ERIC Number: ED079911
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1973-Feb
Reference Count: N/A
Early Childhood Special Education for the Hearing Handicapped. Occasional Paper #13.
Moores, Donald F.
The author reviews studies and programs in consideration of problems and issues professionals face in the early education of aurally handicapped children. Language handicaps as an obstacle to development of the child's academic, intellectual, and social potential are examined; as is parental need for supportive guidance. Discussed are studies which show effectiveness of oral and neo-oral (Rochester) communications methods in preschool programs in the U.S. and the Soviet Union. Investigations are reviewed which show that deaf children of deaf parents achieve greater academic success than deaf children of hearing parents, although the point is made that use of manual communication in preschool programs might not produce similar success. Discussed in relation to the issue of early intervention are preschool programs emphasing either socialization or cognitive development. Unimodal and bimodal stimulation are considered, and questioned is the optimum stimulation to be prescribed for a newly diagnosed hearing handicapped child. Cited are medical advances (such as near elimination of children's post-lingual hearing loss), and technological advances (improved hearing aids and audiovisual materials); and education's failure to produce new contributions. It is thought that the oral/manual controversy might be eliminated by applying the concept of individualized needs and instruction. (MC)
Descriptors: Aural Learning, Communication Problems, Comparative Education, Early Childhood Education, Educational Needs, Exceptional Child Research, Family Influence, Foreign Countries, Hearing Impairments, Learning Processes, Manual Communication, Oral Communication Method, Research Reviews (Publications)
Publication Type: N/A
Education Level: N/A
Sponsor: Bureau of Education for the Handicapped (DHEW/OE), Washington, DC.
Authoring Institution: Minnesota Univ., Minneapolis. Research, Development, and Demonstration Center in Education of Handicapped Children.
Identifiers - Location: USSR