Long-term improvements in oral communication skills and quality of peer relations in children with cochlear implants: parental testimony.

BACKGROUND: Few research studies have examined longitudinal improvements in oral communication skills and quality of peer relationships of children with implants. Moreover, although the emerging literature suggests that improvement in social functioning follows improvement in oral communication, it is still unknown what factors enhance or impede the relations between these constructs. METHODS: Based on parent interviews, the current study examined the long-term improvements in speech and oral language skills and relationships with hearing peers in 19 implanted children. RESULTS: Results demonstrate that on average, children continue to improve in oral communication skills and quality of peer relationships even years after implantation, especially those with initial poorer skills. While oral communication ability and quality of peer relationships are strongly associated at each time point, gains in these two variables are associated only for some of the children. Other factors, including self-confidence and peer acceptance, seem to moderate this relationship. Qualitative data are presented to illustrate these relations among variables and to assist in theory building. CONCLUSIONS: The results highlight the need for more specific examination of various developmental periods in combination with the progress of oral communication and peer relationships among children with implants.

Barriers to HIV/AIDS knowledge and prevention among deaf and hard of hearing people.

This study investigated knowledge about HIV/AIDS and barriers to HIV/AIDS education and prevention among deaf and hard of hearing people. Focus groups and individual interviews were used to elicit information from various groups of people with a hearing loss in different regions of New York State. Themes elicited in the interviews suggested that deaf sign language users are less knowledgeable about HIV/AIDS than oral deaf and hard of hearing participants, and that deaf adolescents have more knowledge than deaf adults. These findings likely reflect differences in levels of education and English proficiency. In addition, participants living in urban areas and in sizeable deaf communities are more exposed to information about HIV/AIDS than other participants. All participants reported difficulties in communication with medical providers, limiting their access to health information and proper medical care. Recommendations for the design and dissemination of educational materials and greater access to services for deaf and hard of hearing people are provided.

Negotiating deaf-hearing friendships: coping strategies of deaf boys and girls in mainstream schools.

BACKGROUND: Increasingly, deaf students are educated in mainstream school environments. This poses a question of how deaf children negotiate the demands of forming friendships with their hearing peers. The present study was designed to examine coping strategies of 35 deaf children attending full or partial mainstream school settings. METHOD: Using a qualitative analysis design, a range of coping strategies used by the children was described based on parents' reports. The relative success of these coping strategies in establishing relationships with hearing peers was assessed by examining strategies that increased the social success of deaf girls and boys. RESULTS: The results showed differences by gender in the effectiveness of coping strategies used by the participants. Deaf girls who were confident and frequently asked for clarifications or who were comfortable playing alone tended to achieve good relationships with hearing peers. In contrast, deaf boys' relationships with hearing peers benefited mostly from the boys' ability to perform well in sports. CONCLUSIONS: These findings are discussed in light of existing research on coping and current debates on the benefits of mainstreaming for deaf children.

Peer relationships of children with cochlear implants.

Previous research on children with cochlear implants has focused mostly on their speech perception and production. With the growing numbers of children who use the implant, it is important to assess other aspects of these children's functioning. This article offers a qualitative and quantitative analysis of interviews with parents who described their children's communication skills and peer relationships before they had the implant and afterward. Results show that the implant has the potential to improve deaf children's relationships with hearing peers. Nonetheless, children with implants still face communication obstacles, which impede their social relationships with hearing peers. Results are discussed in light of the different points of view of various "stake holders" regarding cochlear implants in children.

Diversity of deaf identities.

Social Identity Theory (Tajfel, 1981) posits that members of minority groups achieve positive social identity by (a) attempting to gain access to the mainstream through individual mobility or (b) working with other group members to bring about social change. Some people may use a combination of both strategies. Through the use of cluster analysis, the existence of three identities associated with these strategies was discerned in a sample of 267 deaf adults: culturally hearing identity, culturally deaf identity, and bicultural identity, each comprising about a third of the sample. A subset of 56 people were interviewed in depth; excerpts are presented to illustrate the identity types. Qualified support was found for the prediction that people with culturally deaf and bicultural identities would have higher self-esteem.