children who cannot hear well need help early 17
How language helps the mind develop
Language enables children to think, to plan, to understand the world
around them, and to be a part of a community. Without language,
children cannot develop their minds.
When children cannot hear, and do not get help learning a language
to communicate, they will face problems in their mental development.
Many parents with young deaf children or children with hearing loss are
glad if the children learn a few simple words or gestures. But children
need more than this. They need to learn a language.
A deaf child needs to learn language early, so that she can use it to talk
to herself, that is, to think. Expressing ideas in words makes it possible
to think about those ideas.
The bigger
shirt must
be Papa’s.
First I add the
egg. Then I mix
in flour until the
dough is sticky.
Because she knows the words for
bigger and smaller, Amina can
learn how to compare sizes. Without
language she cannot learn this.
Because she has words for doing
things in order, Rosa can plan.
She also needs language to express her ideas to others, to tell
people what she wants or needs. She needs language to understand
explanations. Through communicating with others, she learns about the
world around her. This helps her mind to develop and lets her relate to
people.
?
Without language a child may not know
why he must stay away from dangers.
Dan cannot understand why they must
keep the well covered.
Without a way for her mother to
explain, Evi does not understand
how her mother knows that
someone is at the door.
Helping Children Who Are Deaf (2004)