Deaf Minority Students: Communication Development in Trilingual/Tricultural Children

CDS 531Special Topic Presentation

Spring 2004Tara Jane Schoop

Research Questions

How do deaf minority children acquire language and develop communication skills?

What can we do as educators to help children and families face language barriers and cultural barriers?

Language Acquisition

For the “normal” child… Language is not taught, it is acquired We acquire language through…

Interactions with caregivers Meaningful experiences Repetition over time

Second Language Learners Best way to learn a second language is

the same way you learned the first Interactions with people you care about Meaningful experiences

If learned in an educational setting you probably won’t be as fluent

Example: six weeks in Mexico is more valuable than six months in Spanish class

Easier to learn a second language if you are fluent in the first

D/HH Second Language Learners

Make up over 40% of the D/HH school aged population

Less likely to be successful in school than a child facing either of these characteristics alone

More likely to be labeled LD or MR

Communication Mode

Majority of programs for D/HH use sign and speech Therefore, families need to become

trilingual English Spanish Sign Language

Early Identification and Amplification Challenges Hispanic children are usually identified

after critical language acquisition period Not until they come to U.S. May not understand doctors, or be able to

convey concerns Doctors may assume a developmental delay Can’t pay for services Lack of hearing aid usage in native country

Strategies for working with families: Empowering parents Provide a linguistically and culturally

appropriate professional Provide an interpreter and translate

printed information Don’t require the family to use English Work with family strengths (large

support system, strong religious faith) Provide support groups and/or parent

education groups Provide transportation and child care

Strategies for the classroom Set high expectations Promote collaboration and cooperation Promote good self esteem Encourage parent and community

involvement (diverse role models) Use multicultural literature and materials Use a variety of assessment/evaluation

methods Provide leadership opportunities

Model Program Kathee Christensen 1985 Conceptual Sign Language as a Bridge

Between English and Spanish Why it works…

Iconic Kinesthetic reinforcement Not syntax-bound

Why it doesn’t work… Fingerspelling Idioms

Conceptual Sign Language Acquisition (Christensen, 1986)

Trilingual televised series to teach Hispanic families conceptual sign language

Results: Parents who watched the most learned the

most 86.7% of participants improved their

conceptual sign language skills Some improved their English through

incidental learning

So What? What we can learn from the study

Parents are motivated to help their children and will do what they feel is best for their children

If provided with a televised series, at no charge, in the home, parents will watch it and learn from it

Next Question If we had provided a televised series that taught

them English, would the results be any different?

ReferencesChristensen, K. M. (2000). Emerging literacy in

bilingual/multicultural education of children who are deaf: A communication-based perspective. In K. M. Christensen (Eds.), Deaf plus: A multicultural perspective (pp. 41-58). San Diego: Dawn Sign Press.

Christensen, K. M. (1990). Thinking about thinking: A discussion of the development and language in deaf children. American Annals of the Deaf, 135(3), 222-226.

Christensen, K. M. (1986). Conceptual sign language acquisition by Spanish-speaking parents of hearing impaired children. American Annals of the Deaf, 131(4), 285-287.

Christensen, K. M. (1985). Conceptual sign language as a bridge between English and Spanish. American Annals of the Deaf, 130(3), 244-249.

Deaf Education Website and Resource. (n.d.). Retrieved February 23, 2004, from: http://www.deafed.net/publisheddcocs/010123b.htm

References Continued Gallaudet University. (n.d.). Preparing teachers for deaf students

from linguistically diverse families. Retrieved February 23, 2004, from the Deaf Education Web site: http://www.deafed.net/publisheddocs/prepteachers.ppt

Gerner de Garcia, B. (2000). Meeting the needs of Hispanic/Latino deaf students. In K. M. Christensen (Eds.), Deaf plus: A multicultural perspective (pp. 41-58). San Diego: Dawn Sign Press.

MacNeil, B. (1990). Educational needs for multicultural hearing-impaired students in the public school system. American Annals of the Deaf, 135(2), 75-82.

University of Illinois, Champaign, Early Childhood Research Institute. (1997). Creating a multicultural school climate for deaf children and their families. Retrieved February 23, 2004, from the Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services Web site: http://www.clas.uiuc.edu/fulltext/c100211/c100211.html

Walker-Vann, C. (1998). Profiling Hispanic deaf students: A first step toward solving the greater problems. American Annals of the Deaf, 143(1), 46-54.