Benefits of augmentative signs in word learning: Evidence from children who are deaf/hard of hearing and children with specific language impairment.
BACKGROUND
Augmentative signs may facilitate word learning in children with vocabulary difficulties, for example, children who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing (DHH) and children with Specific Language Impairment (SLI). Despite the fact that augmentative signs may aid second language learning in populations with a typical language development, empirical evidence in favor of this claim is lacking.


OBJECTIVE
We aim to investigate whether augmentative signs facilitate word learning for DHH children, children with SLI, and typically developing (TD) children.


METHODS
Whereas previous studies taught children new labels for familiar objects, the present study taught new labels for new objects. In our word learning experiment children were presented with pictures of imaginary creatures and pseudo words. Half of the words were accompanied by an augmentative pseudo sign. The children were tested for their receptive word knowledge.


RESULTS
The DHH children benefitted significantly from augmentative signs, but the children with SLI and TD age-matched peers did not score significantly different on words from either the sign or no-sign condition.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that using Sign-Supported speech in classrooms of bimodal bilingual DHH children may support their spoken language development. The difference between earlier research findings and the present results may be caused by a difference in methodology.
Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, P.O. Box 9104, 6500 HE Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Electronic address: l.vanberkel@pwo.ru.nl.
Lian
L
van Berkel-van Hoof
Kentalis Academy, Royal Dutch Kentalis, P.O. Box 7, 5270 BA Sint-Michielsgestel, The Netherlands.
Daan
D
Hermans
Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, P.O. Box 9104, 6500 HE Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Kentalis Academy, Royal Dutch Kentalis, P.O. Box 7, 5270 BA Sint-Michielsgestel, The Netherlands.
Harry
H
Knoors
Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, P.O. Box 9104, 6500 HE Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Ludo
L
Verhoeven
D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D003143:Communication Devices for People with Disabilities; D003638:Deafness / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007805:Language Development Disorders / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D007858:Learning; D008297:Male; D012813:Sign Language; D014825:Vocabulary
Augmentative signs; Children; Deafness; Hearing loss; Specific language impairment; Vocabulary learning