The Pros And Cons Of American Sign Language

According to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the official definition of deafness is “a hearing impairment that is so severe that the child is impaired in processing linguistic information through hearing, with or without amplification” (“Hearing Loss and Deafness,” 2012). The terminology “with or without amplification” is important to remember when defining deafness, because it specifies that “a hearing aid will not provide sufficient accommodation so that the student can succeed in the classroom” (“Hearing Loss and Deafness,” 2012). Students who are deaf face a myriad of difficulties, which can make the following responsibilities challenging: learning through lectures, presenting verbally, note taking, viewing educational

The form of communication they choose will affect the child for the rest of their life. One form of communication available to children who are deaf is American Sign Language. “Though many different sign languages exist, American Sign Language is considered the most widely used manual language in the United States” (Hardin, Blanchard, Kemmery, Appenzeller, & Parker, 2014) with approximately 250,000-500,000 users. However, it is difficult to place an exact number of American Sign Language users because of “methodological challenges related to how American Sign Language users are determined” (Mitchell, Young, Bachleda, & Karchmer, 2006). American Sign Language is a complex language in which its users use their hands along with facial expressions and body postures. For children who are deaf, early exposure to sign language is very beneficial for them, because the earlier a child is exposed to sign language, the better their communication skills will be. Research suggests that “the first few years of life are the most crucial to a child’s development of language skills, and even the early months of life can be important for establishing successful communication”

If a teacher has a student who is deaf in their classroom, there are multiple methods to help that child succeed such as having a note taker or sign language interpreter in class, using PowerPoint presentations to visually explain lectures and presentations, and putting on captions during educational films. Furthermore, teachers need to be aware of the different types of communication a child who is deaf might use including American Sign Language, lip reading, and code switching. It is important for the teacher to meet with the child’s family and discuss their preferred form of communication, what assistance they might need, and other things to help make the child more comfortable in an inclusive classroom. The family has also known the child since they became deaf, and so the family can give opinions, suggestions, and other helpful advice to help the teacher build a relationship with the child and to help them succeed in the