Communicating about pretend play: A comparison of the utterances of 4-year-old normally hearing and deaf or hard-of-hearing children in an integrated kindergarten

Author(s): Prescott, S. J., Rickards, F. W., Paterson, M. M.

Journal/Book: Volta Rev. 1997; 99: 3417 Volta Place NW, Washington, DC 20007. Alexander Graham Bell Assoc for the Deaf. 5-17.

Abstract: The pretend-play utterances of 4 hearing-impaired and 4 normally hearing preschool students were examined to investigate developmental differences between these two groups of children. The study focused on pretend-play utterances related to objects, roles, and actions. Three videotaped samples of free indoor-play sessions were coded for each subject. Statistical analyses of the data indicated that, compared to the normally hearing children, the hearing-impaired children used significantly higher proportions of literal (as opposed to nonliteral) object utterances and current-action (as opposed to scripted) utterances. The article discusses implications of these findings for both groups of children in integrated settings and suggests some strategies for intervention by teachers of the deaf.

Note: Article Brown PM, Univ Melbourne, Dept Learning Assessment & Special Educ, Deafness Studies Unit, Parkville, Vic 3052, AUSTRALIA

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