Acquisition of Sign Languages.

Area of Science:

• Linguistics
• Developmental Psychology
• Deaf Studies

Background:

• Natural sign languages are acquired similarly to spoken languages when accessible from birth.
• Infants demonstrate sensitivity to visual linguistic input, showing parallels in early language milestones.
• The visual-gestural modality influences sign phonology, iconicity, and spatial language use.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the acquisition timeline of natural sign languages in deaf children.
• To investigate the impact of early linguistic input modality on language development.
• To highlight the consequences of language deprivation and the benefits of early sign language exposure.

Main Methods:

• Comparative analysis of language acquisition milestones in deaf and hearing children.
• Review of studies on visual language input and its effects on cognitive and linguistic development.
• Examination of outcomes related to early versus delayed sign language acquisition.

Main Results:

• Deaf children acquiring sign language from birth show comparable acquisition rates to hearing children with spoken language.
• Delayed access to sign language results in language deprivation, negatively impacting language and academic outcomes.
• Earlier sign language exposure correlates with improved language proficiency and academic achievement.

Conclusions:

• Accessible, fluent sign language input from birth is critical for typical language acquisition in deaf children.
• Early intervention and sign language exposure are essential to mitigate the negative effects of language deprivation.
• Further research with diverse participants is needed to fully understand sign language acquisition.