PROCEDURES FOR SOCIALLY INTEGRATING PRESCHOOLERS WHO ARE HEARING, DEAF, AND HARD-OF-HEARING

Although the popularity of including preschoolers who are deaf and hard-of-hearing into a variety of preschool facilities is increasing, facilitating social integration of preschoolers who are hearing, deaf, and hard-of-hearing is particularly challenging (Antia, 1988). This is in part because language difference (e.g., use of American Sign Language rather than English), modality difference (e.g., sign use rather than speech), or language delay have the potential to render ineffective both adult and peer conversation. In this article, the relationship between communication and social integration is explored, followed by information pertaining to intervention and evaluation of social integration activities with children who are deaf and hard-of-hearing. Finally, we describe several components to assist adults who wish to facilitate the social integration of preschoolers who are hearing, deaf, or hard-of-hearing. It is hoped that those attempting the proposed techniques will disseminate objective, data-based accounts of outcomes to fill the gap in the current literature base.