Communication and language in severely deaf adolescents

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Linguistics
• Deaf Education

Background:

• Early severe or profound deafness impairs natural language processing and communication skills.
• Prelingual deafness hinders the development of sequential/syntactical skills crucial for linguistic competence.
• Traditional UK educational approaches for the deaf rely on amplification and lip-reading, with limited success.

Purpose of the Study:

• To experimentally compare the communicative effectiveness of oral and total communication systems.
• To investigate how language structure influences communication system efficacy.
• To provide evidence supporting more effective communication strategies for deaf individuals.

Main Methods:

• An experimental study was conducted to assess communication systems.
• Both oral and total communication methods were evaluated.
• The study analyzed communication effectiveness across various language structures.

Main Results:

• Total communication systems demonstrated greater effectiveness than oral methods for most language structures.
• Manual signing, a component of total communication, proved more productive for linguistic and cognitive skills.
• The findings indicate a clear advantage for total communication in facilitating communication.

Conclusions:

• Total communication systems are superior to oral methods for enhancing linguistic and cognitive skills in deaf individuals.
• Manual signing is a key factor in the effectiveness of total communication.
• Educational strategies for the deaf should prioritize total communication approaches for improved outcomes.