Decrease of Deaf Potential in a Mainstreamed Environment
Wyatte C. Hall
Rochester Institute of Technology
Social skills are a necessary component of everyday life, yet when deaf children are mainstreamed, this is one thing they cannot be directly taught. The communication barrier between deaf children and their hearing peers can cause deaf children to develop anxiety or low self-esteem. Teachers and parents can also have a huge impact if they have distorted perceptions of deafness. The evidence suggests that decreased social interaction reduces what a deaf child can achieve in life.
Hearing loss affects many aspects of life, with many psychological ramifications and various effects on how well a person with such a loss functions in society or the world at large. A major portrayal of how deaf people interact among hearing people can be found in the mainstreamed educational setting, in which the majority of deaf people participate (Gallaudet Research Institute, 2003). It is generally common knowledge that deaf children face much more adversity than their hearing peers in terms of their educational and social development. As a result of this, their psychopathologies are impacted, sometimes in negative ways.
Communication and Social Interaction
Because of numerous economic, social and legal changes in the United States, placement of deaf students in deaf institutions has become less widespread, and mainstreaming is now the norm. This progression towards integration has resulted in much anxiety on the deaf children's parts (Gjerdingen & Manning, 1991). Good academic results are generally seen in deaf children who are mainstreamed, but they also show higher degrees of isolation and psychological problems when compared with students who associate with other deaf peers (Vostanis, Hayes, Du Feu & Warren 1997; Stinson & Antia 1999). One study that focused on the social status of deaf students compared with hearing students discovered that a large number of deaf students were rejected by their hearing peers as compared to only a small number of hearing children who, like the deaf students, also became social misfits (Cappelli, Daniels, Durieux-Smith, McGrath & Neuss 1995).
A critical part of the development of deaf children is their education, and through that, their social foundations are also built. During the primary-school development period, friendships are formed through common interests, school activities and sports. For these friendships to form, an obvious requirement is communication. For deaf children unable to utilize effective communication methods with the people around them, the difficulty in acquiring new friendships typically leads to a decrease in self-esteem.
Many children in general usually lack the social skills necessary for peer interaction. One major factor that has been identified in deaf children's social interactions is a repeated misunderstanding of how deaf children need to communicate with the people around them. Frequently hearing children mistake a request for information to be repeated as ineptitude or lack of interest as to what they were saying. The frequent need for physical contact as a way to attract attention, or facing the hearing peer when speaking can also go against social boundaries that hearing children have learned, which increases the chance of peer dismissal (Martin & Bat-Chava, 2003).
American sign language (ASL) is a very visual language. Communication usually involves one or more of these methods: touching, flickering the lights, and using waving motions, all to get someone's attention. Deaf children will also bang on tables or objects to feel the vibrations that come as a result (Harris et al., 1997). Their eyes are also easily fatigued because they must maintain constant attention to what is being said visually and this makes it easier for them to tune out. This is more of a problem for them than their hearing peers because simply turning away can cause them to miss out on information (Harris et al., 1997).
As a result of inaccessible communication, deaf students receive incomplete and inaccurate language input when communicating in English--they often leave out critical language elements needed for comprehension by another individual, usually the teacher. As a response, many students who are taught through the primary use of ASL would benefit much more greatly by using English as a secondary language. One particular study suggests that the low achievement levels that are sometimes seen are not results of learning problems related to deafness itself but are due to the poor communication between teachers and the deaf students (Cohen, Swerdlik and Smith, 1992; Harris et al., 1997).
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