In this book, renowned authorities Marschark and Hauser explain how empirical research conducted over the last several years directly informs educational practices at home and in the classroom, and offer strategies that parents and teachers can use to promote optimal learning in their deaf and hard-of-hearing children.

1. What It's All About ; Who Are We and What Are We Doing Here? ; Alternative Perspectives on Educating Deaf Students ; Using This Book ; Notes, Confessions, and Acknowledgments ; 2. Introduction to Deaf Children ; Navigating Issues ; Those Who Ignore History... ; Terms of Endearment (or Not) ; Differences versus Deficiencies ; Final Words ; 3. On Hearing and Not Hearing ; Understanding Hearing ; Hearing Aids ; Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Cochlear Implants ; Final Words ; 4. Language and Communication ; Understanding Language ; From Communication to Language ; Signed Languages and Visual Communication Systems ; Spoken Communication ; Final Words ; 5. Family and Peers: Foundations of Learning ; Education Begins at Home ; Social Interactions: Foundations for Learning ; Early Intervention ; Moving from Home to School ; Social-Emotional Growth during the School Years ; Last Words ; 6. Deaf Cognition ; Are Deaf Children As Smart As Hearing Children? ; Do Deaf Individuals See Better? ; Does Sign Language Have an Effect on Words about ; 7. Learning and Memory ; Cognition and Learning: From Darkness to Enlightenment ; Learning ; Memory ; Final Words ; 8. Problem Solving and Knowledge ; Experience and Conceptual Development ; Integration and Organization of Knowledge ; Final Words ; 9. Reading ; The Challenge of Learning to Read ; What Can We Do about Deaf Students' Reading Achievement? ; A Few Words about Writing ; Final Words ; 10. Doing Math: Foundations ; Understanding Number ; Understanding Mathematics during the School Years ; Improving Mathematics Performance by Deaf Children ; Final Words ; 11. The Deaf Education Classroom ; Options in Deaf Education Programming ; Assessment and Classroom Placement ; Classroom Diversity ; The Classroom ; Deaf Education Professionals ; Final Words ; 12. Where Do We Go from Here? ; A Journey of 1000 Miles Begins with a Single Step ; The More Things Change the More They Stay the Same ; There Are Differences and Then There Are Differences ; What We Know and What We Need to Know ; Final Final Words ; Additional Reading ; References ; Index

"After reading this book, parents who may be feeling inadequate about their parenting skills or fearful about providing a good education for their deaf or hard-of-hearing child should be more at ease, and teachers will gain insight into the complexities involved in deaf education and be better equipped to teach these children." - Library Journal "Using common terminology and drawing upon years of clinical experience, the authors dispel a number of myths regarding what is "best" or "impractical" for the education of deaf children. Rather, they offer basic guidelines for parents and teachers who live and work with these children on a day-to-day basis.The authors also present specific recommendations for academic instruction in the general classroom for teachers and families of deaf children. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers and professionals." -- J. D. Neal, University of Central Missouri "How Deaf Children Learn represents an excellent beginning step in understanding deaf children, their learning, and most beneficial educational situations. Despite its specificity, the book can have multiple uses within the psychological community-- primarily as an introduction for parents who are a clinician's clients, for students in teacher education programs, for teachers of general education as well as special education, and within special education programs. Quick, eminently readable, and realistic, it is a book from which readers will absorb a great deal of valuable information. As a professional in the field of special education, I wish there were a book like this covering each disability!" -- Cynthia C. Siebel, PsycCRITIQUES

Selling point: Provides a revealing look at the unique ways in which deaf children learn Selling point: Offers strategies parents and teachers can use to promote learning in deaf and hard-of-hearing children Selling point: Authored by two of the foremost authorities on deaf learners Selling point: For parents and educators

Marc Marschark is a Professor at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf, where he is Director of the Center for Education Research Partnerships. He has written or edited over 20 books and published over 100 articles and chapters. His current research focuses on relations of language and learning by deaf children and adults in formal and informal educational settings. Peter C. Hauser is an Associate Professor at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf. A deaf clinical neuropsychologist, he is the director of the Deaf Studies Laboratory (DSL) where he supervises deaf, hard-of-hearing, and hearing students who obtain hands-on experience developing, running, and analyzing experimental psychological studies.

Selling point: Provides a revealing look at the unique ways in which deaf children learn Selling point: Offers strategies parents and teachers can use to promote learning in deaf and hard-of-hearing children Selling point: Authored by two of the foremost authorities on deaf learners Selling point: For parents and educators