Communication Sciences and Disorders Commons^™

Language Modality For Deaf Or Hard Of Hearing Preschoolers: Maine Parents' Decision-Making, Sarah Basquez

Honors College

Both parental decision-making and the choice of language modality for Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) children have been studied. In investigating the two subjects in conjunction with a bilingual bimodal (bi-bi) program, however, there is an apparent lack of research. A preschool program featuring bi-bi in Maine, named the Maine Educational Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (MECDHH), prides itself on the fact that parents determine their child’s primary language upon enrollment. Although many bi-bi programs exist worldwide, the MECDHH program is unique in that the preschoolers are separated into two different classrooms: one featuring solely orally …