Originally Posted by jillio

Unfortunately, we seem to be reducing communication to a very concrete definition of being able to communicate needs and wants to the larger hearing society. Communication is so much more than that. Without a strong foundation in a language that allows one to communicate on a more abstract level, to discuss feelings, impressions, thoughts, reactions, observations, to ask questions, and to communicate understanding of the world around oneself, true communication has not been achieved. That is the problem with restricting a deaf child to an oral only environment. The language use may be suffiecient to communicate on a very concrete level, but the imaginative use of language is not there. These kids are quite often restricted in their ability to use language to express novel and creative thought through language. That is why I say that we need to stop devoting their entire childhood to providing them skill to communicate with the hearing only, and give them an environment that allows them to develop intellectually, socially, cognitively, and emotionally. Once that has been achieved, the skills to communicate with the hearing world will develop to a greater degree. And, in the process, we have a child whose developmental needs have been met on ALL levels, and at the appropriate stages. It's a win-win situation. We are creating much of the deficit that we complain about.