Overview
This study examines the development of American Sign Language by deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children and their parents.
Description
After being informed about the study and potential risks, adult participants who give written informed consent and children whose parents who give written permission will be enrolled in the study. They will participate in preliminary language tasks to assess baseline performance on American Sign Language (ASL) measures. Subsequently they will have weekly sessions with an ASL Specialist to support their development of ASL, following a 6-week on/6-week off ABABABAB sequence.
Eligibility
Inclusion Criteria:
- Children
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- Children ages 2;00 - 2;11 at the start of the longitudinal project
- Child is Deaf/ Hard-of-Hearing
- Participating in a program utilizing a bimodal bilingual philosophy
- Adults
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- One adult caregiver for each child
Exclusion Criteria:
- Children with previously-diagnosed conditions other than deafness known to affect language and cognitive development
- Families without access to internet (at home or other locations)