Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education - current issue

Barely Started and Already Left Behind: A Descriptive Analysis of the Mathematics Ability Demonstrated by Young Deaf Children

Kritzer, K. L. — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 05:40:57 PDT

This study examined young deaf children's early informal/formal mathematical knowledge as measured by the Test of Early Mathematics Ability (TEMA-3). Findings from this study suggest that prior to the onset of formal schooling, young deaf children might already demonstrate evidence of academic delays. Of these 28 participants (4–6 years of age), for whom data were analyzed, none received a score on the TEMA-3, indicating above-"average" ability according to normative ranking. More than half of participants received scores substantially below average with 11 participants receiving scores a year or more behind normative age-equivalent scores. Upon more focused analysis, specific areas of difficulty were found to include word/story problems, skip counting (i.e., counting by twos, threes, etc.), number comparisons, the reading/writing of two to three digit numbers, and addition/subtraction number facts. A qualitative analysis of the answers participants gave and the behaviors they demonstrated while answering the test items was conducted and revealed possible explanations for why specific test items may have been challenging. Implications of findings for parents, early interventionists, and teachers of young deaf children are discussed.

The Design and Validation of a Parent-Report Questionnaire for Assessing the Characteristics and Quality of Early Intervention Over Time

Young, A., Gascon-Ramos, M., Campbell, M., Bamford, J. — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 05:40:57 PDT

This article concerns a parent-report repeat questionnaire to evaluate the quality of multiprofessional early intervention following early identification of deafness. It discusses the rationale for the design of the instrument, its theoretical underpinnings, its psychometric properties, and its usability. Results for the validity and reliability of the instrument are based on completion by 82 parents. The questionnaire is divided into four sections. "The description of the structure of professional services" demonstrated good face and content validity; the "content of intervention scale" yielded high internal consistency (Cronbach's = 0.88) and reliability (6-month test–retest correlations, rho = 0.88, r = .68; 12-month test–retest correlations, rho = 0.60, r = .82); the "process of intervention" scale yielded high internal consistency (Cronbach's = 0.93) and high reliability on test–retest administration (6-month test–retest correlations, r = 0.64; 12 month test–retest correlations, r = .82); and the short "overall impact" questions were answered well. The Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire was used to control for influence of parental disposition on ratings of quality of intervention. Evaluating the goodness of fit between early intervention and parental priorities/values is discussed as a vital component in improving child and family outcomes.

The Role of Sign Phonology and Iconicity During Sign Processing: The Case of Deaf Children

Ormel, E., Hermans, D., Knoors, H., Verhoeven, L. — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 05:40:57 PDT

To investigate the influence of sign phonology and iconicity during sign processing in deaf children, the roles of these sign features were examined using an experimental sign–picture verification paradigm. Participants had to make decisions about sign–picture pairs, manipulated according to phonological sign features (i.e., hand shape, movement, and location) and iconic sign features (i.e., transparent depiction of meaning or not). We found that phonologically related sign pairs resulted in relatively longer response latencies and more errors whereas iconic sign pairs resulted in relatively shorter response latencies and fewer errors. The results showed that competing lexical sign candidates (neighbor signs) were activated during sign processing by deaf children. In addition, deaf children exploit the iconicity of signs during sign recognition.

Auditory, Visual, and Auditory-Visual Perception of Emotions by Individuals With Cochlear Implants, Hearing Aids, and Normal Hearing

Most, T., Aviner, C. — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 05:40:57 PDT

This study evaluated the benefits of cochlear implant (CI) with regard to emotion perception of participants differing in their age of implantation, in comparison to hearing aid users and adolescents with normal hearing (NH). Emotion perception was examined by having the participants identify happiness, anger, surprise, sadness, fear, and disgust. The emotional content was placed upon the same neutral sentence. The stimuli were presented in auditory, visual, and combined auditory–visual modes. The results revealed better auditory identification by the participants with NH in comparison to all groups of participants with hearing loss (HL). No differences were found among the groups with HL in each of the 3 modes. Although auditory–visual perception was better than visual-only perception for the participants with NH, no such differentiation was found among the participants with HL. The results question the efficiency of some currently used CIs in providing the acoustic cues required to identify the speaker's emotional state.

Language Achievement in Children Who Received Cochlear Implants Between 1 and 2 Years of Age: Group Trends and Individual Patterns

Duchesne, L., Sutton, A., Bergeron, F. — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 05:40:57 PDT

This study examined receptive and expressive vocabulary and grammar achievement of French-speaking children (n = 27) who received a cochlear implant (CI) between the age of 1 and 2. Standardized measures of language achievement were administered and the language levels attained by children with CIs were compared with that of the normative sample of same-age hearing peers for each measure. As a group, children exhibited language levels within normal limits in all standardized language measures. Examination of individual patterns revealed four different language profiles ranging from normal language levels in all domains to general language delay. Half the participants displayed language levels on par with similar-age peers at the word level; less than half the children obtained average performance at the sentence level. In three of these profiles, comprehension of sentences was impaired. Moreover, the age at implantation was not associated with language achievement. Findings suggest that receiving a CI between the age of 1 and 2 years does not ensure that language abilities will be within normal limits after up to 6 years of experience with the implant.

The Experiences of Cypriot Hearing Adults With Deaf Parents in Family, School, and Society

Hadjikakou, K., Christodoulou, D., Hadjidemetri, E., Konidari, M., Nicolaou, N. — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 05:40:57 PDT

This paper investigates the personal experiences of hearing adults with signing Deaf parents in their families, school, and society. In order to obtain relevant information, in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 Cypriot hearing adults with Deaf parents between the ages of 21 and 30 years with different occupation, sex, and educational background. It was found that most of the participants developed a bicultural identity, undertook the interpreter and protector role in their family, and interacted well with their parents, despite the lack of in-depth communication that they noted. The positive role of the extended family was acknowledged. The prejudices of Cypriot hearing people against the Deaf people were identified, as well as the lack of state support toward the Deaf community. This study has implications for Deaf parents, and professionals working, planning, and implementing social, psychological, and educational support services to Deaf-parented families.

Investigating the Technical Adequacy of Curriculum-Based Measurement in Written Expression for Students Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

Cheng, S.-F., Rose, S. — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 05:40:57 PDT

This study investigated the technical adequacy of curriculum-based measures of written expression (CBM-W) in terms of writing prompts and scoring methods for deaf and hard-of-hearing students. Twenty-two students at the secondary school-level completed 3-min essays within two weeks, which were scored for nine existing and alternative curriculum-based measurement (CBM) scoring methods. The technical features of the nine scoring methods were examined for interrater reliability, alternate-form reliability, and criterion-related validity. The existing CBM scoring method—number of correct minus incorrect word sequences—yielded the highest reliability and validity coefficients. The findings from this study support the use of the CBM-W as a reliable and valid tool for assessing general writing proficiency with secondary students who are deaf or hard of hearing. The CBM alternative scoring methods that may serve as additional indicators of written expression include correct subject–verb agreements, correct clauses, and correct morphemes.

What We Know, Do Not Know and Need To Know About Deafness and Cognition

Gaustad, M. G. — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 05:40:57 PDT

Inside the "Lifeworlds" of Deaf Adolescents

Robinson, J. B. — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 05:40:58 PDT

Psychotherapy: A Guided Tour Down the Yellow Brick Road of Life

Kritzer, K. L. — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 05:40:58 PDT

A Clear Treat!

Monikowski, C. — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 05:40:58 PDT