Analysis of Successful Initiations of Three Children With Hearing Loss Mainstreamed in Kindergarten Classrooms

Abstract

The communicative interactions of three mainstreamed children who are deaf or hard of hearing (deaf/HOH) were investigated. These children were matched with a classmate who had normal hearing (NH) according to chronological age, sex, race, and socioeconomic status (SES). All subjects were white females approximately 5 years of age. The subjects were videotaped while involved in normal classroom activities. The videotaped interactions were coded for: (a) activity, (b) play level, (c) partner, (d) interactive status, and (e) mode of communication. Dyad interactions were analyzed for average length, frequency, and total number of interactions. The children’s interactions varied by child and classroom setting. Results regarding the success of initiations were that one subject who is deaf initiated less often and was more successful than her peer with NH; the other subject who is deaf initiated less often and was less successful than her peer with NH; and the subject who is HOH initiated more often and was less successful than her peer with NH. Factors found to affect the success of initiations were the number of children involved and the accompaniment of actions and/or gestures with spoken or signed communication. These results suggest that children who are deaf/HOH often are less successful at initiations than children with NH, but the success of the initiations by children who are deaf/HOH may depend on more variables than past research has led us to believe (Arnold & Tremblay, 1979; Lederberg, Ryan, & Robbins, 1986; Levy Shiff & Hoffman, 1985; Vandell & George, 1981). Possible factors that contribute to interactions and successful initiations by children who are deaf/HOH are discussed.