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PubMed2001

Reflections on validity and epistemology in a study of working relations between deaf and hearing professionals.

In this article, a research study that examined the working relationships between Deaf and hearing professionals in health and educational services in the United Kingdom is addressed. These service providers worked in bilingual organizations where both British Sign Language and English were used and in which Deaf people's identity as a cultural-linguistic minority was accepted. The focus of this article is on issues of validity and epistemology that arose for the Deaf and hearing research team in the course of this study. In particular, it examines the influence of identity attributions on the research process for researchers operating within a context of historical oppression, minority language use and legitimization of research knowledge, and challenges to the interpretative analysis used in the study that arose from the dynamics of majority-minority power relations in the wider social world.

Communication↗

PubMed1996

Enhanced image generation abilities in deaf signers: a right hemisphere effect.

Deaf subjects who use American Sign Language as their primary language generated visual mental images faster than hearing nonsigning subjects when stimuli were initially presented to the right hemisphere. Deaf subjects exhibited a strong right hemisphere advantage for image generation using either categorical or coordinate spatial relations representations. In contrast, hearing subjects showed evidence of left hemisphere processing for categorical spatial relations representations, and no hemispheric asymmetry for coordinate spatial relations representations. The enhanced right hemisphere image generation abilities observed in deaf singers may be linked to a stronger right hemisphere involvement in processing imageable signs and linguistically encoded spatial relations.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Egocentric language in deaf children.

Egocentric language is a generalization of Piaget's egocentric speech concept (1926/1969) investigated by Vygotsky (1962). Behaviors of eight children ages 2 to 5 years with profound congenital deafness were analyzed using six classes of egocentric language: motor reaction activity, silent lips articulation, murmur, oral-facial mimics, body expression, and vocalization. No child had received oral or sign language training. All attended videotaped play sessions. Events in which children engaged in "dialogue" with themselves or a toy, while pursuing a specific solution, were observed. Such extralinguistic behavior moves the thinking process toward problem solving like that of hearing children. Consequently, teachers should not interrupt when a deaf child is playing with or signing or vocalizing to a toy, because this behavior may be the manifestation of a reflexive moment and the generator of a decision process fundamental for cognitive development. Vocalization by a deaf child does not indicate willingness to speak; it merely manifests symbolic reasoning. Silent lips articulation and oral-facial mimics have the same effect and can also be interpreted.

Child Language↗

PubMed2004

Deaf children in regular classrooms: a sociocultural approach to a Brazillan experience.

Inclusion of deaf children in regular classrooms is often described as unsuccessful. The present article shows how communicative and metacommunicative strategies used in teacher(s)-deaf students(s) interactions may facilitate inclusion. A fourth-grade classroom was investigated where a coteaching approach--a master teacher working with a teacher trained in Brazilian Sign Language (BSL)--was used. The class, 7 deaf and 19 hearing students, was selected because of the teacher dyad's effectiveness with these students. The teachers' interactive styles and strategies are highlighted, along with communicative and metacommunicative processes that occurred between them and the deaf students. The authors show that meanings are co-constructed not only through words or BSL but through nonverbal actions. Relational metacommunicative strategies make integration more effective and learning easier and more pleasant; therefore, dialogue with deaf children entails more than the mere use of words, either vocally or with signs.

Brazil↗

PubMed1989

Carpal tunnel syndrome: the risk to educational interpreters.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is a problem associated with numbness, burning, tingling, tickling or "pins and needles" sensations in the hand. The syndrome has been linked to occupations that require repetitive pinching and/or repetitive wrist movements, both movements associated with sign language interpreting. Educational interpretors may be particularly at risk and so need accurate information regarding this malady. Without such education, some interpreters will worry needlessly while others delay in seeking essential medical attention. This article profiles groups at high risk for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and identifies surgical and rehabilitative treatments.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome↗

PubMed1999

Communication methodologies: options for families.

When parents are told their child has a hearing loss they not only have to cope with the loss, they must also decide which communication and educational option is best for them. The purpose of this article is to discuss the different communication modalities available for hearing-impaired children. Whether parents choose auditory/oral, sign language, or cued speech they must be committed to the chosen modality. It is important that families are presented with all the communication options available in an unbiased manner. Parents need to research each option carefully and decide which is best, not only for the child, but also for the entire family.

Child, Preschool↗

PubMed1996

Professional psychology and deaf people. The emergence of a discipline.

This article depicts obstacles and opportunities that face students and consumers who are deaf and who interface with the profession of psychology. The rapid evolution of scholarship, specialized education and service programs, and related professional endeavors regarding psychology and deaf individuals is described. The emergence of a field of professional psychology and deaf people as a discipline in its own right is posited. Professional standards and ethics in this emerging discipline are discussed, especially those pertaining to fluency in American Sign Language (ASL) and to the accessibility of deaf people to the profession of psychology as well as to the services of the profession. The potential for the American Psychological Association to further or hinder this emerging discipline and the advancement of all psychologists with disabilities are considered.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1991

Issues in providing mental health services to hearing-impaired persons.

Interest in the mental health service needs of hearing-impaired persons has expanded over the past 35 years, but the availability and accessibility of clinical services have lagged behind developments in research. Despite federal mandates, deaf Americans' psychiatric and psychosocial needs remain profoundly underserved. The author provides an overview of deaf culture and the deaf community and discusses issues in communication, including use of American Sign Language and interpreters in clinical settings. Diagnostic considerations, clinical assessment strategies, and inpatient, outpatient, educational, and early intervention treatment strategies are explored, and the needs of special populations, including mentally ill offenders, patients with multiple disabilities, and persons with hearing loss in later life are examined.

Combined Modality Therapy↗

PubMed2004

Motion velocity thresholds in deaf signers: changes in lateralization but not in overall sensitivity.

In a series of three experiments, we tested whether deaf native signers process motion velocity information differently from hearing nonsigners. In Experiment 1, participants watched radially moving dots and were asked to detect the quadrant in which the velocity of the dots had changed. Similar 79% thresholds were observed in the two populations. In Experiments 2 and 3, peripheral and central thresholds were assessed separately as previous studies suggest early deafness leads mainly to changes in the processing of visual peripheral information. Neither condition produced an overall population difference. These negative results were not due to a lack of sensitivity in our experiments. Indeed, as has been previously reported, deaf native signers exhibited better thresholds in the right than in the left visual field, whereas the opposite pattern was observed in the hearing. This effect appears triggered by experience with American Sign Language (ASL) rather than deafness per se. Overall, this study confirms that early deafness does not enhance motion processing, and suggests that most of the changes previously described in the literature are instead attributable to changes in attention, and possibly special alterations of attention-to-motion processes.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Communicating effectively with deaf patients.

This article explores the communication needs of deaf patients who use British Sign Language as their first or preferred language. It would appear that these needs are not being met, particularly in acute hospital settings. Practical advice is provided for nurses to improve the quality of care that deaf patients receive.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

PubMed1995

Hypnosis with signing deaf and hearing subjects.

Historically hypnosis with deaf people has been an underutilized intervention as the deaf were assumed not to be responsive to hypnotic suggestion. Recent research has begun to challenge these assumptions. Matthews and Isenberg (in press) compared the hypnotic responsiveness of deaf and hearing subjects on the Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale, form C (SHSS:C) all of whom received the hypnotic suggestions via sign language. Those results supported the notion that deaf subjects are capable of responding to hypnotic suggestion and may be as hypnotically responsive as hearing subjects. The purpose of the present article is to examine the similarities and differences of responses between deaf and hearing subjects to the individual items of the SHSS:C and compare those responses to the SHSS:C norms.

Deafness↗

PubMed1983

The use of nonvocal communication techniques with autistic individuals.

Studies reporting the use of sign languages and symbol systems with autistic children and young people are reviewed. The studies suggest that signs and symbols can be used in communication by individuals who are above and below the age of five, mute and mentally handicapped. The communication skills developed may, in some cases, be complex, and speech may develop in the context of sign or symbol programmes. However, problems concerned with the description of subjects, methods and outcome of studies mean that many conclusions can only be supported tentatively by existing data.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1990

Recall of order information by deaf signers: phonetic coding in temporal order recall.

To examine the claim that phonetic coding plays a special role in temporal order recall, deaf and hearing college students were tested on their recall of temporal and spatial order information at two delay intervals. The deaf subjects were all native signers of American Sign Language. The results indicated that both the deaf and hearing subjects used phonetic coding in short-term temporal recall, and visual coding in spatial recall. There was no evidence of manual or visual coding among either the hearing or the deaf subjects in the temporal order recall task. The use of phonetic coding for temporal recall is consistent with the hypothesis that recall of temporal order information is facilitated by a phonetic code.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Perception of persons with severe or profound deafness about the communication process during health care.

This study describes a qualitative approach with the objective of characterizing the perceptions of people with severe or profound deafness about the communication process in the context of health care services. Study participants were 11 people with severe and/or profound deafness, who were interviewed using Brazilian sign language (LIBRAS). The interactions were videotaped and then transcribed. Care was taken to maintain the grammatical construction which was characteristic in the expression of each person. Three categories emerged from thematic analysis: Understanding, Need for Mediation, Feelings. Deaf persons do not achieve effective communication in health care, during which they experience negative feelings. Hence, the presence of a professional interpreter is needed.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

The culture of the deaf.

The population of the United States includes over 1 million deaf people, the majority of whom have chosen to differentiate themselves in terms of a Deaf culture. These Deaf people share unique values and norms and use sign language for communication. The differences that exist between hearing and Deaf individuals necessitate that the nurse understand this population. This article will describe the Deaf culture using Leininger's Sunrise Model and present specific nursing actions in the modes of culture care preservation and/or maintenance, accommodation and/or negotiation, and repatterning or restructuring that enable the nurse to provide culturally congruent care for Deaf clients.

Communication Barriers↗

PubMed1999

A speechreading expert: the case of MM.

The present case study of MM, who acquired both sign language and spoken language in her early preschool years-and then reached the normal milestones of development in each language--revealed that her speechreading expertise is associated with cognitive functions such as high working memory capacity and phonological skills. Her cognitive profile is in accord with previous case studies of extremely good speechreading skill. MM's enhanced right prefrontal/frontal cerebral blood flow activation during speechreading seems to be indicative of efficient visual scanning, but it is also possibly due to her strategy for phonological decoding of visual speech.

Adult↗

PubMed1995

Deaf and hard-of-hearing clients: some legal implications.

At least one of every 16 Americans has some degree of hearing loss and may use a variety of communication modes, including spoken English and American Sign Language. With the passage of various federal laws, most notably the Americans with Disabilities Act, social services agencies will need to become more aware of the needs of their deaf and hard-of-hearing clients. This article reviews federal legislation and statutes and their impact on service and legal programs. Legislative mandates for the use of assistive devices and interpreters in various settings are discussed. As service providers and advocates, social workers need to ensure that their own services adequately meet legal and ethical obligations and that the profession advocates for other agencies to do the same.

Deafness↗

PubMed2006

Bringing prostate cancer education to deaf men.

INTRODUCTION: A review of the scientific literature yielded no examples of programs that were designed to give deaf men access to information about prostate cancer, early detection, and treatment. The community's diverse linguistic abilities, multiple preferences for receiving information, and the small size of the community, create additional challenges for health educators. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prostate cancer education program was adapted for deaf men (N=121), with the goal of creating a single program that could meet the educational needs of this diverse community. The program was evaluated using baseline, post-test, and two-month follow-up surveys, plus focus group discussions. RESULTS: Overall, baseline knowledge about prostate cancer and awareness of the screening options for the early detection of prostate cancer increased significantly at post-test and this gain was maintained at the two-month follow-up. While prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening and digital rectal exams also increased among men 50 and older, the increase was not statistically significant, possibly a consequence of the small sample size. Participants' reported their preferred methods of communication. Greater knowledge gains were demonstrated among those who preferred communications via American Sign Language (ASL) versus English-based communications. CONCLUSION: Cancer education programs offered in ASL can help address health knowledge disparities and that in turn can contribute to alleviating these disparities. Clinicians and health educators can help raise the deaf community's health awareness through programs such as this one, which ultimately evolved into the Internet accessible ASL video: Prostate Cancer: Know Your Options.

Adult↗