Communication Matters

Many parents who have a child who is d/Deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) hope their child will learn to talk. These parents are often hesitant to introduce American Sign Language (ASL) into their home. They may worry that learning ASL will discourage their child from talking. However, a recent study published in the Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research by Pontecorvo and colleagues* shows that this worry is not necessary. The study is titled Learning Sign Language Does Not Hinder Acquisition of a Spoken Language. This is a very important study because it found that learning ASL does not mean a child will not learn to talk!