The Study on the Adjustment of Severe Hearing Handicapped Children Prior to Regular Kindergarten or Nursery School and Their Present Adjustment in Regular School

Investigation of Conditions to enable Their Integration

Abstract

Capability of severe hearing handicapped children to integrate in school life and social life was studied. The subjects' adjustment in classroom was evaluated by their classroom teacher and also by the individual psychological tests.
The subjects included 7 severe hearing handicapped pupils, 6 in 3rd or 4th grade of regular class and one in special (Fukushiki) class of elementary school. All of them have been receiving the intensive auditory training program from early childhood in addition to the group play and learning exercices in regular kindergarten or nursery school.
The results and consideration were as follows:
1) Though their lacks in aural communication were striking, it was recognized that the subjects received rehabilitation programs from early childhood had positively showed a good relation with the playmates in kindergarten or nursely school and also in elementary school. It was recognized that their psychological adjustment in classroom was generally positive and good.
2) The subjects who were given personal and intensive auditory training based on the group interaction with normal young children showed conspicuous progress in learning on their general behavior, particulary on language and speech behavior.
3) Through the life of kindergarten or nursery school and the life of subsequent 3 or 4 years in elementary, school, the subjects showed agressive and impulsive behavioral features that would be apparently thought as maladjustment behaviors. The authors, however, evaluated these behavioral features as positive ones, because the authors considered their behaviors in connection with their attitudes to exchange their will each other, to participate themselves to a group and also to establish their own selves.
4) Though the subjects' hearing loss was severe, their ability of abstraction was increased as much as normal children by experiences of learning, at some times in competition and at other times in cooporation with normal children by the performance of living language.