maybe weird question about sign language

tardegardo

tardegardo

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Hi everybody,
I just registered, and I really like this forum.
I am an italian semi deaf guy (around 60% without hearing aids). And I am writing a story in which there is a kid (say 6 years old) who is mute since he was born. He is not deaf, he only has never spoken a single word. Do you think his parents would have made him learn, and learn themself, Sign Language? Does it make any sense?

Tom from Rome
 
It sounds to me like you're writing a work of fiction, right? If that's the case, then YOU get to decide if it makes sense or not. Some people will, some people wouldn't.

If I had a child who was unable to speak, I would want a way to communicate with them. I would want them to be able to express themselves, so I would want them to learn sign language. If they can hear me, but are unable to respond, that's not good communication, so I would learn sign language as well so we can communicate at an equal level.

I would be concerned about the muteness, wanting to know whether it was psychological (and maybe indicative of a deeper problem that should be addressed) or physical (and may be unable to be corrected). If it's just who my child is, that's fine. There's no sense trying to change who a person is.

If they're hearing and mute, they'll assimilate oral language like any other child. But they couldn't do that with sign language unless it's similarly present. So why deny that to them?
 
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A friend of mine is hearing and mute. I knew her for about three years until I learned she was hearing. Always asumed she was deaf. Fluent signer and everything.
Her parents learned sign language together with her when she was a child. Now it is more like them talking and her signing. I've also noticed that some hard of hearing people talk to her and she signs back. But she prefers signing, not so much trouble with the grammar.
I don't know how other parents communicate with their children, but I think that is the best choice.
 
Wiggee said:
It sounds to me like you're writing a work of fiction, right? If that's the case, then YOU get to decide if it makes sense or not. Some people will, some people wouldn't.

If I had a child who was unable to speak, I would want a way to communicate with them. I would want them to be able to express themselves, so I would want them to learn sign language. If they can hear me, but are unable to respond, that's not good communication, so I would learn sign language as well so we can communicate at an equal level.

I would be concerned about the muteness, wanting to know whether it was psychological (and maybe indicative of a deeper problem that should be addressed) or physical (and may be unable to be corrected). If it's just who my child is, that's fine. There's no sense trying to change who a person is.

If they're hearing and mute, they'll assimilate oral language like any other child. But they couldn't do that with sign language unless it's similarly present. So why deny that to them?
Click to expand...

Yes Wiggee, it's fiction.
And thank you very much for your wide answer.
 
Latascha said:
A friend of mine is hearing and mute. I knew her for about three years until I learned she was hearing. Always asumed she was deaf. Fluent signer and everything.
Her parents learned sign language together with her when she was a child. Now it is more like them talking and her signing. I've also noticed that some hard of hearing people talk to her and she signs back. But she prefers signing, not so much trouble with the grammar.
I don't know how other parents communicate with their children, but I think that is the best choice.
Click to expand...

That's perfect!
Thank you Latascha!
 
I just thougth about this a little bit. She really is a Deaf person. You would never guess she is hearing. Maybe if your character learns sign language you could pick the cultural thing up, too. Honestly, she is hearing, but doesn't belong there. You understand what people are saying, but can't give an answer. There are some folks out there who think you are stupid right away. So that is something she has in common with d/Deaf people. Then again she is hearing, maybe it is not so easy among the deaf community at first, I don't know. Just a few thoughts...
 
Wirelessly posted

I think most hearing parents would not teach sign but a small percentage would. Obviously, it would make sense to teach sign language so it would work in fiction.
 
I actaully know a number of people in "real life" who have various medical conditions making them unable to speak - they all use sign language, many attended the Deaf School in my area (which is open to hoh, deaf and "anyone for whom instruction in ASL would be beneficial").

They have a mixture of Hoh, Deaf and hearing friends - and withing the Deaf Community are seen almost as "Hoh ASLers".

By this I mean they obviously are able to react to sounds in their environment, and understand speech, however their own method of communication is sign and writing and the community is the Deaf community, because it allows free communication, the ability to socialize in an environment in which being able to Sign (and embrace Deaf norms and core values) is the measure of "being included", not speech and listening skills.

Even if a child didn't learn ASL from their parents when very young, I'd think that most would start learning as soon as they were old enough to make their communication choices. I'd also think that in most cases by the time the child was school age someone in early intervention would have recommended it at least as a means of providing basic communication of needs/wants.

It's one thing to hope that your hoh/deaf child who medically has "normal" vocal chords and is able to make sounds/ noises etc might be able to learn to speak and for the parents to look into speech therapy etc (though, hopefully in addition to ASL, not instead of).

It's a totally different situation if you have a child who is mute, &/or physically unable to produce speech sounds - in that situation no amount of speech therapy, or vocal training is going to produce any results at all. In these situations, I'd think that it would be highly unusual for early intervention and other support team members not to encourage the use of at least basic Sign language so that the child (and family) can communicate.

The reality is that even if families don't want to learn sign language, a child that is able to hear language but unable to speak, is going to start inventing the only language system they can produce: sign (home sign/gestures).
I'd think that only the smallest minority of families would intentionally chose "no expressive language" over learning Sign.

I'd also hope that if a family with a mute child was giving communication options including sign and intentionally chose to prohibit their child from learning any means to express themselves (which is basically abuse) that Child and Family Services / Child Protective Services would get involved and remove that child to a home in which they would be able to learn to communicate.
 
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