Chapter 45

        So far, most of the chapters have described the lifestyle and challenges of a hearing parent with a deaf child.  However, Chapter 45 discusses hearing children raised by deaf parents.  I have never really thought about how having deaf parents could affect a hearing child's speech by "lacking the vital auditory/oral feedback process" and "not picking up on good speech patterns-clear articulation, intonation, modulation of volume, and expression" (pg 279).  With the lack of speech within their home, hearing children sometimes have difficulty getting exposure to speech and therefore can often get labeled as "language-deficient" as preschoolers because their first language normally becomes ASL rather than English.  It is amazing to think about how much our families (especially parents) impact our language and until reading this chapter, I never took much consideration about it until realizing what it is like to have parents who do not verbally speak.
        I think it is incredible to see how with deaf parents, a hearing child is able to succeed and (most of the time) become bilingual.  It was reassuring to read about how aware deaf parents are of their child's need for exposure to speech.  By having hearing friends and family spend time with their children and help them practice talking and reading, they are giving their children plenty of opportunities in the future.  I thought it was interesting to see that hearing children in a deaf home are able to experience two languages and two cultures, giving them a wider perspective in life.