Families with deaf members: American Annals of the Deaf, 1996 to 2000

The authors provide an overview of 21 articles from several countries focusing on families with deaf members published in the literary issues of the American Annals of the Deaf from 1996 to 2000. Four categories were identified: Interaction and Involvement, Support Services, Stress and Coping, and Decision Making. The articles represent a commendable expansion of focus from the mother-child dyad to increased attention to fathers, siblings, extended family members, and significant nonfamily members such as deaf adults. The heterogeneity of families was a striking factor, even within those studies dealing with relatively homogeneous populations. Services appeared to be most effective within middle-class, educated family units, illustrating the need for more comprehensive services sensitive to the needs of families from less affluent backgrounds and with lower levels of education. In general, services to families with deaf children may be characterized as better than in the past but still in need of significant sensitivity and improvement. The presence of a deaf child in a family with hearing parents may cause stress, but parents have the flexibility to respond in a positive and beneficial way, especially when provided adequate information and support. The idea that hearing parents go through a grieving process involving the identification of deafness in their child seems to be an overstatement.

Issues in the modification of American sign language for instructional purposes

The use of manual communication and sign languages for language education of autistic, deaf retarded, and mentally retarded individuals is receiving increasing attention by educators. Modifications of sign systems for this purpose emphasize simplicity, redundancy, and English word order. Effective utilization of manual communication for these populations requires a better understanding of the physical and linguistic bases of sign languages than now exists. Preliminary evidence from studies of oral-only, manual-only, and oral-manual modes of communication suggests that flexibility in utilizing all modes is the most effective teaching method. The present paper will consider the possible utilization of modifications of the American Sign Language for use in three general areas: instruction of deaf students in the classroom, communication between hearing parents and young deaf children, and communication with individuals with handicaps other than deafness.