In fact, their parents said they learned to sign before they spoke, added Christalle, an analyst at the National University of Singapore.
As Shona’s mother, Charini Guidowani, said, learning to speak is another challenge, as a home can be a “quiet world.”
The sign language teacher lost his hearing at the age of four due to a high fever, and his husband, Gopi Nathan, was born as a hearing impaired person. They can say both words aloud when signing, but their pronunciation is “not clear” like for people to hear.
In the case of hearing loss, according to a Verywell Health article, hearing-impaired people cannot hear exactly how a normal conversation sounds and lack natural intonation when speaking. This is known as the “speech of the hearing impaired.”
As a result, speech development can be delayed if CODA does not have the opportunity to hear and interact with caregivers who communicate verbally, said Shobhana Wamb, senior speech therapist at Canossaville Children and Community Services. increase.
But that doesn’t mean they don’t develop speech. She added because there are many ways parents and educators can provide these children with rich language and listening exposure.
Infants usually need to acquire skills such as speaking aloud and making sounds when someone speaks before they are 6 months to 1 year old.
At that time, grandparents gave great help to Shona and her 10-year-old sister Dipica Sonja, who grew up nearby.
TV shows such as Hi-5, Veggie Tales, and Disney classics were also aired at home. This was a way for girls to develop a love for singing and dancing, even if their parents didn’t fully understand it.
