#language deprivation

[pearlflavoured]

Preparing a presentation about why sign language is so important and I'm reminded that in Auslan the sign for language deprivation uses the same sign as steal. It's not the passive "oh the language missed me/went straight over my head" It's language theft. It's deaf kids who have crucial information ripped away from them, time they'll never catch up on and time they'll never get back. Every child deserves access to language

[disabledace]

Im constantly reminded how many d/Deaf people are not fluent in their respective sign language because they were denied access to it, even sometimes into adulthood, and theres no getting those early years back. Ive had the d/Deaf people in my life ask me, a person who only started signing 6 years ago, if I know signs for relatively common words. Its disgusting tbh oralism needs to fucking die

[pado-lyn]

Everyone wants to be heard, and to be able to understand the people around them. For deaf people, sign language is the clearest, and most expressive way for deaf people to communicate together in real time. Text is helpful, lip reading is a useful tool, and speaking is convenient for hearing people, but for deaf people, sign language is often the most responsive 💞

I know this video deals with a difficult subject, and it deals with language deprivation in an aggressive way, but it comes from a place of urgent need within the deaf community. Kids need to be able to communicate in a way they can understand, reliably, clearly, and in real time 🧑‍🏫🦻 So many adults would rather center their own need for normalcy, than adapt to the needs of their deaf children

[birds-of-iodine]

I feel like the implications of Cassandra's upbringing aren't considered enough. She was severely language deprived in her childhood, and that can lead to a whole lot of other stuff later on in life. She could potentially have issues with understanding chronology, cause and effect, emotional regulation, writing, and most interestingly for her character, theory of mind. She's sometimes depicted as having almost telepathic understanding of others' intentions, but what if she had a much more surface-level, combat-focused understanding of body language, and she struggled with understanding that other people have thoughts and ideas separate from her own? I don't know how this would actually be implemented, but I find it interesting to think about

[butterflyinthewell]

Make sure to expose your nonspeaking autistic kids to language.

Buy audiobooks related to their interests if you can find them, or get easy little picture books and read to them. Expose them to singalong videos where the lyrics are on the screen.

The goal is to expose them to words and what they mean. It doesn’t matter if they never use them. They hear or see you (sign language) using language.

Maybe one day your kiddo will bring their favorite storybook to you when you’re sad because it comforts them and they think it’ll comfort you, or they’ll point to a favorite picture in the book when they’re happy, or maybe they’ll fingerspell a song title or sign a lyric line from a song. Maybe, if they talk at all, it’ll be to repeat favorite sentences from the books or a lyric.

Even if they never speak spontaneously and only repeat stuff from the material you exposed them to, they have something they can use to communicate with you! Maybe they come to you and say, sign or type “Cinderella lost her glass slipper” because they can’t find their shoes. First off, that’s cute, and secondly they’re communicating with you in a way you can understand. That matters!

They might be really proud of themselves for being able to tell you something, don’t squash it by correcting them to say “I lost my shoes.”

Later on, they may start communicating with you using AAC and they’ll already have some building blocks for language laid down because you deliberately exposed them to it.

I won’t say everyone can do this, some people absorb language like a sponge and others may not. I’m not saying reading to your autistic kid is gonna magically make them able to communicate understandably with you (cuz mine-body disconnect is a thing for some), but it doesn’t hurt to give them a chance.

There are too many parents who assume their nonspeaking autistic kid doesn’t understand anything, so they don’t bother with language other than giving them commands. It’s really isolating to see everybody talking around you, but never talking TO you.

Language deprivation is a thing, just ask the Deaf community because they deal with it all the time.

[teacher-wangji]

An important note on Deaf education.

[nature-punks]

Language deprivation is serious. If you have a deaf or hard of hearing child, learn sign language. Teach your child sign language. It doesn't matter how the "real world" works- denying your child the right to language is equal to denying a crippled child a wheelchair because the "real world" includes staircases.

[the-psychedelic-hobo]

They want tragedy, so give them the truth..

We need more stories where deaf characters are ableist. Where another deaf character shows the ableist deaf character the fault in their ways. More stories where deaf people are mainstreamed and dont know ASL and are stuck without batteries for their hearing aides at a sleepover with friends. More stories where the kid with CI has to fight off the elite Deaf bullies and gets defended by an elite Deaf friend. Stories about the segregated Deaf communities from the 1940s. Stories about Alexander Graham Bell refusing sign language and pouring way too much energy trying to "fix" the deaf. Stories about parents trying to "fix" their deaf child.

Yes we shouldnt put deaf characters as the villain every time but we shouldnt forget that the deaf are just as capable as you or I of becoming a villain [obviously not because they're deaf but because they're HUMAN *SHOCKER* ] If you want negative experiences portrayed dramatically there are real life situations that exist. And Your Name Is Jonah was a great film but it frustrated me because it feeds this idea that every deaf child has early access to ASL when the opposite is true.

As a rule we should continue advocating for early access to ASL in deaf and autistic children in media as well as showing the other side of the coin. I dont think every story should be tragic and honestly tragedy porn is boring and damaging.