Communication Consideration

CUED SPEECH

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1.   What is Cued Speech?

Cued Speech is a mode of communication using the mouth and hand to visually distinguish the building blocks (phonemes) of a spoken language to promote the development of language and literacy visually for those who do not receive sufficient input through listening or assistive devices. The cues represent the phonemes of English language.

2.   What issues are at the forefront of Cued Speech?

Cued American English users have easy communication in the home in the parents’ native language, develop language easily and naturally, and achieve the grade level or above literacy rates needed to compete in regular education settings.

3.   What should every parent or professional know about Cued Speech?

Cued Speech can be taught in 12-15 hours and the user will leave the class knowing how to cue anything they want to say, albeit slowly. Users can cue accents and dialects, foreign languages, onomatopoeia, and idiomatic expressions.

Research* indicates that Cued Speech users have excellent language, superior lipreading skills, have an internalized understanding of English language and its structure, and have good writing skills.

4.   Where else can I find information about Cued Speech?

• General information can be found at www.cuedspeech.org
• Why can Suzy Q Read?  http://www.cuedspeech.org/PDF/
• Articles written by deaf cue adults, parents and professionals about Cued Speech http://cuedspeech.org/cued-speech-articles.php
• Booklet of parent stories entitled: Reflections of Cueing Parents (Bethesda, MD: 2007) ed. Amy Ruberl, M.Ed.
• R Orin Cornett Memorial Cued Speech Library: http://www.aladin0.wrlc.org/gsdl/collect/cued/cued.shtml

Author:

Sarina Roffé is the founder of the New York Cued Speech Center. The mother of a prelingually profoundly deaf son who has used Cued Speech since 1979, Ms. Roffé is widely known for her writing about the trials and tribulations of raising a deaf child and of her experiences with Cued Speech. Ms. Roffé is an NCSA certified instructor of Cued Speech and worked both as an oral interpreter and as a Cued Speech transliterator for over a decade, primarily in the classroom. She speaks often at conferences and professional workshops. Ms. Roffé holds a degree in journalism from the University of Maryland at College Park and a masters degree from Touro College in Jewish Studies. She has been president of the NCSA for five years and currently works as Director of Communications for ORT America, a global educational organization.

REFERENCES

*LaSasso, C., Crain, K. & Leybaert, J. (2003). “Rhyme Generation in Deaf Students: The Effect of Exposure to Cued Speech.”  Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, 8, 250-270.

*Leybaert, J. (2000). “Phonology acquired through the eyes and spelling in deaf children.” Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 75, 291-318.

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* Communication Considerations A to Z™ is a series from Hands & Voices that's designed to help families and the professionals working with them access information and further resources to assist them in raising and educating children who are deaf or hard of hearing.  We've recruited some of the best in the business to share their insights on the many diverse considerations that play into communication modes & methods, and so many other variables that are part of informed decision making.  We hope you find the time to read them all!

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