Naomi Caselli1, Jennie Pyers2, Amy M Lieberman3. 1. Wheelock College of Education and Human Development, Boston University, Boston, MA. Electronic address: nkc@bu.edu. 2. Department of Psychology, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA. 3. Wheelock College of Education and Human Development, Boston University, Boston, MA.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To examine whether children who are deaf or hard of hearing who have hearing parents can develop age-level vocabulary skills when they have early exposure to a sign language. STUDY DESIGN: This cross-sectional study of vocabulary size included 78 children who are deaf or hard of hearing between 8 and 68 months of age who were learning American Sign Language (ASL) and had hearing parents. Children who were exposed to ASL before 6 months of age or between 6 and 36 months of age were compared with a reference sample of 104 deaf and hard of hearing children who have parents who are deaf and sign. RESULTS: Deaf and hard of hearing children with hearing parents who were exposed to ASL in the first 6 months of life had age-expected receptive and expressive vocabulary growth. Children who had a short delay in ASL exposure had relatively smaller expressive but not receptive vocabulary sizes, and made rapid gains. CONCLUSIONS: Although hearing parents generally learn ASL alongside their children who are deaf, their children can develop age-expected vocabulary skills when exposed to ASL during infancy. Children who are deaf with hearing parents can predictably and consistently develop age-level vocabularies at rates similar to native signers; early vocabulary skills are robust predictors of development across domains.
OBJECTIVE: To examine whether children who are deaf or hard of hearing who have hearing parents can develop age-level vocabulary skills when they have early exposure to a sign language. STUDY DESIGN: This cross-sectional study of vocabulary size included 78 children who are deaf or hard of hearing between 8 and 68 months of age who were learning American Sign Language (ASL) and had hearing parents. Children who were exposed to ASL before 6 months of age or between 6 and 36 months of age were compared with a reference sample of 104 deaf and hard of hearing children who have parents who are deaf and sign. RESULTS: Deaf and hard of hearing children with hearing parents who were exposed to ASL in the first 6 months of life had age-expected receptive and expressive vocabulary growth. Children who had a short delay in ASL exposure had relatively smaller expressive but not receptive vocabulary sizes, and made rapid gains. CONCLUSIONS: Although hearing parents generally learn ASL alongside their children who are deaf, their children can develop age-expected vocabulary skills when exposed to ASL during infancy. Children who are deaf with hearing parents can predictably and consistently develop age-level vocabularies at rates similar to native signers; early vocabulary skills are robust predictors of development across domains.
Authors: Patricia L Purcell; Nicholas L Deep; Susan B Waltzman; J Thomas Roland; Sharon L Cushing; Blake C Papsin; Karen A Gordon Journal: Trends Hear Date: 2021 Jan-Dec Impact factor: 3.293