Georgia State University Georgia State University Series:Series:

Oral Approaches and Philosophies

Part 2, Presentation 2

July 2001

OralOralApproaches and PhilosophiesApproaches and Philosophies

Dr. Easterbrooks

Philosophy of Oral Education Philosophy of Oral Education

The goal of oral education is for deaf and hard-of-hearing children to learn to listen, speak, and to understand spoken language.

Children who are educated with the oral approach develop listening skills with the use of current auditory technology, including digital hearing aids and cochlear implants, and specific teaching strategies.

The oral approach allows speechreading to help deaf and hard-of-hearing children to understand language.

Elements of successful oral Elements of successful oral deaf education deaf education

Children can maximize their auditory potential all day when taught in environments where they are expected to learn to listen and speak.

Spoken language is the only language used by children at all times.

The curriculum prepares children for mainstreaming.

History of oral deaf educationHistory of oral deaf education

As early as the 16th century, a Benedictine monk named Pedro Ponce de Leon tutored the deaf children of the Spanish nobility using oral deaf methods.

In the 18th century, a German teacher named Samuel Heinicke developed the foundations of modern oral deaf education. He was the first advocate of what we now call mainstreaming.

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It was not until the end of the 19th century when educators began to develop the role that residual hearing could have in the oral education of the deaf.

Dr. Max Goldstein developed the notion of audition (the use of residual hearing) as an integral part of oral education

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After World War II, when many veterans returned with hearing loss, the government funded research on hearing aids, which became powerful enough to benefit even profoundly deaf children.

As a result, children were able to use their residual hearing as well as visual cues to learn to speak.

Auditory TrainingAuditory Training

Auditory training activities form a major component of oral education.

The goal of auditory training for children who are deaf or hard of hearing is to develop their ability to recognize speech using the auditory signal to interpret auditory experiences.

Types of Auditory TrainingTypes of Auditory Training(or Spoken Language Instruction)(or Spoken Language Instruction)

Auditory-Verbal

Auditory-Oral

Auditory-Verbal PhilosophyAuditory-Verbal Philosophy

Encourages the maximum use of hearing in order to learn language and stresses listening rather than watching.

Essentials of Auditory-Verbal Essentials of Auditory-Verbal PhilosophyPhilosophy

Young children who are deaf or hard of hearing can be educated to use even minimal amounts of amplified residual hearing.

Use of amplified residual hearing permits the child to learn to listen, process verbal language, and to speak.

Auditory-Verbal ApproachAuditory-Verbal Approach

This approach is similar to the auditory-oral approach except it does not encourage lipreading.

It excludes the use of sign language. This method emphasizes the exclusive use of

auditory skills through one-on-one teaching. It emphasizes the importance of placing children

in the regular education classroom as soon as possible.

It views parents as the child’s primary teacher.

Prerequisites for Auditory-Verbal Prerequisites for Auditory-Verbal ApproachApproach

Early identification of hearing loss.Early fitting of appropriate amplification.Emphasis on “learning to listen.”Regular therapy sessions with certified

auditory-verbal professionals.Mainstreaming in education.Total family participation in the learning

process.

Auditory-Verbal PracticeAuditory-Verbal Practice

Auditory-verbal practice is the application of techniques, strategies, conditions, and procedures that promote optimal acquisition of spoken language through listening.

Goal of Auditory-Verbal PracticeGoal of Auditory-Verbal Practice

Children who are deaf or hard of hearing can grow up in regular learning and living environments enabling them to become independent, participating, and contributing citizens in society.

Who Can Benefit from Who Can Benefit from Auditory-Verbal Practice?Auditory-Verbal Practice?

With appropriate hearing aids, cochlear implants, and other technology, most children who are deaf or hard of hearing can benefit from auditory-verbal practice if it is begun early.

The critical period for the development of spoken language (as a first language) ends by the time a child enters school.

Auditory-Oral ApproachAuditory-Oral Approach

The auditory-oral approach is a method in which children learn to use whatever hearing they have, in combination with lipreading and contextual cues (speechreading) to understand and use spoken language.

Components of a SuccessfulComponents of a SuccessfulAuditory-Oral ApproachAuditory-Oral Approach

Requires full time immersion in spoken language Infants and very young children need to be

"bathed" in spoken language by their caregivers. Small classes and daily one-on-one instruction

provide the intense earliest intervention that makes oral deaf education successful.

Technology Benefits of the Technology Benefits of the Auditory-Oral ApproachAuditory-Oral Approach

More recently, the cochlear implant and other new technology have maximized auditory potential of deaf and hard-of-hearing children for whom analog hearing aids previously provided little or no benefit.

Private oral deaf education Private oral deaf education schools and programs schools and programs

OPTION schools and programs are an international council of private and independent schools that provide auditory-oral education for deaf and hard-of-hearing children.

OPTION schools and programs support early intervention and oral education with the goal of mainstreaming the deaf and hard-of-hearing child.

The primary criterion for membership in OPTION is that the school supports and provides auditory-oral philosophy and practice.

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The leadership of the OPTION schools must be active and contributing members of the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

All OPTION schools have classes for deaf and hard-of-hearing children, and offer a variety of other services including parent education, individual therapy, diagnostics and mainstream support.

Public oral deaf education Public oral deaf education schools and programs schools and programs

The Public School Caucus (PSC) is the umbrella organization of public schools with oral deaf education programs, much as OPTION is the umbrella for private schools.

Like OPTION, the PSC is independent of, but requires membership in, the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing as a criterion for membership.

PSC and OPTION members often work together to achieve their common goals.

Auditory Habilitation SummaryAuditory Habilitation Summary Listening and speech skills do not emerge

spontaneously. Therefore, concentrated, deliberate

rehabilitation is required. Child learns to utilize the electrical signal for

the purpose of speech recognition and speech and language acquisition.

Must include participation by the parents, speech and hearing professionals, and educators.

GlossaryGlossary

Amplification: Provision of increased intensity of sound. Auditory-only: Speech that is presented to only the auditory modality Auditory training: Instruction designed to maximize an individual’s

use of residual hearing by means of both formal and informal listening practice.

Auditory-verbal therapy: An educational approach in which technology, techniques, and strategies are used to enable children to listen and understand spoken language, with a primary emphasis on the auditory modality for learning.

Aural habilitation: Intervention for persons who have not developed listening, speech, and language skills.

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Aural/oral method: An instruction method used to teach children with significant hearing loss using hearing, speechreading, and spoken language, but not manual communication.

Aural rehabilitation: Intervention aimed at minimizing and alleviating the communication difficulties associated with hearing loss.

Cochlear implant: Device planted in the skull that permits persons with deafness to receive stimulation of the auditory mechanism; directly stimulates the auditory nerve by means of electrical current.

Hard-of-hearing: HOH; having a hearing loss; usually not used to refer to a profound hearing loss.

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Lipreading: The process of recognizing speech using only the visual speech signal and other visual cues, such as facial expression.

Mainstreaming: Reassignment of children with disabilities from a special education classroom to a classroom in the regular school environment.

Residual hearing: The hearing remaining in a person who has hearing loss.

Speechreading: Speech recognition using auditory and visual cues.

ReferencesReferences

Reference for slides 6, 9-11Estabrooks, W., & Marlowe, J. (2000). The

baby is listening: An educational tool for professionals who work with children who are deaf or hard of hearing.Washington, DC: The Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

Reference for slides 2-3, 23-26Tye-Murray, N. (1998). Foundations of aural

rehabilitation. San Diego, CA: Singular Publishing Group, Inc.

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Reference for slides 12-16, 18, 20-22

http://www.oraldeafed.org/library /about/index.html Reference for slide 8

http://www.nciohio.com/prerequi.htm Reference for slide 17

http://www.bradingrao.com/auditory1.htm Reference for slide 4

http://www.listen-up.org/options1.htm Slides 5, 7, and 19 are unaccounted for, but I’m positive they came

from one of the above sources or from the following website:

http://www.auditory-verbal.org/