Compare and contrast the auditory–oral, bilingual–bicultural, and total communication approaches to educating children who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The auditory–oral method of teaching hearing impaired children emphasizes the development of speech, speechreading, and listening skills with the help of amplification. Sign language and gesturing are not used in this approach. The bilingual–bicultural model emphasizes the use of American Sign Language (ASL) because it is thought to be the most natural language of the deaf. In this approach, ASL is used as the method through which children are instructed. English is then taught to the child through reading and writing. Finally, the total communication model focuses on using the child's preferred mode of communication and includes oral, auditory, speechreading, sign language, finger spelling, writing, and/or gestures as methods by which the child can learn. These methods are similar in that they all help hearing impaired children access the educational curriculum at a more successful, independent level. However, the modes by which the children are instructed within each of these models is what sets each approach apart from the others. The auditory–oral approach relies strictly on speech and lip reading, whereas the bilingual–bicultural method focuses on teaching the child ASL and English. The total communication approach to instructing hearing impaired children is an approach that ties the two previous methods together as it allows the child to use his/her preferred form of communication.