Date of Award

8-1-1986

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Communication Sciences & Disorders

Abstract

The present study was designed to determine the differences in attitudes of normal hearing and hearing-impaired parents toward mainstreaming of their hearing-impaired children. In addition to lattitudinal information, subjects were also questioned regarding their educational background, their child's education, and factors determining school placement.

Analysis of the responses revealed:

1. The majority (75 percent) of hearing parents agreed with mainstreaming, while the hearing-impaired parents tended to be neutral (60 percent) or disagreed with mainstreaming (40 percent)

2. Seventy-five percent of the hearing parents mainstreamed their child into public schools and 100 percent of the hearing-impaired parents did not mainstream their children but had them enrolled in residential schools.

3. All of the hearing parents and 80 percent of the hearing-impaired parents felt they would educate their child in the same school system if they had to make the choice again.

4. When choosing education placement, both groups felt that a decision must be based on the needs of the individual child and that mainstreaming is not in the best interest of all hearing-impaired children.

5. Both groups were most influenced by the child's personality, the school facillites, and the school location when determing school placement. The percentage of hearing parents influenced by these factors include: child's personality (80 percent), school facilities (92 percent), and school location (80 percent).

6. A majority of all the children in this study attended schools which did not utilize tutors or notetakers. Interpreters were not utilized as often for the children of hearing parents as for those of the hearing-impaired parents.

7. Hearing-impaired children of hearing-impaired parents were less involved in programs, such as preschool, daycare, and/or speech and language services prior to entering school than were the hearing-impaired children of hearing parents.

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