Interaction of deaf and hearing preschool children

Hearing and hearing-imparied children attending an integrated preschool were observed in a free-play situation. The principal objective was to discern how hearing and deaf children interacted and modified their communication skills as a function of hearing status. The data indicate that hearing children interact more frequently with other hearing children on several behavioral categories (approaches, vocalizations, social play, and physical contact). Although there was a tendency for deaf children to approach other deaf children more frequently than they approached hearing children, they showed no preferences for other interactions as a function of peers' hearing status. These findings are consistent with those of research on other exceptional children, such as the mentally retarded, in showing that, while hearing-impaired children showed no peer preference, they were least preferred by normal peers.