ASL: Deaf Children & Language Acquisition

Deaf Children and Language Acquisition
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What deaf children need to acquire language?
           According to Dr. Chen Pichler, children require high input of languages such as ASL, BSL, or spoken language to acquire it successfully. Therefore, parents must ensure that they provide these by improving joint attention, focusing on child-directed signing, and making children part of rich conversations. For kids to acquire the complex patterns found in human languages, language development has to begin at the age of one, which is the foundation of language acquisition, so they can effectively develop an efficient process of understanding linguistic patterns. Additionally, children need to learn the levels of language. These include phonology, where kids learn form; lexicon, which develops vocabulary and morphology, which is the development of words that can be broken down into small words. Also, syntax defined as word order and discourse, which is learning multiple sentences that develop a strong base for linguistic development from one level to the other.
What important points does Dr. Pichler point out?
Dr. Pichler points out significant points. The human brain can learn all languages so long as high-quality input is put in, promoting the successful acquisition of ASL and English languages. Two, Early language exposure should be as soon as possible, when a child turns one year. Even a slight delay negatively impacts language development and processing that last a lifetime. Three, exposure to American Sign Language (ASL) when a child is growing up does not affect English development in children with a cochlear implant; instead, it accentuates its development. Four, parents can enrich the quality of sign langua...