Most ASL tests only check words and grammar. But understanding a story means more — it means making sense of it. A Deaf Center team built the first test for that deeper kind of ASL comprehension, and learned something hopeful about late starters.

When a deaf or hard-of-hearing child first arrives in a hearing family, caregivers are faced with decisions they probably never anticipated. One of the most pressing is which language(s) to use with their child, and how soon to introduce that language? For families who choose to learn ASL alongside their child, a new study offers evidence that their effort can make a real difference for their child, even before their own signing is fluent. Published in Developmental Science,

Our recent study, in the Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development "Hearing parents as sign language learners" by Elana Pontecorvo, Julie Mitchiner, and Amy Lieberman explores whether hearing caregivers can successfully learn a sign language like ASL to communicate with their deaf or hard of hearing children. Spoiler: they absolutely can! Key Findings: Hearing caregivers who participated in the study were beginning and intermediate signing skills. Many parents dem

Research tells us that exposing deaf and hard of hearing children to ASL from an early age has a wide range of benefits, spanning language, social development, cognitive development, and school readiness. But how do hearing parents learn ASL? Our experience has been very positive. All have learned so much and felt so supported. My anxiety over communication barriers has decreased tremendously. Learning a new language can be a daunting task and one that takes a lot of time and

Understanding the Dynamics of Visual Attention in ASL Learning American Sign Language (ASL) is all about seeing and using signs to communicate. For deaf or hard-of-hearing children, learning ASL depends on knowing when to look at the person signing. But how do children learn this skill? In a recent study published in the Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society (2024), researchers Paris Gappmayr and Amy M. Lieberman explored how deaf and hard-of-hear

Why Early Language Access is So Important As a healthcare provider working with deaf or hard of hearing children, ensuring they have full access to language from the start is one of the most critical factors in supporting their healthy development. This is not just about enabling them to hear sounds or develop speech—it’s about giving them the robust language exposure necessary for cognitive, social, and emotional growth. Early access to language plays a pivotal role in shapi

As professionals working with deaf or hard of hearing children, one of the most critical aspects of care is ensuring they have full access to language—not just sound. This is essential for their cognitive and social development. Deafness vs. Language Deprivation Deafness and language deprivation are related but distinct. While deaf children may lack full access to sound, they can thrive with full access to language, whether signed or spoken. Language deprivation occurs when c

If you're raising a deaf or hard of hearing child*, one of the biggest decisions in front of you is how to make sure your child has full access to language. Signed languages and spoken languages are all highly structured systems of words and grammar that are important for child development. It doesn't matter if a child is learning English, Farsi, French, or ASL; they are equally good at supporting development. The critical thing is whether a child is exposed to language and

Deaf children exposed to ASL before 6 months show age-appropriate vocabulary growth, matching peers with deaf parents.

Do signers organize their mental dictionary by how signs are formed, the way speakers organize theirs by sound? And does that change when language comes late? A look across a series of our studies.

Deaf children learning ASL split one visual channel between language and the world. Our research looks at how they manage it, what parents do to help, and why it matters for vocabulary.

Parents' ASL skills don’t impact toddlers’ vocabulary but are crucial as children grow, highlighting the need for early exposure.