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A Family-Centered Signed Language Curriculum to Support Deaf Children's Language Acquisition

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 August 2023

Razi M. Zarchy
Affiliation:
Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions and California State University, Sacramento
Leah C. Geer
Affiliation:
California State University, Sacramento

Summary

Deaf children experience language deprivation at alarmingly high rates. One contributing factor is that most are born to non-signing hearing parents who face insurmountable barriers to learning a signed language. This Element presents a case for developing signed language curricula for hearing families with deaf children that are family-centered and focus on child-directed language. Core vocabulary, functional sentences, and facilitative language techniques centered around common daily routines allow families to apply what they learn immediately. Additionally, Deaf Community Cultural Wealth (DCCW) lessons build families' capacity to navigate the new terrain of raising a deaf child. If early intervention programs serving the families of young deaf children incorporate this type of curriculum into their service delivery, survey data suggest that it is both effective and approachable for this target population, so the rates of language deprivation may decline.
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A Family-Centered Signed Language Curriculum to Support Deaf Children's Language Acquisition
  • Razi M. Zarchy, Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions and California State University, Sacramento, Leah C. Geer, California State University, Sacramento
  • Online ISBN: 9781009380720
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A Family-Centered Signed Language Curriculum to Support Deaf Children's Language Acquisition
  • Razi M. Zarchy, Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions and California State University, Sacramento, Leah C. Geer, California State University, Sacramento
  • Online ISBN: 9781009380720
Available formats
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Save element to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

A Family-Centered Signed Language Curriculum to Support Deaf Children's Language Acquisition
  • Razi M. Zarchy, Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions and California State University, Sacramento, Leah C. Geer, California State University, Sacramento
  • Online ISBN: 9781009380720
Available formats
×