signal and miss others; view signals sequentially, which requires additional time and hinders class participation; or switch between visual signals, losing elements of each. This process increases auditory and visual fatigue and cognitive load, ultimately compromising learning. Several ways are suggested to achieve more equitable access to instructional content for learners challenged by the problem of split attention.