Differentiating Language for Students Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing: A Practice-Informed Framework for Auditory and Visual Supports.

PURPOSE: Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) serving students who are d/Deaf or hard of hearing (Deaf/hh) and their deaf education counterparts must navigate complexities in language that include modalities that are spoken or signed and proficiency, which is often compromised. This tutorial describes a practice-informed framework that conceptualizes and organizes a continuum of auditory and visual language supports with the aim of informing the practice of the SLP whose training is more inherently focused on spoken language alone, as well as the practice of the teacher of the Deaf/hh (TDHH) who may focus more on visual language supports. METHOD: This product resulted from a need within interdisciplinary, graduate programs for SLPs and TDHHs. Both cohorts required preparation to address the needs of diverse language learners who are Deaf/hh. This tutorial includes a brief review of the challenges in developing language proficiency and describes the complexities of effective service delivery. The process of developing a practice-informed framework for language supports is summarized, referencing established practices in auditory-based and visually based methodologies, identifying parallel practices, and summarizing the practices within a multitiered framework called the Framework of Differentiated Practices for Language Support. Recommendations for use of the framework include guidance on the identification of a student's language modality/ies and proficiency to effectively match students' needs and target supports. CONCLUSIONS: An examination of established practices in language supports across auditory and visual modalities reveals clear parallels that can be organized into a tiered framework. The result is a reference for differentiating language for the interdisciplinary school team. The parallel supports also provide evidence of similarities in practice across philosophical boundaries as professionals work collaboratively.

Prevalence of Educationally Significant Disabilities Among Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students.

Deaf and hard of hearing (d/DHH) students are often labeled with one or more educationally significant disabilities in addition to their hearing loss. According to the Gallaudet Research Institution's most recent Annual Survey of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children and Youth (2013), almost 40% of d/DHH students nationwide receive special education services for one or more comorbid disabilities. However, relatively few prevalence rate estimates have been published over the last decade. Knowledge regarding the current prevalence of educationally significant disabilities among d/DHH students is therefore limited. The present study surveyed teachers of the deaf and hard of hearing (TODHHs) in a midwestern state regarding the number of d/DHH students on their caseloads with one or more comorbid disabilities. Within the sample population (N = 451), nearly 65% were reported to receive special education services for disabilities other than deafness or hearing impairment.

Chinese Grammatical Development of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children in a Sign Bilingualism and Coenrollment Program.

The literacy development of d/Deaf and hard of hearing (d/Dhh) children has always been a matter of grave concern among educators, and grammatical knowledge is said to constitute a major component such development. The present article reports on a study that examined the development of Chinese grammar among groups of d/Dhh and hearing children who received education through a sign bilingualism and coenrollment (SLCO) approach. Findings from administration of a prestandardized assessment tool showed that while the d/Dhh children generally lagged behind their hearing peers at all levels, the gap began to narrow from Primary 2 onward, and they caught up with their hearing peers in most except for a few grammatical constructions by Primary 4. Qualitative analysis revealed a similar developmental profile and similar degrees of difficulty in mastering the more complex constructions in written Chinese between the two groups of children.

Invited Article-It's Time to Rethink Our Future: "Radical" Perspectives on Deaf Education in the United States and Beyond.

The language wars have driven decision-making and educational options for D/deaf and hard of hearing children for over a century, yet we still have not made sufficient progress in closing the linguistic and educational gaps between D/deaf and hard of hearing children and their hearing peers. Perhaps it is time to abandon the bifurcated approach that has driven our field since the infamous Milan Conference of 1880. This commentary explores how a "Radical Middle" approach can frame the way we prepare teachers of the deaf, how we conduct and disseminate research, how we support families, and how the D/deaf and hearing communities can work together in positive and proactive ways. There is strength in unity. We are stronger as a field when we come together to support one another and find ways for collaboration and partnership across philosophical lines and communication preference.

Voices of Young Deaf Adults: Supporting Adolescent Social Capital Development.

For most young people, social capital plays an important role in transitioning to postsecondary education and employment. For youth who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH), social capital can mitigate negative effects of challenges they will likely encounter after high school. In phase 2 of a two-phase qualitative study in Australia, we investigated DHH young adults' perspectives on how DHH adolescents could best be supported to develop and use social capital to benefit their postschool transition. Nine university students whose primary communication mode was spoken language participated in semistructured interviews, discussing practical ways educators and families could assist DHH high school students. We close by recommending ways schools and families can facilitate social capital development of DHH adolescents in preparation for postsecondary education and employment. Importantly, this research gives voice to young DHH adults with the objective of improving DHH adolescents' outcomes.

Investigating the Writing Achievement of Deaf Learners.

This study investigated writing achievement in a Canadian cohort of school-aged deaf learners (N = 64). In the current context, in which most students are educated in inclusive settings and use hearing technologies, the goal was to establish whether outcomes approach those of hearing-age peers and identify demographic factors (e.g., gender, grade, additional disability, home language, hearing loss, hearing technology, auditory perception) influencing performance. Results indicated that a high percentage of participants performed in the average range or higher on a standardized, norm-referenced assessment, the Test of Written Language-Fourth Edition (TOWL-4, Hammill & Larsen, 2009). Grade, type of hearing loss, higher auditory perception scores, and absence of an additional disability were identified as variables of significance. As auditory access continues to improve, additional investigations of writing achievement in this population will be essential to further inform educational policy and pedagogical practice.

Explicating the Relationship Between ASL and English in Text Comprehension.

The discussion on the role of American Sign Language (ASL) in deaf students' reading development has been long and contentious. The students' limited knowledge of English has been commonly perceived as a culprit in making reading difficult. However, a more nuanced explanation of reading performance and its relationship with competence in ASL's potential role is needed. In the present study, multivariate analyses of the variance in the ASL and English comprehension performance of 91 middle school students at an ASL-English bilingual school revealed some important insights. Inference-making skills in ASL are an important predictor. For the students with hearing parents, the quality of communicative access at home contributed significantly to the overall explanation of the variance in English passage comprehension; along with the age at exposure to ASL, it accounted for a large part of the variance in the ASL passage comprehension.

Spoken Language Bilingualism in the Education of Deaf Learners.

For much of the history of deaf education, spoken language bilingualism was not considered a viable goal. It was believed that given the challenges of meaningful auditory access, age-appropriate development in even one language would be daunting. However, implementation of universal newborn hearing screening during the early 2000s, along with early fitting of hearing technologies, including cochlear implants, has afforded significantly improved access to spoken language during the critical early years of language acquisition for most deaf children. In this context, it is timely to reconsider the possibilities of spoken language bilingualism in the education of deaf students. The present article therefore focuses on examining the available literature with a view to summarizing current understandings and reflecting on how these understandings can inform future research and practice and the multiple ways in which bilingualism can be operationalized in the education of deaf students.

The Effects of American Sign Language on English Reading Proficiency.

The authors examine the effects of American Sign Language (ASL) on English reading achievement and English reading comprehension. A systematic review of relevant primary research and research-integrated journal articles was conducted. Based on interpretations of a few salient articles and other sources (e.g., books) selected in a professional review, background on the ASL-English situation is provided. The authors discuss whether the findings reflect a pattern or suggest instructional implications for improving English reading comprehension. Also discussed is whether the findings are confounded by a lack of desirable research characteristics associated with sample sociodemography, teacher-student interactions, or school environment. The article concludes with recommendations for further research to examine the merits of ASL-English approaches or bilingual programs, focusing on improvement of the English reading skills of d/Deaf and hard of hearing children and adolescents.

Reflections From the Pandemic: Lessons Learned.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many children experienced multiple challenges while transitioning from traditional to online schooling. Teachers, administrators, and parents were expected to work together to provide students an optimal educational experience through those turbulent times. This experience generated new insights into how to teach deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) students and assess their knowledge. New tools were invented and used during the pandemic, and though teachers and students are slowly returning to traditional learning environments, educators now know that alternative forms of teaching and learning exist. We acknowledge the ways teachers, administrators, and parents can innovate and bring new knowledge to the table. The present article introduces an American Annals of the Deaf Special Issue that offers further research and discussion in the event that another, comparable challenge occurs. Multiple issues must be considered in DHH education, from academic rigor to social-emotional wellness.

From Vicious Circles to Virtuous Cycles: Vygotskian-Inspired Conclusions for Biomedicine and Deaf Education.

In this concluding article of an American Annals of the Deaf Special Issue, we draw on Vygotsky's Fundamentals of Defectology to argue that the essence of deaf pedagogy is not centered on constructing deaf students' hearing abilities but on a biosocial orientation that considers the whole multimodal child with unfettered access to natural signed languages. In alignment with this biosocial view, we recognize and resist the overarching influence of biomedical professionals and systems on deaf education. Such biomedical influence comes with convenient detachment from accountability in education systems while arguably causing at least significant, if not maximal, harm to the optimal developmental outcomes of deaf children. The article ties together the articles of the Annals Special Issue, along with additional Vygotskian perspectives, to bring forth the emergence and exploration of biosocial accountability in deaf education.

Virtual Assessment of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students in the Schools.

The COVID-19 pandemic placed stress on all aspects of the educational system. Many state departments of education acknowledged the disruption to individualized education program evaluation and implementation but insisted that evaluation timelines and services continue undisrupted. School psychologists were therefore forced to navigate the viability of virtual assessment without established research supporting this type of student evaluation. Formal assessments used in the identification of learning disabilities and other areas of disability were not standardized with virtual administration procedures; however, many test publishers have offered guidelines for online administration. These guidelines may not be suitable for test administration with deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children. Through the presentation of two case studies, this article explores some of the available administration guidelines and evaluates their appropriateness for use with DHH children. Information in this article informs current practice of school psychology in a virtual environment.

Identifying Well-Prepared Teachers of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students: Federal Legislation Versus Inconsistent State Requirements.

Luft is professor emerita, School of Lifespan Development and Educational Sciences, College of Education, Health and Human Services, Kent State University, Kent, OH. She was president of the Council on Education of the Deaf (CED) from 2018 to 2020. Fischgrund is adjunct faculty, Department of Special Education, Saint Joseph's University, Philadelphia, PA. He was CED executive director from 2012 to 2019. Eardley is the owner of Future Endeavors Consulting, Cleveland, OH. Tanner is a teacher of deaf and hard of hearing students, Pasco County (FL) Schools. Reusser is a staff interpreter, Cleveland Hearing and Speech Center. Eardley, Tanner, and Reusser were graduate assistants at Kent State University when the research for the present article was conducted.Teacher shortages and alternative licensure requirements, in combination with inconsistent state licensure regulations, suggest that not all teachers of deaf and hard of hearing students have the expertise to successfully educate their students. Most national, regional, and specialized professional accreditations do not assess DHH-specific instructional and communication proficiencies, and thus may contribute to DHH students' low achievement levels relative to those of their hearing peers. The study surveyed teaching licensure requirements across the 50 states and District of Columbia regarding compliance with federal requirements and state variations. Results showed that 39% of states did not require a DHH-specific teacher-training program; 45% did not employ a DHH-specific licensure exam. Only 25% required documentation of language/communication skills. A specialized accrediting organization, such as the Council on Education of the Deaf, could help identify well-prepared teachers to fill current and future vacancies and thereby improve DHH students' achievement.