8 Speech Production and Spoken Language Development of Children Using ‘‘Total Communication’’ Linda J. Spencer & J. Bruce Tomblin A variety of methods have been used to support deaf children’s spoken language development. These methods have employed a host of edu- cational techniques, with input modes that range from exclusively using visual input for language development to input modes that provide solely auditory/aural input. One particular educational philosophy has attempted to combine input modalities to provide information from visual/aural modalities. This approach has been dubbed the total com- munication (TC) approach. The purpose of this chapter is threefold. The first objective is to provide a background explanation of the TC educational approach that will lay a framework for viewing the acquisition of speech and spoken language skills of children who are educated with this phi- losophy. This will include an evolutionary account of the primary factors leading to the implementation of this approach and a de- scription of the philosophy that underlies the reasons for instituting TC within the educational system. This background should illus- trate the difficulty inherent in providing a standardized methodology for studying the TC population regarding outcomes. Second, with that caveat in mind, we present a review of studies that outline achievement profiles of children who have been educated in the TC setting. Within these profiles, the topics of oral articulation proficiency and how it relates to speech intelligibility are discussed, as well as spoken and written language developmental patterns found in this population. Finally, areas where there is a need for more research are highlighted. 166 Spencer, LJ and Tomblin, JB. (2005). Spoken Language Development in Children Using “Total Communication.” In Ed. Spencer, P.E., & Marschark, M., Advances in the Development of Spoken Language by Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children. Oxford University Press.243-283.