Cued Speech

25.07.2010 | Author: clacar | Posted in Health

Cued speech is a system of communication to supplement lip reading by the use of hand signals near the mouth. It is used by people with a learning, speech, communication and language needs. It is comprised of eight hand shapes formed at four locations around the mouth to make sounds visible, and is used to differentiate sounds that appear similar on the lips, such as ‘p’ and ‘b’.

Although the technique uses hand shapes to convey meaning, it is not a replacement to American or British sign language. It isn’t a sign language; it is a manual method of showing the dialect at a phonetic level. Cued Speech was created in 1966, and has since been adapted to cueing around 60 dialects. For tonal languages, such as many Asian languages, tone is indicated by movement of the hand.

Benefits of Cueing Speech over British Sign Language are that it is easier to learn, as it is only an addition to spoken English. To families who have had no experience with languages before, and are finding themselves helping their deaf children, Cued Speech may be the fastest way to develop a method of communication.

Clearly with every pro there is a con. Sign Language has its merits in education as it is assessed literacy rates are higher than English with Cued Speech. The difference is typically attributed to BSL having its own grammatical structure and syntax, whereas Cued Speech is merely an addition to spoken English.

The outcomes of cued speech use;

  • Audition. Because Cueing your speech improves the processing of auditory information, it breaks down the confusion from incomplete and distorted sound. The individual can then improve their speech discrimination significantly.
  • Cochlear Implants and Speech that is Cued. Research indicates that if children who already use cued speech then get an implant, they become used to the phonemes they receive through the implant sooner. Children who are born deaf and learn Cued Speech are more easily habilitated after cochlear surgery.
  • Language. Deaf children can comfortably master the syntax and grammar of a language after approximately 4 years usage. It is common for a child who has mastered one language to then become bilingual or multilingual.
  • Reading and Literacy. Children who learn a language through the cued technique generally use the same reading strategies to those who are not deaf.
  • Speechreading. Continued exposure to the technique improves speechreading in cued and non cued situations.

    • Leave a Reply

    Additional Articles From "Health"