A Good Start:
Suggestions for Visual Conversations with Deaf and Hard of Hearing Babies
and Toddlers
By Patricia Elizabeth Spencer,
Ph.D./January 2001
Full paper in PDF format
This document was developed as part of KidsWorld
Deaf Net (KWDN), a national communication network sponsored by the Laurent
Clerc National Deaf Education Center at Gallaudet
University with support from the AT&T
Foundation.
Abstract
Researchers have found that children
whose hearing loss is identified while they are still babies tend
to learn language more easily and more completely than those whose
hearing loss is identified later. With some states now testing for
hearing soon after birth, many children are discovered to be deaf
or hard of hearing during the important first few months of life.
This may give their parents a great advantage in seeking and providing
the kind of support that enables their children to learn language
naturally and on time. Until recently, little information was available
to help parents with this task. However, during the 1980s and 1990s,
research teams watched deaf and hard of hearing babies grow, measured
their achievements, and identified the kinds of interaction with
parents and other adults that gave them the best start.
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About the Author
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A More In-Depth Look:
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Take time to respond to your
baby’s needs
Use as many senses as you can
to send messages to a deaf or hard of hearing baby
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Notice where the baby is looking
or what the baby seems to be interested in
Pay attention to the baby’s
arm, leg, and body movements
Respect the baby’s right to stop
playing or communicating
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A More In-Depth Look:
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Especially with a young baby,
often move your hand or body so the baby can see your communication
while still looking at a toy or activity
Move an object (such as a
toy) in front of the baby and then move it up toward your own face
— when the baby can see your face and the object, communicate
about it
Tap on an object, perhaps
several times, before and after you communicate something about
it — this helps the baby know what your communication is about
Tap on the baby to signal,
“Look at me”
Relax — wait for the baby to look
up on her own
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A More In-Depth Look:
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When a baby shows that he or
she is beginning to understand language, parents can start using
very short sentences: one or two or three words or signs at a time,
plus pointing or tapping on objects
Repeat words, signs, or short
sentences several times and tap on objects or point to activities
to show the child what you are communicating about
If you use signed language, you
can also use fingerspelling
Don't try to send too many messages
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References
Suggestions for Additional Reading
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