Georgia State University Series:Oral Approaches and PhilosophiesPart 2, Presentation 2July 2001

OralApproaches and PhilosophiesDr. Easterbrooks

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 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 educationAs 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.

ContinuedIt 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

ContinuedAfter 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 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 Training(or Spoken Language Instruction)

Auditory-VerbalAuditory-Oral

Auditory-Verbal PhilosophyEncourages the maximum use of hearing in order to learn language and stresses listening rather than watching.

Essentials of Auditory-Verbal PhilosophyYoung 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 ApproachThis 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 childs primary teacher.

Prerequisites for Auditory-Verbal ApproachEarly 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 is the application of techniques, strategies, conditions, and procedures that promote optimal acquisition of spoken language through listening.

Goal of Auditory-Verbal PracticeChildren 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 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 ApproachThe 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 SuccessfulAuditory-Oral ApproachRequires full time immersion in spoken languageInfants 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 Auditory-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 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.

ContinuedThe 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 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 SummaryListening 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.

GlossaryAmplification: Provision of increased intensity of sound.Auditory-only: Speech that is presented to only the auditory modalityAuditory training: Instruction designed to maximize an individuals 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.

ContinuedAural/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.

ContinuedLipreading: 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.

ReferencesReference 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.

ContinuedReference for slides 12-16, 18, 20-22http://www.oraldeafed.org/library /about/index.htmlReference for slide 8http://www.nciohio.com/prerequi.htmReference for slide 17http://www.bradingrao.com/auditory1.htmReference for slide 4http://www.listen-up.org/options1.htmSlides 5, 7, and 19 are unaccounted for, but Im positive they came from one of the above sources or from the following website:http://www.auditory-verbal.org/