Choices in Deafness: A Parents' Guide to Communication Options

Front Cover
Sue Schwartz
Woodbine House, 2007 - Education - 384 pages
Book and audio CD. Choices in Deafness, since 1987 the pre-eminent guide to communication options, is now extensively revised and expanded to provide the complete scope of information parents of children with deafness or hearing loss need. From assessment and diagnosis to medical/audiological treatments, and from the latest types of cochlear implants and procedures to education and technology devices, this new edition presents a balance of research, guidance, and insight from experts and families. Seven new chapters plus an audio CD cover: Universal Newborn Screening (implemented in 38 states, this required screening detects hearing loss much earlier, and has doubled the number of children found to have hearing loss) Auditory Neuropathy (a cause of hearing loss where the timing of sound is seriously disrupted, and which has only recently been understood) Genetic Causes of Deafness (describes genetic testing and counselling in light of research that shows over 60% of deafness in children is due to genetic or hereditary causes) The Transformation of Dreams (explores a shift in emotional outlook experienced by a parent/clinical psychologist upon learning her child is deaf) Identifying a Program of Excellence (what to look for in an education program for your child in addition to the chosen communication option) Communication Technology (services and devices that let deaf people communicate via phone, cell phone, Internet, video) Making It in College (personal accounts of four students about how they communicate and socialise at college) What Hearing Loss Sounds Like (a seven-minute audio CD depicts what speech sounds like as it simulates how hearing loss can affect pitch, loudness, and timing) As in the previous edition, Choices in Deafness presents five unbiased approaches to communication -- Auditory-Verbal, ASL-English Bilingual, Cued Speech, Auditory-Oral, and Total Communication -- and provides parents' first-person accounts of what it's like to use a specific method. Reading and resource lists round out this essential guide for parents.

About the author (2007)

Sue Schwartz retired after 30 years in the Montgomery County, Maryland Public Schools' Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program. She created the Parent Infant Program in 1972 and worked as its coordinator and teacher for 10 years. Following that, she held a variety of positions within the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program. From 1983 until 2002 she worked as Parent Counsellor, a position she created, assisting families from the infant level through high school. Dr. Schwartz is the author of The New Language of Toys (2004). She is the proud grandparent of six wonderful grandchildren.

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