Make a sentence with each word and word combination. 2. Read the text “Speech and language development of the deaf”

2. Read the text “Speech and language development of the deaf”. Use dictionary if necessary.

Speech habits are not instinctive, they are acquired. The evidence of the truth of this principle is the fact that children develop the particular language used in their home environment, irrespective of nationality background. Thus, if a child born of parents who speak French is brought up in an English-speaking home, he will speak English.

Another evidence is the fact that children who are totally deaf from birth do not learn to speak because they do not hear. The so-called «deaf and dumb» are only deaf. This principle is significant for teachers. Frequently, a child lisps because his mother, an older brother, or a sister does. Children learn that standard of speech which is spoken at home. This does not mean, of course, that speech habits cannot be modified at school.

Speech develops more slowly in boys than girls. Boys begin to speak about the fifteenth month, girls about the fourteenth. Similarly, speech defects are more prevalent in boys than in girls.

In society today, ability to verbalize is considered to be an index of intellectual ability. Studies show a relationship between intelligence and vocabulary. The bright child uses and recognizes more words than does the average child. In general, the amount and kind of a child's vocabulary are indexes at any age level of intelligence. A bright child surpasses the average or subnormal child in amount of speech and length of sentences.

Language is developed first as an oral then as a written means of expression. Speech and language come slowly to the deaf child because of his hearing handicap. The slow process of acquiring language means a great retardation in education. The child is dependent upon his teacher for the very thinking-language process. Deafness imposes a barrier to comprehension. Emotional development of the deaf and hard of hearing child is also affected by this barrier to comprehension. Children with severe or profound hearing losses depend not only on the remnants of their hearing to gain knowledge of language and speech, but also on their visual, tactile and kinesthetic senses. The use of powerful hearing aids has initiated a new era in their education.

The pedagogic classification of the deaf and hard of hearing child and his educational development is of even more vital importance than his consideration as a clinical entity.

This classification is dependent on:

a) the age of the child,

b) degree of defective hearing,

c) acquired fluency of speech.

There are two types of deaf children. One type is a congenitally deaf child who has never heard speech. The other type is one who has acquired a hearing defect after the establishment of speech.

There are also two types of acquired deafness in children. First, the child who has acquired deafness before he has sensed fluent speech. The other, the child who has acquired deafness after fluency of speech has been established.

The first type of children with total deafness which has come in before speech has been developed is to follow the same course of training as the congenitally deaf who has never heard speech.

The child who has acquired deafness before the age of 3 years may be placed in the same class for training as the child who has never heard speech. It is interesting to note that a large percentage (30%) of children with biological congenital deafness also have sufficient residual hearing that may be used as a nucleus for re-education.

The other type of child who has acquired deafness after development of speech is one who has suffered from infectious diseases such as meningitis, influenza etc.

Children in the first of these groups present the most serious educational problems due to their total lack of experience with natural speech or language. Children in the second group have a foundation of language usage and of natural speech upon which education must be helpful to them.

III. 1. Answer the questions:

1) What are the evidences of the fact that speech habits are acquired?

2) What is the difference between boys’ and girls’ speech development?

3) What problems does slow speech development cause?

4) What is taken into consideration in the classification of the deaf?

5) Why do congenitally deaf children present the most serious educational problems?

 

2. Say whether the following statements are true or false:

1) Children who are totally deaf from the birth can learn to speak.

2) Children with profound hearing losses depend only on the remnants of their hearing to gain knowledge.

3) The pedagogic classification of the deaf is not based on the reasons of deafness.

4) Children who have acquired deafness before the age of 3 years may be placed in the same class with the partially deaf.

 

3. Give synonyms from the text to the following words:

- important

- to change

- researches

- to influence

- to start

- to get

- a base

- children with total deafness

 

4. Make up the plan of the text. Here are the topics\ paragraphs in the wrong order. Make it correct:

- intelligence and vocabulary

- types of death children

- development of speech habits

- the principles of the classification of the deaf

 

5. Fill in the blanks with the words from the text:

1) Children who are … … from birth do not learn to speak.

2) This classification is … for teachers.

3)… develops slower in boys than in girls.

4) The bright child … and … more words than does the average child.

5) The use of powerful … … has initiated a new era of education.

6) Deaf children present serious … ….

7) Children in the second group have a foundation of … ….