One-to-One Lessons for Kids 7-12, and: One-to-One Lipreading Lessons for Teenagers (review)

Reviews One-to-One Lessons for Kids 7-12, Jill Auerbach, 67 pp., $13.75, Charles C Thomas, 2600 South First Street, Springfield, Illinois 62717, 1983. One-to-One Lipreading Lessons for Teenagers, Jill Auerbach, 78 pp., $13.75, Charles C Thomas, 2600 South First Street, Springfield, Illinois 62717, 1981. Ms. Auerbach's illustrated books incorporate a variety of themes in a format that mimics naturalistic dialogue using formulaic expressions , colloquilisms, and slang. The teacher/ therapist helps the deaf or hearing-impaired youngster learn how context can be used to predict what will be seen on the lips. Since these exercises do not seem to follow any particular order of progression (e.g., from least to most difficult) and no specific student goals/objectives are delineated, the series might be more appropriately entitled Activities for Lipreading Practice. Most of the activities are creatively presented, tapping the children's interests, feelings, and experiences. However, a high level of English language competence is required to comprehend the complex sentence structures and generate acceptable responses to the often difficult directions. Since most deaf and hearing-impaired children have not had full access to English as a first language, expecting them to process these forms through lipreading alone is unrealistic. Similarly, the exercises presume knowledge of cultural information (popular music, fairy tales, and movies) that is dependent upon auditorially based language experience. It is essential to present this kind of content via the child's preferred mode of communication before using it in a lipreading activity. If the concepts and English language forms used in these exercises are pretaught, the value of the series as appropriate teaching material for a range of deaf and hearing -impaired youngsters increases. Judith Mounty, M.Ed. Instructor Education of the Hearing Impaired Program Boston University School of Education 605 Commonwealth Avenue Boston, Massachusetts 02215 Deaf-Blind Infants and Children: A Developmental Guide, J. M. Mdnnes and J. A. Treffry, 284 pp., $27.50, University of Toronto Press, 33 East Tupper St., Buffalo , NY 14203, 1982. This work is a reference guide for professionA .A.D. /October 1983 als, paraprofessionals, and parents working or living with deaf-blind or multisensory deprived children. It provides evaluation techniques, developmental guidelines, and teaching strategies that are practical and show particular insight into the functioning abilities and preferences of this population. Areas covered include social and emotional development, communication, motor development, perceptual development, cognitive-conceptual development, orientation and mobility, and life skills. The text is flawed in many respects. The organization lacks consistency; few research references (especially of recent years) substantiate statements; developmental guides contain numerous gaps and are unsubstantiated; and a number of assertions can be contested. However , the variety of instructional strategies proposed is stimulating and valuable as a resource. In addition, this book represents a pioneering effort to compile comprehensive, developmentally based teaching strategies for deaf-blind children into a single guide. Corinne Klein fensema, Ph.D. Gallaudet College Washington, D.C. 20002 Signing: How to Speak With Your Hands, Elaine Costello , Ph.D., 256 pp., $8.95, paper, Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10017, 1983. Bantam Books has published the first trade paperback guide to American Sign Language, Signing: How to Speak With Your Hands. Dr. Elaine Costello, a faculty member at Gallaudet College and Director of the Gallaudet College Press, has done an outstanding job in organizing this new work on American Sign Language. The 1,200 signs presented in the book are grouped by topics such as people, food and eating, and places. An introductory section at the beginning of each chapter provides information on the linguistic principles of sign language . The introduction provides basic information on deafness and sign language. The illustrations by Lois Lehman, deaf since birth, are excellent and employ a variety of deaf models who also served as consultants for the book. At $8.95, this is an excellent buy for the person looking for a basic book on American Sign Language. Robert K. Lennan, Ed.D. Superintendent California School for the Deaf Riverside, California 92506 793 ...