76 choosing and learning a language
Benefits of using spoken language
• A child who communicates like other people in the community will
have many more people who understand him.
• A child who uses a spoken language will be more ready for a school if
that school does not use sign language.
• A child using spoken language may find it easier to read, because the
language he speaks and the written language are similar.
I am glad Haipeng
is going to a
nursery school
where he can talk
with other children
who cannot
hear well.
Yes, and I hope it
will prepare him to
attend the regular
school later. I want
him to study so he
can get a good job
when he grows up!
Difficulties with using spoken language
• Spoken communication usually works well
only for a child who has some hearing (enough
to hear the differences between many words)
or for a child who became deaf after he had
learned to speak.
• A child may find it difficult to read lips,
because many sounds look the same on
the lips or cannot be seen on the lips. For
example, the words ‘baby’, ‘maybe’, and
‘pay me’ all look the same. You can see this
yourself in a mirror.
the words ‘baby’,
‘maybe’, and ‘pay
me’ all look the
same on the lips.
• A child who has difficulty hearing speech sounds will find it very
difficult to speak clearly, because he cannot hear himself talk. His
speech may not be understood by anyone but his family.
• Young children may not sit still for long lessons to teach language.
• Because so much effort goes into learning to talk and learning to
understand what other people are saying, a child may miss learning
more about the world.
Helping Children Who Are Deaf (2004)