On understanding without words

communication between a deaf-blind child and her Parents

David Goode

pp. 1-37

in: Human Studies 13 (1), 1990.

Abstract

This paper is an empirical inquiry into the nature of human communication and understanding. It is organized into three sections. First, there is an overview of the ethnomethodological critique of mainstream social scientific research methodology and the relevance of this critique to clinical behavioral research. Second, the details of an ethnomethodological study of communication practices in a family with an alingual, deaf-blind child are provided. Third, implications of the case study are presented.