Most deaf children in the U.S. learn through a sign language interpreter in a mainstream classroom. A Deaf Center paper argues that an interpreter can give a child access, but it can't give a child language — and that difference matters.

A new paper in Pediatric Annals lays out what good care looks like for deaf and hard of hearing kids: put full language access first, connect families to early intervention and deaf mentors, and learn from deaf people and families. Sign language is a complete language, not a backup, and it does not hold back spoken language.

The science of reading as it applies to deaf and hard of hearing children.

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,

"Parent choice" requires informed parents, backed by support.

A study published in The Journal of Special Education (2024) by Erin Finton, Wyatte C. Hall, Michele Berke, Ronald Bye, Stuart Ikeda,...

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

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.

Nearly 40% of deaf adults say they were often left out of family conversations growing up. A series of studies co-authored by pediatrician Dr. Arielle Spellun shows what that missing communication access can affect health, leading to higher rates of heart disease, diabetes, depression, anxiety, and fatigue.

Philadelphia Deaf signers show a unique signing style called dominance reversal, reflecting how social factors shape regional ASL variations

As families of a deaf or hard of hearing child*, some of the most important decisions you’ll make is how to give your child access to language. It’s not just about getting access to sound or even speech, it’s about ensuring your child has full access to language. What is the difference between speech and language Languages are complex, rule-based systems that communicate meaning. They evolve naturally over generations of users to become efficient to learn and use. Languages c