Listening and Spoken Language (LSL)
The Listening and Spoken Language approach is a method in which children learn to use whatever hearing they have, in combination with lip reading and contextual cues (speech reading) to understand and use spoken language. The goal is to give the deaf individual the necessary spoken language skills to be mainstreamed educationally and to function independently in the hearing world. This approach facilitates the development of reading and writing skills because proficiency in the English language is critical to developing good reading ability, and competence in reading is critical to learning in all academic areas. Small self-contained classrooms coupled with daily individualized instruction provide the intense early intervention needed in this approach. Teachers in these programs are highly trained and provide spoken language instruction throughout the day in all classroom activities. This is full-time therapy and education.