Report of Communication Method Usage by Teachers of Deaf-Blind Children—Part IV

Deaf/Blind News Report of Communication Method Usage by Teachers of Deaf-Blind Children—Part IV Corinne Klein Jensema, Ph.D. This is the third in a series of articles presented under the "Deaf-Blind News" which discusses the results of a national survey of communication methods used by deaf-blind children and their teachers during the fall of 1979. A questionnaire was distributed to 400 teachers of deaf-blind children in educational programs receiving ESEA, Title VI C funds. Findings were based on statistical analysis of 195 returned usable questionnaires. Questions focused on what communication methods teachers used with their students and students used with their teachers, auditorally, visually, and tactilely and to what extent each was used. In addition, teachers were asked to demographically describe the particular student about whom they reported according to such features as: sex; ethnic origin; type of educational facility and program; years in school; age of onset, etiology, and degree of vision and hearing losses; percentage of time glasses and hearing aids were used; additional handicapping conditions and behaviors; and IQ. Randomization was achieved by asking the teachers to report on that student in their classes whose last name came first in the alphabet. Means and frequency distributions were determined for all demographic factors and communication methods through computer analysis. Cross tabulations were performed between various demographic factors to ascertain whether correlations existed which might reduce or enhance their influence on choice of communication methods. Partitioning of communication methods by demographic factors was achieved by first weighting the communication methods by the average amount of time each reportedly was used. Therefore , never = 5%, sometimes = 30%, usually = 70%, and always = 95%. Percentages of times for people who possessed these demographic factors were reported only when they were significantly different from the percentages of times for people who did not possess these same factors. The preceding article and this one discuss the demographic features which showed some significant correlation with choice of communication methods and the implications these have for determination of educational policy. The hypotheses tested were: 5. The kind and number of additional handicapping conditions have no effect on the kind and frequency of use of communication methods. 6. The kind and number of unusual behaviors have no effect on the kind and frequency of use of communication methods. FINDINGS Hypothesis 5 Additional handicapping conditions appeared to have an important effect on the selection of communication methods (see Table 1). Children who are mentally retarded tended to use most visual/auditory communication methods less and tactile communication methods more than those children who are not mentally retarded. These children were more physically impaired and probably needed more body contact in order to elicit a response. Large print and sign language were used less by children with cerebral palsy because they do not have the body control to handle the intricate configurations of signing and most did not have sufficiently deteriorated vision to need large print. Visual/auditory speech and gestures were used less by children with other orthopedic impairments for similar reasons. Youngsters with con798 A.A.O. I October 1981 DeaflBlind News Table 1. Mean Use of Communication Methods by Children with Various Additional Handicapping Conditions. Communication Methods Mental retardation No Yes Cerebral palsy No Additional Handicapping Conditionsa Other „ . . Chronic lV. ,. Convulsive , ... orthopedic .. . health disorders .... impairments conditions Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes Autism No Yes VISUALLY/ AUDITORALLY Speech 72 62 Gestures 53 41 Signs Regular print 35 9 Large print 34 12 TACTILELY Speech 11 24 Gestures 11 29 Signs 21 35 67 7 52 36 66 55 46 29 19 8 46 17 19 23 31 5 6 35 20 23 28 30 35 41 32 47 23 36 "Left-hand columns indicate mean use of those who do not have the handicapping behavior; Right-hand columns indicate mean use pf those who do have that handicapping behavior. Data is presented only where a large difference appeared. Table 1. (continued) Communication Methods VISUALLY/ AUDITORALLY Speech Gestures Signs Regular print Large print TACTILELY Speech Gestures Signs AHC Brain Emotional damage disturbance No Yes No Yes 37 46 17 25 32 6 40 53 vulsive disorders used signs and print less...