What teaching strategies can be used with students who are deaf or hard of hearing?
The debate over the best way to teach a child with a hearing loss to communicate has raged since the 1500s (Winefield, 1987). Although this debate continues today, there is a growing number of individuals who recognize that no one system of communication is right for all children. The choice of a communication system must be made on an individual basis, taking into consideration the characteristics of the child, the resources available, and the commitment of an individual family to a communication method. As an orientation, the following definitions are useful: • The Auditory-Verbal philosophy is a set of guiding principles for early intervention that are used to support the development of residual (remaining) hearing and speech and that focus on a strong development of listening skills (see ERIC Digest E552). • The Auditory-Oral philosophy is a set of principles that are used to develop spoken language and listening skills at all ages and that may incorporate visual methods of teachin
