Sentences and Other Systems: A Language and Learning Curriculum for Hearing Impaired Children (review)

Reviews Introduction To Audiology, Frederick N. Martin, Ph.D., 443 pp., $12.95, cloth, Prentice Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, N.J., 1975. This is a refreshing addition to the array of textbooks available in audiology. Concepts in audiology are discussed clearly and succinctly and audiologic procedures presented in narrative , illustrations, tables and flow charts. Those wishing a discussion of the historical development of audiology and its procedures will be disappointed, but those looking for a well written , easy to understand account of the technical aspects of audiology, audiologic concepts and clinical procedures will be pleased. The bibliographic items are well selected to represent the major contributions to the field. A glossary at the end of each chapter should prove helpful to students new to the field, and questions presented at the end of each chapter test the reader's understanding of the information . The conciseness and manner of writing allows the author to develop a wide array of topics and may well stimulate the reader to search for additional information to augment or extend his knowledge and information ancillary to the basic knowledge presented. Organized into four major divisions (I. Elements of Hearing and Sound, II. Audiometry, III. Anatomy and Physiology of Hearing, and IV. Problems in Audiology) the 12 chapters are well written. The manner of approaching the subject matter results in a textbook which appears to be somewhat more sophisticated than older texts in the field. Although designed with the new student in mind, the text is not devoid of interest to those already in the field. Richard F. Krug Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology University of Colorado Boulder, Colorado 80302 Sentences and Other Systems: A Language and Learning Curriculum for Hearing Impaired Children , Peter Blackwell, Elizabeth Engen, Joseph Fischgrund , and Christine Zarcadoolas, 190 pp., Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf, 3417 Volta Place, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20007, 1978. The book is an exposition and explanation of the Rhode Island School for the Deaf Language Development Curriculum extending from age three through the high school years. The curriculum is based on Bruner's theory of cognitive development, utilizing concepts of enactive, iconic, and symbolic processes, and on Chomsky's generative transformational grammar. The core of the curriculum consists of five basic sentence patterns. Complex structures are taught as transformations off the basic patterns. In each case guidelines follow an exposure, recognition , comprehension, and production sequence . There is a heavy emphasis on early reading and chart stories. The Rhode Island Curriculum is systematic, carefully developed, and has a strong theoretical base. The authors touch on a number of topics including structural linguistics, transformational grammar, cognitive psychology, and curriculum development. A notable omission— and the major flaw of the book—is the lack of a treatment of the specific language problems of hearing-impaired children. A chapter presenting the problems hearing-impaired children face in acquiring mastery of the English language and justifying the curriculum developed at the Rhode Island School for the Deaf would be an invaluable addition to an impressive document. Donald F. Moores, Ph.D. Pennsylvania State University University Park, Pa. 16802 An Annotated Bibliography of Books and Materials for Adult Basic Education Classes with Deaf Adults, prepared by Harry Olsen, 32 pp., Gallaudet College, Division of Public Services, Washington, D.C. 20002 This is an interesting bibliography of books and materials relating to adult basic education but does not have enough application to the field of deafness. The introduction and annotations give little if any information on how ABE classes are organized or funded. There is also no reference to the National Continuing Education program at Gallaudet, etc. Ray L. Jones, Ph.D., Director National Center on Deafness California State University, Northridge Northridge, Ca. 91330 Sharing the Street: Activities for All Children, Barbara Kolucki, 96 pp., $2.00, Community Education Services Division of Children's Television Workshop, One Lincoln Plaza, New York, N.Y. 10023, 1978. Sharing the Street was designed for a broad range of disabled children. This is a "Sesame A.A.D. I June 1980 455 ...