jillio

Below is what just a very small amount of the research shows. I only used a few of the articles available for the sake of space.

Many students who have a hearing loss and are educated in mainstream settings report feelings of loneliness and a lack of close friendships (Stinson & Whitmire, 1992). Most of these students are surrounded only by hearing individuals and generally have no deaf or hard-of-hearing peers (Stinson & Lang, 1994). This lack of contact with deaf peers may evoke feelings of being alone, different, or stigmatized (Evan, 1989) and may lead to negative self perceptions (Leigh, 1999).

In addition to feelings of isolation, children who are deaf and mainstreamed face the task of orally communicating
with hearing people most of the time. Oral communication poses the greatest difficulty in establishing
and maintaining social relationships for children who have a hearing loss (Antia & Stinson, 1999; Aplin, 1987; Markides, 1989; Stinson & Whitmire, 1991). Although many children have the potential to hear and to speak orally with proper amplification and intensive speech therapy, not all have the capability to speak clearly or hear and understand other people’s speech. One of the common criticisms of cochlear implants is that spoken language skills of implant users remain inadequate for full functioning within a hearing community (Crouch, 1997; Lane, 1997).

Even the parents who were pleased with the implant’s results, and reported that their children’s peer relationships improved after the implant, nonetheless reported lasting difficulties.

Bat-Chava, Y. & Deignan, E. (2001). Peer relationships of children with cochlear implants. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education. 6. 186-189.


Deaf pupils, like hearing pupils, attract positive and negative reactions, and these are most likely related to personal characteristics that are independent of their hearing status. However, hearing pupils prefer a hearing peer as a friend. The likelihood of deaf pupils being chosen as a guest to play at home with was proportionally smaller than that of a hearing pupil. The same was observed for mutual positive nominations: deaf pupils were less likely to have a friend in the same class than hearing pupils. The hearing pupils who had deaf friends indicated pro-social reasons for the friendship, rather than the typical enjoyment and intimacy reasons offered by pupils at this age.

But there was a significant difference between the hearing and deaf children’s friendship pattern: whereas the majority of the hearing children’s friendships was long-term, the most common pattern of friendship for the deaf children was sporadic.

Nunes, T., Pretzlik, U., Olsson, J. (2004 ). Deaf children’s social relationships in mainstream schools. Journal of Deaf Education International. 3. 123-136.

Differences between the deaf and hearing children occur in social competence and the stability of prosocial
behavior and probability of impact.

Wauters, L. & Knoors, H. (2007). Social integration of deaf children in inclusive settings. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education.

Identification with the Deaf proved to be positively related to self-esteem. This finding is in line with other studies that showed that those members of the deaf population who identify strongly with their group have higher self-esteem. Identification with similar others who can provide social and emotional support has a positive impact on self-esteem even if the individuals are members of a devalued minority group.

Those who are able to get along well in both theDeaf and the hearing worlds tend to have higher self-esteem. These deaf individuals can take pride in their achievement in the dominant society but can also rely on the support they can get from the community of similar others. This is an important finding since it suggests that the endeavor to integrate deaf people into the majority society is a positive effort, but only if these individuals can keep their ties to theDeaf world for emotional and social support.

However, one category of mode of communication at home reached significance in the bivariate case:
using oral communication at home as opposed to sign language was associated with lower self-esteem. The
literature emphasizes the importance of effective communication between parents and children so that the
offspring can develop adequate social skills and a positive self-regard. Deaf children need a visual communication
tool since processing information through the auditory channels is at best limited. Communicating through sign
language may be necessary for the positive self-evaluation of those who become deaf pre-lingually, since this is often the most natural way for them to express their feelings, desires and beliefs.

Jambor,E . & Elliot,M . ( 2005). Self esteem and coping strategies among deaf students. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education. 10(1). 63-81.

Barriers to optimal socialization for deaf and hard-of-hearing children are well documented. Deaf children are more likely than their hearing peers to experience social deficits (Liben, 1978; Stika, 1989).

Although communication through spoken language often enables deaf individuals to access mainstream
education, these individuals still encounter their share of socialization difficulties. Stinson and Foster (2000)
proposed that socialization of deaf and hard-of-hearing students requires access to both formal and informal
communications with peers and teachers, peer relationships, and participation in extracurricular activities.

found that students who had been mainstreamed through high school experienced isolation and discrimination
from hearing peers and alienation from deaf peers in college.

This study involved deaf adults who were raised using spoken language as an avenue toward better
integration into mainstream culture. These individuals’ recollections reinforce much of what has been suggested
in the literature about mainstreaming, namely, that communication difficulties pose significant obstacles
to the development of satisfying social relationships with hearing peers and that deafness cuts some individuals off from hearing peers because of gaps in social and cultural information and stigmatization.

Bain, L., Scott, S. & Steinberg, A.G. (2004 ). Socialization and coping strategies of adults raised using spoken language. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education. 9(1).

Deafness

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Babyblue

I grew up with a set of hearing aids and experienced the same.

Growing up with a hearing loss and growing up orally has had an impact on the social emotional part. Even though I was a confindent person. There was something missing.

When I learned ASL, and started attending to a deaf school. I felt more confident. Towards my peers and towards approaching hearing people. I would say I had more awareness of myself....Being a deaf person, and not a hearing person.

In other words my standards were set way too high in the hearing culture. I was set up for failure. Standards was for me to hear when people spoke, and to be able to talk like a hearing person.

No can do. Hearing Aids or CI. A person is still deaf, Regardless.

So I do understand where you are coming from in this with the CI.

jillio

It is not just in relation to the CI. These findings hold true for HA users, as well. It was suggested that technology could make up for the psycho-social difficulties experienced by deaf kids in the mainstream. This assumption simply is not so, and to tell people that it is only serves to hide the problems being experienced by these children in the name of technology. Technology is great, but there is a human being behind that technology. When we are talking about a child's development, we have to look at the whole child.

Babyblue

Exactly. The reason is that people have a false belief that hearing aids and CI cures the deafness.

It helps people to hear, like crutches help people to walk when needed.

But it is not 100%

So this false sense of CI and Hearing aids makes a person hearing. HA and CI does not make a person hear like a hearing person.. I helps one to hear more.



I am not against CI, nor against hearing aids. I wear hearing aids every day. To aid me to hear better.

shel90

Ever since I have been reconnecting with my old high school friends via FB, I am realizing more and more how isolated my best friend and I were while in school. The reason for that was the stuff they talk about on each otherls walls about high school are stuff that the both of us never knew about and just learning now, 20 years later, thru a medium that's fully accessible to us. My best friend is taking this hard because she thought she was a full participate during our high school years as a cheerleader and everything and she is just finding out now how much she has missed out on. I already knew how much I had missed out but despite that, it is still like a punch to my gut everytime I learn of something that happened during my school years that I never knew about due to being in a environment that severely restricted me. We both really were isolated..more than we both thought. No wonder we still have our friendship to this day.

When I get together with my Deaf friends, they talk and share stories of being in the Deaf community growing up such as ASL stories, games, memories and etc, I feel envious of them cuz I don't have that either. It is like I grew up without any connection anywhere except for softball.

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Shel~

"A child educated only at school is an uneducated child." -George Santayana

deafskeptic

I remember my mainstream days well. Most kids understood my speech though some had to struggle to understand me. However, it was difficult for me to understand what they were saying to me. You can never be fully part of a hearing group no matter what the setting if you're deaf.

I hate it when people say my CI is a miracle. Like Babyblue says, it is helpful but not a cure.

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Activated on May 9th.

jillio

Exactly to all of you. We don't really need research to back the claims of isolation and psycho-social difficulties up. We have millions of stories told by those who lived it, and those who are still living it, unfortunately. But, since no one wants to accept those stories, we also have hard research that confirms it to be true.

shel90

The old adage, "My child will not be like those other deaf children."

kinda like how teenagers think...

"It will never happen to me."

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"A child educated only at school is an uneducated child." -George Santayana

jillio

**nodding sadly** That is exactly what allows it to continue.

Jiro

damn.

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shel90

Damn what? Damn Jillio again?

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"A child educated only at school is an uneducated child." -George Santayana

Jiro

lol!!! noooooo. Jillio's post just flat-out destroyed all propaganda & "promises" by CI/audi/etc. what's left is for government to create a policy with her post in mind when it comes to children and education.

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deafbajagal

Good post, Jillo! You rock!!!

jillio

I don't know about my post having any influence at that level, but they certainly should be using the research we have to create standards for deaf ed. What I posted took me about 15 minutes in my own library of research. I have much, much more, and I don't have everything. Its obvious that we have the information we need.

SoS

Yep, she got all the answers, just ask her.

shel90

Deaf Ed definitely does need standards.

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"A child educated only at school is an uneducated child." -George Santayana

deafbajagal

I've spent thousands of dollars in therapy due to being raised as an oralist.

jillio

I only wish that were true.

shel90

Same here...not $$ but hours!

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Shel~

"A child educated only at school is an uneducated child." -George Santayana

jillio

DB. I just get so tired of people trying to convince themselves and others that these problems don't exist.

jillio

And not just regarding the curriculum. Hearing children develop social skills and learn to relate to the world around them in large part through their educational environment. Deaf children need the same experience. The whole school experience is important.

dreama

I know the feeling. Although I've never spent anything in counciling I did spend 3 weeks at a special mental hospital for the deaf. I've heard a lot of them are oral failures, and even soem oral 'successes' too like me.

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deafbajagal

What throws people off about me is that I am considered as a success in terms of achieving great speech in spite of being born profoundly deaf.

I paid dearly for it.

Jiro

now what's next is having your state's department of education to listen to you for 15 min.....

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Buffalo

Funny, I am envious of Deaf people who have at least one Deaf sibling!

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deafbajagal

I'm envious of Deaf people who grew up using manual communication in which everyone understood each other. How nice it must be.

jillio

That success often exacts a huge price in other areas for many people.

Daredevel7

I do think that we need to create standards for deaf ed. However, I don't think bashing oralism in the presence of parents is effective.

To me, if there are no standards for deaf education, then doesn't it make sense for there to be oralism?

Moon-child

Great thread guys, got me thinking, which is a good thing, thanks!

jillio

Pointing out the cons of a system can hardly be classified as "bashing". You might want to keep in mind without standards for deaf ed, there are no standards for oralism, either. That is a huge problem.

Regarding academics, the vast majority of states are now using the state mandated curriculum. Where the standards are sadly lacking, is when we accept an environment that hinders the psycho-social growth and development process of a select group of students. Deaf schools have measures to insure this growth written into their mission statements, and they, by and large, have programs to facilitate such. Mainstream schools have such programs available to hearing students. The need for deaf students to have these needs addressed equitably is what has to be addressed. Self contained programs do a better job than do full inclusion situations, but they are often still lacking.

BTW....this thread was not intended to "bash" anything. It's purpose is to support that which some oralists continue to maintain does not exist. Obviously, these conditions do exist, they continue to impact negatively the educational and psycho-social development of many, many deaf children, and they need to be addressed, not ignored.