title: Introduction to Clinical Forum.
abstract: The issues presented in this forum concerning the development of communication and literacy abilities in school-age children who are deaf or hard of hearing are introduced in this article. The author organized this forum in an effort to renew conversation on the topics of teacher talk, the contemporary assessment of communication, best practices in the mainstream, interpersonal and school discourse as organizers for intervention, choosing sign language and sign systems, and working with marginal/at-risk students who are deaf or hard of hearing. The benefits of qualitative research to clinicians and teachers who seek local answers regarding these topics is stressed in the conclusion.
authors.affiliation: University of Cincinnati, OH.
authors.forename: Laura W
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Kretschmer