Raising and Educating a Deaf Child: A Comprehensive Guide to the Choices, Controversies, and Decisions Faced by Parents and Educators

The second edition of this guide offers a readable, comprehensive summary of everything a parent or teacher would want to know about raising and educating a deaf child. It covers topics ranging from what it means to be deaf to the many ways that the environments of home and school can influence a deaf child's chances for success in academic and social circles. The new edition provides expanded coverage of cochlear implants, spoken language, mental health, and educational issues relating to deaf children enrolled in integrated and separate settings. Marschark makes sense of the most current educational and scientific literature, and also talks to deaf children, their parents, and deaf adults about what is important to them. Raising and Educating a Deaf Child is not a "how to" book or one with all the "right" answers for raising a deaf child; rather, it is a guide through the conflicting suggestions and programs for raising deaf children, as well as the likely implications of taking one direction or the other.

About the Author :
Marc Marschark is a Professor and Director of the Center for Education Research Partnerships at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf, a college of Rochester Institute of Technology, and a Professor in the School of Psychology at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland. His books include Psychological Development of Deaf Children (1993), Educating Deaf Students: From Research to Practice, with H. Lang and J. Albertini (2002), Sign Language Interpreting and Interpreter Education, with R. Peterson and E. Winston (2005), Advances in the Spoken Language Development of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children, with P. E. Spencer (2006), and Advances in the Sign Language Development of Deaf Children, with B. Schick and P. E. Spencer (2006). Marschark is also Editor of the Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, published by Oxford University Press.

Review :
"Marschark has illuminated the complex issues related to language and literacy learning for children who are deaf or hard of hearing. This book will encourage greater discussion of these issues as we work to ensure that all children with hearing loss have access to learning environments that allow them to reach their fullest potential." --K. Todd Houston, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing "Complex issues are rarely susceptible to explanation in everyday language. In Marc Marscharks hands they are! Marschark skillfully describes, contrasts, and compares as he guides readers through the field of education of deaf children. He draws on his thorough knowledge of the research literature and provides readers with extensive reference citations of journal articles, books, and research reports. Truly, this is a book for everyone with a stake in raising and educating a deaf child." --Greg Leigh, Chair, The Renwick Centre, Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children / The University of Newcastle, Australia "If you want a thought-provoking book on how to raise and educate a deaf child, this is it. Marc Marschark leaves no stones unturned in his endeavor to distill the full gamut of current research on the developing deaf child into readable form. He describes multiple complex issues related to diagnosis, additional disabilities, language development, use of visual and auditory information, and educational/psychosocial implications. Parents will get a compendium of information that will help them with the goal of facilitating the development of a psychologically healthy deaf child. Emerging professionals in the field of deafness will internalize a foundation for what hopefully will be a life-long process of learning what works best and why as they interact with deaf individuals and their families." --Irene W. Leigh, Professor of Psychology, Gallaudet University "Marschark's newest installment takes on some tough questions and answers them from a research-based point of view. A definitive work for parents seeking a deeper understanding of American Sign Language and Deaf culture." -- Leeanne Seaver, Executive Director, Hands & Voices National "This is a masterfully written book that addresses key issues parents face in raising a child who is deaf. Marschark has an amazing knowledge of the literature on deafness which he uses to address the difficult and controversial decisions parents face in terms of the education, communication, and socialization of their deaf children. He does this in an objective manner that is clear, concise, and comprehensive. Must reading for parents and professionals in the field. " --McCay Vernon, Professor Emeritus of Psychology, McDonald College