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Dialogue in deaf and hearing preschoolers
Journal of Speech and Hearing Research
|December 1, 1982
Summary
Preschool-age deaf children showed differences in dialogue compared to hearing children. Deaf children used simpler language as initiators and had more difficulty responding to complex conversational turns.
Area of Science:
- Child Development
- Linguistics
- Special Education
Background:
- Understanding language development in deaf children is crucial for early intervention.
- Dialogue analysis provides insights into conversational dynamics.
- Preschool years are a critical period for language acquisition and social interaction.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the dialogue patterns of preschool-age deaf and hearing children.
- To analyze the roles of speaker-initiator and speaker-responder in child dyads.
- To identify differences in language complexity and responsiveness between deaf and hearing children.
Main Methods:
- Recorded naturalistic play sessions of deaf and hearing preschool dyads.
- Utilized a specialized system for assessing dialogue roles (initiator/responder).
- Analyzed utterance complexity and response patterns within conversations.
Main Results:
- Both deaf and hearing children utilized speaker-initiator and speaker-responder roles.
- Deaf children exhibited less complex utterances as initiators.
- Deaf children were less responsive to partner utterances, especially comments, and struggled with increased initiation complexity.
Conclusions:
- Deaf children's language performance in dialogue differs from hearing peers.
- Specific challenges exist in deaf children's responsiveness and complexity management during conversation.
- Viewing language through a communication framework highlights interactional differences.