Mothers' stress and expectations as a function of time since child's cochlear implantation.

This study examined stress, attitudes, and expectations among mothers of deaf children who underwent cochlear implantation (CI), as related to time elapsed since surgery. Participants were 64 mothers of such children at different points in the implantation process: candidates, 0-3 years postimplantation, and more than 3 years later. Expectations in communication and academic domains decreased as time since implantation passed.

Relationships among professionals' knowledge, experience, and expectations regarding cochlear implants.

THE PRESENT STUDY examined the relationships between teachers' and communication clinicians' self-reported knowledge on cochlear implants and their expectations of CIs. The authors also explored these professionals' views regarding the child's communication mode, educational setting, and social options following cochlear implantation. The participants were 47 teachers of deaf students and 35 communication clinicians.

Hearing, deaf, and hard-of-hearing Israeli adolescents' evaluations of deaf men and deaf women's occupational competence.

This study examined 74 deaf and hard-of-hearing (D/HH) and 91 hearing high school students regarding their own occupational aspirations and their evaluations of occupational competence (EOCs) for deaf adults. In the EOC, participants rated the suitability of 25 occupations (varying according to prestige and required level of communication) for deaf men and women. The results showed that occupations requiring intensive communication levels, regardless of their prestige, were evaluated as much less suitable for deaf individuals than were those requiring less communication.

Initiations of social interactions by young hearing impaired preschoolers.

This study examined strategies for initiating social interactions with peers, among 4 children with hearing impairment, aged 33 to 36 months, attending a special early education center or a regular kindergarten. The study investigated initiation type (related to partner's hearing status) and rates of initiation success/failure vis-a-vis hearing and deaf partners. Results revealed (a) more initiations in the regular program than in the special program; (b) in the special program, much more successful initiations toward children with hearing impairment than toward hearing children; (c) vocalization as the most frequent strategy used with both hearing and hearing-impaired partners; and (d) referential decisions about their initiations even among young children with hearing impairment (made by changing frequencies of various strategies according to partner's hearing status).

Attachment and individuation of deaf/hard-of-hearing and hearing young adults.

This study examined differences between deaf/hard-of-hearing (D/HH) and hearing persons with regard to two interrelated and continuous developmental processes: attachment (Bowlby, 1969) and individuation (Mahler, 1963). The study also examined intergroup differences in two personal variables assumed to be influenced by these processes: self-esteem and well-being. Participants comprised 38 D/HH and 42 hearing persons aged 18 to 35 years from middle and upper-middle socioeconomic classes.