Use of expressive gestures of hands, face, and body to communicate with others, whether as part of a “private language,” fingerspelling, or a widely taught and used SIGN language. Some people believe that children with ear and hearing problems should not be allowed to use any form of manual communication but should instead be trained to use and understand oral speech, especially through speechreading. Others stress a total communication approach, which holds that deaf children should be taught to use any communication skills at their disposal.