What can parents do when they are not sure whether to use only the oral method of communication with their deaf or hard of hearing child? They can use total communication.
What is Total Communication?
Total communication is the using any means of communication -- sign language, voice, fingerspelling, lipreading, amplification, writing, gesture, visual imagery (pictures). The sign language used in total communication is more closely related to English. The philosophy of total communication is that the method should be fitted to the child, instead of the other way around. Another commonly used term for total communication is simultaneous communication, known as sim-com.
Although some schools/programs for the deaf use ASL and English, the majority of educational programs for the deaf use total communication. (The program my own children attended uses total communication). The idea is that using total communication will create a "least restrictive" learning environment for the deaf child, who is free to develop communication preferences (although the child will be encouraged to use both speech and sign language).
Advantages and Disadvantages of Total Communication
Advantages of Total CommunicationSome parents and educators favor total communication as a catch-all that ensures that a deaf child has access to some means of communication (speaking as needed, or signing as needed). For example, a deaf child who can not communicate well orally gets the additional support of sign language, and vice versa. Using total communication can also reduce the pressure on parents to choose one method over another.
Disadvantages of Total Communication
Some people feel that the problem with the total communication method of communication is that signing and speaking at the same time can result in a compromise that affects the quality of one or the other. This can impact the quality of educational information received by a deaf student. In addition, the needs and abilities of deaf children in a classroom vary, and total communication may not meet the needs of all the deaf students in the classroom.
A study of graduate students in a deaf education program at Gallaudet University found that out of five communication options for being instructed and communicating with classmates, most preferred voice-off sign language, and disliked the idea of simultaneous communication, even if there was an interpreter to help.
Books on Total Communication
Most books about communicating with and educating deaf and hard of hearing children include a chapter on total communication. Books that are solely about total communication appear to be few in number:
- Total Communication: Structure and Strategy by Lionel Evans.
- Total Communication: The Meaning Behind the Movement to Expand Educational Opportunities for Deaf Children by Jim Pahz.
- Early Use of Total Communication : An Introductory Guide for Parents by Elizabeth D. Gibbs, Ann Springer, Betsy Gibbs. (out of print).
Video Resources for using Total Communication
While there are plenty of sign language videos and oral communication videos, not many address total communication alone. Hope Publishing offers the SKi-HI Home Total Communication Video Program.
Research and Articles on Total Communication
Much research has been done into total communication and its effectiveness. Both the American Annals of the Deaf and the Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education have published articles about total communication, just a few of which are listed below:
- Mayer, P. & Lowenbraun, S. (1990). Total communication use among elementary teachers of hearing-impaired children. American Annals of the Deaf, 135, 257-263.
- Musselman, C., & Churchill, A. (1991), Conversational Control in Mother-Child Dyads: Auditory-Oral Versus Total Communication, American Annals of the Deaf, 136(1), 5-16.
- Akamatsu, C., & Stewart, D. (1998) Constructing simultaneous communication: the contributions of natural sign language, Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, Vol 3, 302-319.
- Matkin, Arlene M., & Matkin, Noel D. Benefits of Total Communication as Perceived by Parents of Hearing-Impaired Children. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, Vol.16 64-74 January 1985. A study of children who moved from oral education programs to total communication programs found that their parents did not feel the total communication programs had a negative impact on speech development or hearing aid use.
Why Parents Chose Total Communication
An About.com visitor gave this explanation for why they chose total communication:"We chose total communication for our two children--they wear hearing aids. Their school used SEE [signing exact english] along with speech, so there was no problem with them getting incomplete exposure to the language. Both children developed English as their first language and both excel in reading. We expect that they will take classes in ASL in high school and/or college, but in their early years, we were most interested in making sure that they had a firm foundation in the language they would be working with in their professional as well as personal lives the rest of their lives. Learning English as their first language has helped to ensure that they won't be dependent on someone who knows ASL to be around so that they can understand the happenings around them. And we felt that a strong foundation in English would equip them to find fulfilling jobs as adults; we assume that they'll rely on written communication even more than most people, so it made sense to us to make sure that they were as good at English as they would be!"
Did you choose total communication for your child? If so, email deafness.guide@about.com.
Sources:
Educating Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing: Total Communication. ERIC Digest #559. (ED414677)
Jones, Thomas W. Teacher Trainees' Classroom Communication Preferences. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the Association of College Educators - Deaf and Hard of Hearing (23rd, Santa Fe, NM, March 7-10, 1997)(ED406775)
