Better Story Recall by Deaf Children with Unimodal Communication

AbstractThe present study compared sign-only to simultaneous sign and speech (SIMCOM) on recall of stories by deaf children. Thirty-six 11 to 14-year-old deaf students were presented with a series of short stories “bimodally” (using simultaneous sign and speech/SIMCOM) and “unimodally” (using sign-only) and then asked to recall whatever they could remember. A within-subject analysis was used to examine the differences in recall scores as a function of communication mode. Participants scored significan tly higher in the sign-only condition than in the SIMCOM condition. There were no differences due to age, gender, home language, pure-tone average, or type of hearing-assistive technology (hearing aids or cochlear implants), but scores in both groups correlated with standardized reading scores. The finding of improved recall with sign-only presentation suggests that simultaneous speech and sign may have compromised comprehension by competing for limited attentional resources. The findings challenge the use of SIMCOM in classrooms.
Source: Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities - Category: Disability Source Type: research