| One outcome for students graduating from the Demonstration
Schools at the Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center (Kendall
Demonstration Elementary School and Model Secondary School for the
Deaf ) is to achieve, to the best of their ability, a full repertoire
of linguistic and communicative competencies to use at their disposal
in interaction with both deaf and hearing people. Achievement of
this outcome encompasses development of a full range of language
and communication skills with one component of these skills related
to the area of auditory and speech development.
The Clerc Center's mission program philosophy statement describes
our position on auditory and speech development as follows:
- A solid first language base and a positive sense
of self provides the foundation for each deaf child to acquire
the high levels of proficiency in language and literacy needed
for academic success. Such proficiency also empowers students to
develop and utilize their individual abilities to communicate effectively
through various forms of signed, written, and spoken communication
in a wide range of settings.
- Assistive and augmentative listening devices and
technology, in conjunction with appropriate intervention strategies,
can make significant contributions to the education of children
who can benefit from auditory and speech development.
- Each student should be given opportunities to develop
skills necessary to successfully move into a variety of academic
and non-academic environments.
(The following is an excerpt from the Laurent Clerc National Deaf
Education Center Philosophy Statement, sections on Language and
Communication and Transition)
The Clerc Center recognizes the right of deaf children to utilize
their innate abilities for language development. Through effective
cooperation between home and school, the Clerc Center's goal is
to provide a linguistically-rich environment for the acquisition
of American Sign Language and English, as well as to encourage
the continued development of the language of the home. The Clerc
Center's entire school philosophy is grounded in the following
beliefs about language and communication:
The language a child develops from birth provides the foundation for literacy,
achievement, and full participation in the family, in school, and in society.
Visual communication is crucial to a deaf child's linguistic, cognitive, social,
and emotional growth and must begin as early as possible, at home and at school.
A solid first language base and a positive sense of self provide the foundation
for each deaf child to acquire the high levels of proficiency in language and
literacy needed for academic success. Such proficiency also empowers students
to develop and utilize their individual abilities to communicate effectively
through various forms of signed, written, and spoken communication in a wide
range of settings.
To acquire solid early language competence, deaf children need frequent and
sustained interaction with people who use a language that is fully accessible
to them. Family members, whose active communication with the child is crucial,
as well as deaf peers and adults whose primary language is American Sign Language,
play very important roles in promoting that competence.
Well-developed English literacy is a critical factor in deaf people's full
participation in society. A print-rich environment that provides early and
meaningful experience with text is an extremely important part of a deaf child's
education. Assistive and augmentative listening devices and technology, in
conjunction with appropriate intervention strategies, can make significant
contributions to the education of children who can benefit from auditory and
speech development. Opportunities for parents to learn about American Sign
Language, to receive information about Deaf communities, and to exchange knowledge
and interact with other parents--hearing and deaf--are important components
in the growth, adjustment, language-learning, and communication skills of both
the parents and their child. Regardless of a child's age or background, language
input must be child-centered--appropriate to that child's individual linguistic
and communicative needs and development.
Developed by: The Communication Specialists/Speech,
and Communication Specialists/Audiology at Kendall Demonstration
Elementary School and The Model Secondary School for the Deaf.
Revised:
March, 2003.
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