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Language Development in Deaf Infants

Deafness is defined as the inability to hear. In general, deaf people may be divided into the prelingually and the postlingually deaf. People who are prelingually deaf lose their hearing before they have acquired spoken language. Someone may be prelingually deaf because of an illness in the womb, a genetic birth defect, prematurity or an injury such as high fever as a young infant. A prelingually deaf infant can be started on the road to full integration into the hearing and deaf communities with the right educational methods.

  1. Sign Language

    • Many deaf people use sign language as their main form of linguistic communication. Sign language is a complex form of communication involving body language as well as the use of specific signs to convey various forms of information. Sign language varies from place to place and sometimes even from community to community. British Sign Language is quite distinct from American Sign Language. All babies communicate with their parents with hand gestures. Parents of babies who are deaf can use this familiar form of communication to work with their infants on sign language basics much as parents of hearing infants teach children to name objects.

    Cued Speech

    • Cued speech is a form of communication where the speaker helps the person being spoken to understand speech better with hand motions as he speaks. Parents may use cued speech as a means of beginning lessons in lip reading. If you are unfamiliar with this technique you can take classes. An early-intervention teacher can work with you during this process.

    Hearing Aids

    • A hearing aid is a device that can enable people to make up deficits in their auditory processing of language. Hearing aids can be of use to even very young infants if they still have some residual hearing left. A hearing aid may not be helpful for those who are completely deaf. Hearing aids can be difficult to work with at times; make sure the fit is comfortable and the sound perceived not too loud.

    Cochlear Implants

    • Cochlear implants are devices that can substitute for missing nerve endings. Children as young as six months can benefit from cochlear-implant surgery. The surgery may even allow them to fully hear a complete range of sounds. Parents who are considering this surgery for their infant should be aware that the surgery carries risks including infections. After surgery the infant will need extensive lessons to learn how to understand the sounds they can now hear. According to a study published by Richard Tyler and Jay Rubenstein of the Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology at the University of Iowa in the March 6, 2006, "Journal of Cochlear Implants International," an implant often allows the infant to eventually catch up to her peers in language development.

    Further Preparation

    • If you are deaf yourself you may be well aware of what you need to do to raise a child with a hearing problem. If you come from the hearing world this may be all new to you. Nondeaf parents should seek out support groups and educators to help them understand the language development of their child. Involve any siblings in this effort. Even if they have normal hearing, siblings may delight in learning to communicate with sign language or cued speech.

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