Raising and Educating a Deaf Child: A Comprehensive Guide to the Choices, Controversies, and Decisions Faced by Parents and Educators

by Marc Marschark

Overview

Deaf children are not hearing children who can't hear, and having a deaf child is not analogous to having a hearing child who can't hear. Beyond any specific effects of hearing loss, deaf children are far more diverse than their hearing age-mates. A lack of access to language, limited incidental learning and social interactions, as well as the possibility of secondary disabilities, mean that deaf children face a variety of challenges in language, social, and academic domains. In recent years, technological innovations such as digital hearing aids and cochlear implants have improved hearing and the possibility of spoken language for many deaf learners, but parents, teachers, and other professionals are just now coming to recognize the cognitive, experiential, and social-emotional differences between deaf and hearing children. Sign languages and schools and programs for deaf learners thus remain an important part of the continuum of services needed for this population. Understanding the unique strengths and needs of deaf children is the key. Now in its third edition, Marc Marschark's Raising and Educating a Deaf Child, which has helped a countless number of families, offers a comprehensively clear, evidence-based guide to the choices, controversies, and decisions faced by parents and teachers of deaf children today.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780190643546
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	11/01/2017
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	368
Sales rank:	895,941
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Marc Marschark is a Professor at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf, a college of Rochester Institute of Technology, where he directs the Center for Education Research Partnerships. His primary interest is in relations among language, learning, and cognition; current research focuses on such relations among deaf children and adults in formal and informal educational settings.

Table of Contents

Preface Chapter 1: A Deaf Child in the Family Chapter 2: Practical Aspects of Being Deaf Chapter 3: Communication With Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children Chapter 4: Early Interactions: The Roots of Childhood Chapter 5: Language Development and Language Use Chapter 6: Going to School Chapter 7: Learning to Read and Write Chapter 8: How Deaf Children Learn (and Why They Sometimes Don't) Chapter 9: Living in the Real World Chapter 10: Where Do We Go From Here?

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Ashley Gaal Flagge, Ph.D., Au.D.(University of South Alabama)
Description: For parents of children with hearing impairment, the options can be overwhelming and opinions and well-meaning advice are plentiful. This is a much-needed update of a book that deals with hearing loss in children, an often controversial topic that has seen many changes over the years as technology and educational law have revolutionized the way that deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children are educated and communicate. The second edition was published over 10 years ago in 2007.
Purpose: The purpose, according to the author, is to give an updated overview of the communicative and educational options that are available to deaf and hard of hearing children and their families, as well as to openly discuss some of the more controversial issues surrounding this population, using research evidence to support claims. This book aims to address these issues and guide parents and educators to make decisions based on the most updated data available. Cochlear implant technology and educational inclusivity have drastically changed the views and models for raising and educating DHH children, and it is easy for parents to become overwhelmed in the face of many decisions and opinions. The author does an excellent job of addressing many of the major controversies and laying out the available research evidence, impartially addressing all sides of many of these issues.
Audience: The book is written primarily for parents and teachers of DHH children. It aims to help parents examine all sides of issues surrounding communication and education of their hearing impaired child, and meets this goal well. The author is a professor at the National Technical Institute of the Deaf and has written two prior editions. He states that he himself has had to overcome some of his previously held beliefs about teaching deaf students, and realizes, based on his own experience and in his dealing with parents of these students, the difficulties inherent in many of the decisions that face parents of DHH children.
Features: The book starts with a brief overview of the content and the reasons for the updated edition. It then lays out more foundational knowledge for parents and educators about the physiology of hearing and causes of hearing loss, the technology of cochlear implants and other hearing assistive technologies and how they work, and the different communication modes available for DHH children. The book then begins dissecting some of the more controversial components of language and literacy learning and education for the hearing impaired child. The book includes a significant amount of research, although it is not always immediately cited, and aims to give a comprehensive view of education and communication options to parents and educators of DHH children. Each chapter concludes with a further reading list for those interested. The book concludes with a chapter entitled "Living in the Real World," which discusses the relationships and interactions of DHH children as they grow into adulthood, as well as other significant issues often surrounding these children as they grow (e.g., mental health, social maturity). There is a comprehensive index at the end of the book and a section of footnote explanations divided by chapter.
Assessment: The world is changing, and we are all trying to learn how to function and live with the change. These growing pains are perhaps nowhere more apparent than in the deaf and hard of hearing pediatric community and the issues parents encounter as they try not only to make sense of their child's hearing status, but also to navigate the multitude of decisions suddenly facing them. This is an excellent update that is helpful for parents and educators, and would be a good addition to a professional library of anyone dealing with pediatric deaf or hard of hearing populations.

Doody's Review Service

"Marschark has illuminated the complex issues related to language and literacy learning for children who are deaf or hard of hearing. This book will encourage greater discussion of these issues as we work to ensure that all children with hearing loss have access to learning environments that allow them to reach their fullest potential." —K. Todd Houston, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing

"Complex issues are rarely susceptible to explanation in everyday language. In Marc Marscharks hands they are! Marschark skillfully describes, contrasts, and compares as he guides readers through the field of education of deaf children. He draws on his thorough knowledge of the research literature and provides readers with extensive reference citations of journal articles, books, and research reports. Truly, this is a book for everyone with a stake in raising and educating a deaf child." —Greg Leigh, Chair, The Renwick Centre, Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children / The University of Newcastle, Australia

"If you want a thought-provoking book on how to raise and educate a deaf child, this is it. Marc Marschark leaves no stones unturned in his endeavor to distill the full gamut of current research on the developing deaf child into readable form. He describes multiple complex issues related to diagnosis, additional disabilities, language development, use of visual and auditory information, and educational/psychosocial implications. Parents will get a compendium of information that will help them with the goal of facilitating the development of a psychologically healthy deaf child. Emerging professionals in the field of deafness will internalize a foundation for what hopefully will be a life-long process of learning what works best and why as they interact with deaf individuals and their families." —Irene W. Leigh, Professor of Psychology, Gallaudet University

"Marschark's newest installment takes on some tough questions and answers them from a research-based point of view. A definitive work for parents seeking a deeper understanding of American Sign Language and Deaf culture." — Leeanne Seaver, Executive Director, Hands & Voices National

"This is a masterfully written book that addresses key issues parents face in raising a child who is deaf. Marschark has an amazing knowledge of the literature on deafness which he uses to address the difficult and controversial decisions parents face in terms of the education, communication, and socialization of their deaf children. He does this in an objective manner that is clear, concise, and comprehensive. Must reading for parents and professionals in the field. " —McCay Vernon, Professor Emeritus of Psychology, McDonald College

From the Publisher