Should All Deaf Children Learn Sign Language?
Authors:
- 1 July 2015
- journal article
- Published by American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) in Pediatrics
- Vol. 136 (1) , 170-176
Abstract
Every year, 10 000 infants are born in the United States with sensorineural deafness. Deaf children of hearing (and nonsigning) parents are unique among all children in the world in that they cannot easily or naturally learn the language that their parents speak. These parents face tough choices. Should they seek a cochlear implant for their child? If so, should they also learn to sign? As pediatricians, we need to help parents understand the risks and benefits of different approaches to parent–child communication when the child is deaf.Keywords
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