Abstract

Although little formal research has examined the results of total communication programs, they do not seem to have lived up to expectations. As a result, two very different proposals have been made recently to improve education of the deaf. One proposes using American Sign Language as the medium of communication, the other advocates simplifying English input to facilitate learning. Basic to both propositions is the assumption that the proposed change will lead to increased comprehension of linguistic input. The current study compared deaf children's understanding of 25 sentences presented in ASL, simplified English and standard English. Results showed no significant differences in the children's ability to comprehend the three different forms.

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