The World of Deaf Infants: A Longitudinal Study

ISBN-13: 9780195147902 / Angielski / Twarda / 2004 / 280 str.

Kathryn P. Meadow-Orlans; Lynne Sanford Koester; Patricia Elizabeth Spencer

Opis

What is the impact of an infant's diminished hearing on the infant and its parents? How does communication develop in cases of diminished hearing? How does diminished hearing affect social and cognitive development? What types of early interventions can improve communication and development in infants with diminished hearing? The World of Deaf Infants presents the results of a 15-year research study that addresses these questions. Through their research, perhaps the largest, long-term comparison of deaf and hearing infants, Meadow-Orlans's team provides a comprehensive and intimate look into the world of deaf infants. For a core group of 80 families that includs all four combinations of parent-infant hearing status, data was collected longitudinally at 9, 12, 15, and 18 months, and mother-infant interactions were recorded and observed in both structured and unstructured settings. Mothers' facial, vocal, and tactile behaviors during interactions were related to infants' temperament and stress; mothers' linguistic and communication behaviors, as well as their overall responsiveness, were related to children's language; and the effects of support provided to mothers were evaluated and explored. The results were dramatic, particularly those on infant attachment behaviors and the importance of visual attention to the overall development of deaf infants. This comprehensive work provides a foundation on which researchers, teachers, students, and parents can build to improve communication, cognitive and social development, and to enhance the world of deaf infants.

Recenzje

This book is essential reading for any professional working with deaf infants and children . . . The World of Deaf Infants is an exciting and accessible text and perhaps the most important study of deaf infants, their parenting and their development to date. The overriding message in this book is that the delays and disruptions seen in deaf children are avoidable where parenting is adaptive and sensitive, where a visually rich language model is available and early interaction experiences meet the needs of a child with visual communication.