Hearing Families Research Articles

Aspecten in de Gebarentaalontwikkeling van Dove Kinderen van Dove en Horende Ouders

Research has shown parallels in the development of linguistic aspects found in sign languages and spoken languages when acquired as a first language (Newport & Meier, 1985). Deaf children of deaf parents (DCDP) are exposed to sign language early and are able to acquire it effortlessly. However, only about 10% of deaf children have deaf parents. More commonly the deaf child is born into a hearing family. These hearing parents usually use a communication system in which spoken words are supported simultaneously with signs. Such a sign system differs considerably from a sign language as it is not a natural language. Deaf children of hearing parents (DCHP) come into contact with sign language when they go to a school for the deaf. Research indicates that DCHP do acquire sign language structures, but this acquisition is delayed (Knoors, 1992). In this study a description of the development of morpho-syntactic and lexical aspects of the Sign Language of the Netherlands is given. The sign language production of three DCDP is analysed every six months from 1;0 to 3;6. Furthermore, the sign language production of three DCHP at the age of 3;6 is compared with that of the DCDP at the same age. The study includes both general measures such as Mean Length of Utterance and Type/Token Ratio and aspects specific to sign languages such as the use of POINTS in two sign combinations. Recommendations will be made with respect to the improvement of observational research on language acquision of DCDP and DCHP.

Influence and Adaptability in Families With Deaf Parents and Hearing Children

This study assessed the influence of individual family members in functional families, primarily to determine whether hearing children of deaf parents have more influence than do hearing children of hearing parents. Eight families with deaf parents and a hearing child and eight all hearing families were videotaped while planning a family meal together. It was found that deaf-parented families share many traits with hearing families. However, there were some differences. The hearing children of deaf parents had a greater number and percentage of their ideas accepted than did the hearing children of hearing parents. Differences were also noted between the deaf fathers and the hearing fathers. The deaf-parented families were more adaptable, as measured by the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale. The observed difference in child influence, in and of itself, is neither good nor bad. Deafness of one family member, in an auditory dependent environment, may require a more flexible family power structure. Professionals assessing deaf-parented families should be sensitive to the special adaptive needs required for healthy functioning of the family.

Relations in Public: Hearing Parents and Hearing Impaired Children

How does having a hearing impaired child change daily life in an otherwise hearing family? This ethnographic study focuses on one aspect of daily life, how mothers take theiryaung children out to run errands, get a bite to eat, etc. Both hearing and hearing impaired children were observed in various public settings with their mothers. Several recommendations about parent groups, resource information, day care, lessons, and hearing aids follow from our observations.

The Language-Learning Situation of Deaf Students

Deaf children often have major difficulty learning the language of their parents, who in the majority of cases are hearing. The principal reason for these problems is limitation of linguistic input reaching the children: The hearing loss itself acts as a drastic filter on the linguistic data, and information obtained from aided residual hearing, as well as from visual sources such as lipreading and signed representations of spoken language, is typically fragmentary. In addition to the limitations of input, the very difficulty of the task of learning an auditory language with severely restricted information is likely to lead to loss of motivation. Another complicating factor is language attitudes and the fact that the deaf community uses a visual-spatial language, American Sign Language (ASL), which deaf people acquire without effort and which provides a focus for cultural solidarity. Attitudes toward ASL are complicated by its identity as a minority language in a majority culture, whose standard language influences it to some extent. Attitudes toward English are complicated by the fact that the learning of English is imposed by an educational establishment run by hearing people and that ASL is not used as a language of instruction. The main educational hurdle faced by deaf students is acquisition of the language of the community into which they are bornacquisition not only of speech production but of the linguistic system itself. For many students the language of the community becomes neither their first language, in the sense that they may never achieve native-like grammatical competence in the language, nor, in traditional terms, a second language, in the sense that they may not be exposed in early life to any other language they can readily acquire. Most deaf children are born into hearing families who do not know or use a natural sign language. Some will be exposed to a natural sign language, such as American Sign Language (ASL),

Factors affecting the placement of preschool-aged deaf children.

The placement in and movement among preschool programs of 131 children with severe and profound hearing losses was monitored over four years. Longitudinal data were obtained on the children's linguistic and social development. In the first year of the study, most of the children were enrolled in auditory/oral (A/O) programs. By the final year, most were enrolled instead in total communication (TC) programs; similar movement occurred from individual to classroom programs. Children in A/O individual programs had the most hearing, highest intelligence and most favorable family profile, followed by children in A/O classes, TC individual programs, and TC classes. Scores on measures of spoken language followed the same pattern. On measures of receptive language and mother-child communication, children in A/O individual programs and those in TC classes had similar scores. Children in TC individual programs came next, and last were children in A/O classes. These findings have implications for the choice of programs for preschool deaf children.

Mothers' estimates of hearing family members' competence in sign language and the deaf child's loneliness.

This study examined the associations between mothers' estimates of both hearing family members' competence in sign language and their deaf child's loneliness. 32 mothers of children who functioned as deaf were asked to assess their hearing family members' competence in sign language and to complete the UCLA Loneliness Scale for an estimate of their deaf child's loneliness. Significant positive correlations were found among hearing family members' estimated competence in sign language; however, no significant correlations were found between hearing family members' estimated competence in sign language and their deaf child's estimated loneliness. These findings suggest that hearing members may contribute to each other's competence in sign language and may communicate with their deaf child through alternative methods rather than formal sign language.

Family therapy with deaf member families

Abstract This paper examines how family therapists can be more responsive to the unique needs and problems of deaf member families. Methods of training in communication for deaf children are compared, as well as the conflicts that may accompany the adoption of a given method. The pivotal role of communication problems between hearing and deaf family members in contributing to symptomatic behavior is stressed. The relationship between the roles of interpreter and therapist as well as obstacles to treatment are reviewed. A selected case history illustrates the interplay of these variables in successful treatment.

Acoustic Trauma: Tinnitus and Vertigo

Three hundred ten randomly selected male shipyard workers, with an average age of 56 years, with an average of 19 years with their employer, excluding workers with evidence of other otologic or relevant neurologic disease, were analyzed in terms of hearing loss, tinnitus, vertigo, and family history of hearing loss. The audiograms showed bilateral, symmetrical mid to high frequency hearing loss with SRT of 21 db and 85 per cent PB word discrimination. Eleven per cent had a family history of hearing loss, but this did not correlate with the patients' hearing loss, tinnitus, or vertigo. Fifteen per cent of the patients gave a history of vertigo. Tinnitus occurred in 43 per cent of right ears and in 41 per cent of left ears. Statistical analysis showed that the tinnitus did not correlate with hearing loss at any frequency in the right ear but correlated significantly with hearing loss at 2000 and 3000 HZ in the left ear! These were significant but small. Multiple correlational analysis indicated.

Hearing families with deaf children: stress and functioning as related to communication method.

This study examined the attitudes and stress of hearing families with a profoundly deaf preschool child. The 28 families were equally divided into those using oral and simultaneous communication and were additionally subdivided by communicative ability (high vs. low). Mothers completed questionnaires and interviews on stress concerns, parent attitudes, and their child's developmental level. Results of the questionnaires showed few differences between simultaneous and oral families. However, comparison of the four subgroups indicated that those with high competence simultaneous communication skills had more positive attitudes and less stress than highly competent oral communication families. Simultaneous children received a higher estimated social age than oral children. These results are discussed in light of behavioral data showing the simultaneous communication dyads showing more reciprocal and positive social interaction than were the oral communicators. Both groups of parents professed a desire for more counseling and paraprofessional opportunities.

Longitudinal study of hearing loss in childhood: Relationship between Hearing Impairment, Poor Learning and Family Background

Of the Dutch school population 0.1% suffer from a hearing loss which makes it necessary for them to attend a special school. This permanent, binaural hearing impairment is of a moderate to severe degree (degrees II and III) and adversely affects the child's linguistic skills and school performance. Of the pupils attending ordinary schools 4-5% suffer from a hearing loss which, according to the Dutch audiologist Huizing, lies on the borderline of a slight to moderate hearing impairment (degrees I and II). This loss is characterised by its temporary nature, the fact that it is monaural in 71% of the cases and that there is no evidence for its clearly affecting the learning process. The risk of hearing impairment is predominantly determined by the child's family background.

Longitudinal study of hearing loss in childhood: Relationship between Hearing Impairment, Poor Learning and Family Background

Longitudinal study of hearing loss in childhood: Relationship between Hearing Impairment, Poor Learning and Family Background