Chapter 43

        I thought it was interesting and reassuring to learn that the universal infant hearing screening can determine whether a baby is hearing or deaf very early on.  By learning if the infant has hearing loss, it can help make sure that the child does not fall behind in communication because in the past, "some of these children never catch up, language wise" (pg 270).  In addition, I have never thought about how the way the information is portrayed to the parents can influence their decision in helping their child communicate for the rest of their life.  I agree with the authors that the parents should be given both sides of the information, allowing them to explore both the oral/aural and signing sectors.
        When deciding how to get language to a deaf child, parents have different options including visual communication, speech/speechreading, or Total Communication.  I think it is crazy that those promoting hearing aids and the cochlear implant are able to have such a great impact on parents by suggesting that their child will not be normal or mainstream if they chose anything other than their devices.  Although they might benefit from hearing aids or the cochlear implant, it seems to me that the idea of learn sign language sounds like a burden to most parents.  However, I thought it was extremely cool to see how many different ways there are to help a family integrate Deaf culture into their lives.  These include video tapes for ASL, early-intervention programs with Deaf volunteers, and basic signing classes.  This chapter proves to the public that having a child who communicates with sign language is a possibility.  In addition, I learned that when acquiring language, it is more important for a child to learn reading and writing first rather than learning how to speak.