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rockdrummer · 01-18-2008, 02:06 PM

Either this is not etched in stone, or some schools make adjustments, or as I said earlier not all TC programs are created equal. The reason I say that is only because of what I have seen in the case of my son. Granted that is a very limited view.

Source: Total Communication - Using Sign Language and Voice for Total Communication

Quote:

WHAT IS TOTAL COMMUNICATION?

Total communication is the using any means of communication - sign language, voice, fingerspelling, lipreading, amplification, writing, gesture, visual imagery (pictures). The sign language used in total communication is more closely related to English. The philosophy of total communication is that the method should be fitted to the child, instead of the other way around. Another commonly used term for total communication is simultaneous communication, known as sim-com.

Although some schools/programs for the deaf use ASL and English, the majority of educational programs for the deaf use total communication. (The program attended by my own children uses total communication). The idea is that using total communication will create a "least restrictive" learning environment for the deaf child, who is free to develop communication preferences although the child will be encouraged to use both speech and sign language.

DISADVANTAGES, ADVANTAGES OF TOTAL COMMUNICATION

Some people feel that the problem with the total communication method of communication is that the effort to sign and speak at the same time results in a poorer quality of sign language. Not only that, some people believe that total communication results in deaf children failing to develop fluency in either English or ASL because of the imperfect use of both. Others favor total communication as a catch-all that ensures that a child has access to some means of communication. For example, a child who can not communicate well orally gets the additional support of sign language, and vice versa.