Keys to Raising a Deaf Child

Book excerpt: Two educators who are also parents of deaf children offer positive advice and encouragement on helping children adapt to deafness. They show how problems related to deafness can be overcome so that the child interacts as a social and intellectual equal with children who can hear. The authors recommend what is called bimodal communication -- that is, having the child, parents, and other non-deaf family members learn American Sign Language as a first step in normal communication. Though admitting that this approach is controversial, they are personally convinced that bimodal use of signed and spoken English allows the deaf child's communciation ability to grow and vocabulary to blossom. The book also offers much good general advice on parenting, stressing that deaf and hearing children are more alike than they are different.