Visual Environments

For children who are signing, it is important to pay attention to the visual aspects of the environment. The adults in the classroom must think about visual techniques and strategies for attention getting, turn taking, movement activities, transitions, and storytelling (Sass-Lehrer, 1998). The lack of visual strategies may pose several barriers to participation for children who cannot use auditory cues for these activities. For example, during preschool storytelling time, most teachers arrange the environment so that the hearing children can look at the book and pictures at the same time that they are listening to the story. Children who are deaf and rely on an interpreter can give visual attention to only one aspect of the environment; they can watch either the interpreter or the book. If they choose to look at the interpreter, they miss the important visual cues provided by the pictures or the print. Mather (1989) observed a deaf teacher solve this problem by using such strategies as making miniature signs on the book, a strategy that was not used by the hearing, signing teacher. Hearing teachers, particularly those who are not familiar with children who are deaf or with the visual demands of sign language, may not realize how much they need to restructure their instruction and communication to allow for children’s full sequential visual attention (Seal, 1998). Hearing adults and peers may also have trouble accommodating to signing preschool-age children’s visual needs and use inappropriate ways of obtaining and holding their attention (Spencer & Lederberg, 1997).

Other aspects of the visual environment may also limit children’s access to communication. Visual distractions may be created by shadows on the speaker or signer. Furniture placement may create barriers that block children’s visual access to teachers or interpreters (Ross et al., 1991). These problems may lead to visual fatigue and a lack of visual attention.

Accommodations

Successful interaction between hearing children and those who are deaf or hard of hearing requires that the participants adapt to the linguistic characteristics of their partners. One way to accommodate for language differences is for the hearing children to learn sign language. Another accommodation is to rely on nonlinguistic communication. Although the latter adaptation may meet functional communication needs, it may not serve to develop extended interactions or friendships between the two groups of children. Nevertheless, there are some studies that show that children are able to make adaptations to each other’s communication needs.

Lederberg, Ryan, and Robbins (1986) compared the dyadic interaction of young children who were deaf or hard of hearing with familiar hearing peers, unfamiliar hearing peers, and peers who were deaf or hard of hearing. The authors found that the children who were deaf or hard of hearing tended to communicate with signs when with a partner who was deaf or hard of hearing but used object-related behavior and toy play with a hearing partner. They also experienced more success when initiating play with familiar hearing peers and engaged in more pretend play and physical contact with familiar than unfamiliar hearing peers. Familiar hearing peers used more gestures, exaggerated facial expressions, and vocalizations with a familiar than with an unfamiliar peer who was deaf or hard of hearing. Thus, both groups of children were able to make accommodations, particularly with familiar play partners.


References

Lederberg, A., Ryan, H.B., & Robbins, B. (1986). Peer interaction in young deaf children: The effect of partner hearing status and familiarity. Developmental Psychology, 22, 691–700.

Mather, S. (1989). Visually oriented teaching strategies with deaf preschool children. In C. Lucas (Ed.), The sociolinguistics of the Deaf community (pp. 165–190). New York: Harcourt.

Ross, M., Brackett, D., & Maxon, A. (1991). Assessment and management of mainstreamed hearing-impaired children. Austin, TX: PRO-ED.

Sass-Lehrer, M. (1998, December). Components of appropriate and inappropriate practices for inclusion of deaf and hard of hearing youngsters. Material distributed at the International DEC Conference, Chicago, IL.

Seal, B.C. (1998). Best practices in educational interpreting. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Spencer, P.E., & Lederberg, A.R. (1997). Different modes, different models: Communication and language of young deaf children and their mothers. In L.B. Adamson & M.A. Romski (Eds.), Communication and language acquisition: Dis-coveries from atypical development (pp. 203–230). Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.