[1] Consequently, deaf and hard of hearing children are more likely to have language deprivation which may lead to cognitive delays, as well as other negative impacts to their health.
[8] Similarly, Montana Code §52-2-904 also outlines specific language milestones for deaf and hard of hearing children, with examples in both ASL and spoken english.
[1][17] Children who experience communication neglect during their infancy or early childhood are at increased risk for language deprivation as they grow older.
If a baby is diagnosed with hearing loss, hospitals usually provide access to a team that includes primary care physicians, audiologists, and other health care providers to help the family decide which path is most appropriate for their family or their child to ensure that the baby develops normally with language.
However, some physicians report that they are not confident about informing the parents of deaf and hard of hearing children about other steps to take in addition to visiting an audiologist.
[20][24] There are many options available to these parents to help them provide their child with as much fully accessible language as possible from birth onward.
Additionally, these preschools provide deaf and hard of hearing children with the much needed chance to start building peer relationships with others who share their language.
Support from academic institutions such as Gallaudet University has resulted in global efforts to create an international signing community through student exchanges, many of which provide volunteer programs to improve language exposure for children in countries without formal integration of sign language into primary school curriculum.
The debate mostly centers around the view that deafness is a problem that needs to be fixed, in a phenomenon termed deficit framing, which may include terminology such as "hearing-impaired.
"[33] Many proud members of the Deaf community view the implantation as trying to fix someone who is already whole, and may find this insulting and even unethical.
[30][31][32] Others view it as a very real possibility to open doors and give children the opportunity to function with more accessibility in a hearing society.
[35] One solution that has been proposed to this is to provide exposure to sign language for all deaf children starting as close to birth as possible for the parents regardless of whether they plan to pursue cochlear implants or hearing aids later on.
To ensure deaf children are properly set up for future success in classrooms, early language exposure is essential.
In a classroom, access to social and academic communication is equally as important for language and cognitive development.
LEAD-K is an American campaign promoting language acquisition and kindergarten readiness for Deaf and hard of hearing children ages 0–5.
[39] LEAD-K recognizes Deaf children may struggle socially and academically when entering school due to inadequate language exposure in their early stages of life.
The LEAD-K organization has developed model legislation to promote the success of Deaf and hard of hearing children through required assessments to ensure that certain language milestones are met.
LEAD-K hopes the data that would be collected from assessments proposed by their bills would be used to hold state education systems accountable if their deaf and hard of hearing students seem to be falling behind on the milestones they should be meeting.
Reaching the right language milestones on a consistent timeline can help deaf and hard of hearing children maintain a healthy developmental path.