Originally Posted by jillio

Oh, but there is a conceptual link, and this is a main reason for my support of sign from an early age. Hearing children, because of their particular cognitions, link the symbol (spoken word) to the concept as it is applied in context. Because they can hear the words spoken that imply context, and can grasp the nuances, they are able to make the link between concept and symbol. Deaf/hh kids when exposed to sign, make the same sort of natural link between symbol (sign) and concept. They naturally rely on their visual sense to make sense of their world the same way a hearing child naturally relies on their auditory sense to make sense of their world. They don't have to taught to do this, it is inherent from birth.

However, to get a deaf/hh child to make that same natural progression form symbol to concept, they must first be taught that what they perceive visually, is related to movements of the mouth, and that movements of themouth are just another symbol for the concept. It adds another step into the process of linking symbol to concept. Moreover, it is an artificial step for them, as they do not perceive auditorily. This is the reason that so many deaf/hh kids in oral programs are so severely language dealyed, and the reason many more have vocabulary deficits.

You can think of it this way: when a hearing child starts school, they have already learned that a chair, and the sound that they hear (chair) are representative of the same thing. Then, they must learn that when they see the printed word "chair" it is simply a different symbol for the same thing (concept.) At the age of 5 or 6 they are developmentally ready to make that progression to understanding that there may be several different symbols that represent the same concept. However, a child of 1 year, 2 years, or even 3 years is not developmentally ready to process such a complicated concept. Even though the information may be presented to them, they are simply not ready to absorb it.