Abstract
Approximately 90% of deaf children are born to hearing parents (National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, 2016). Unfortunately, many of these parents do not give their children access to an accessible language, therefore isolating their children and setting them up for difficulty later in life. Additionally, these children may suffer from language deprivation which can have long lasting social and cognitive defects (Hall, Levin, and Anderson, 2017). Language deprivation is when children do not have full access to a natural language during the critical period of language acquisition, which is approximately between the ages of 0-5 (Hall, Levin, and Anderson, 2017). For many deaf children, their natural language is American Sign Language (ASL) as it is more visual and accessible. This study aims to investigate a link between mode of communication used while growing up and mental health later in life. For the purpose of this study, deaf is used to describe the medical condition of hearing loss, while Deaf is used to describe the Deaf community, its culture, and those who identify with it.
Semester/Year of Award
Spring 2020
Mentor
Linda Bozeman
Mentor Department Affiliation
American Sign Language and Interpreter Education
Access Options
Restricted Access Thesis
Document Type
Bachelor Thesis
Degree Name
Honors Scholars
Degree Level
Bachelor's
Department
Psychology
IRB Approval Number (if applicable)
2862
Recommended Citation
Blades, Holly A., "Silence is Deafening: Signing vs. Non-signing in the Home and the Impact on Mental Health in the Deaf Community" (2020). Honors Theses. 709.
https://encompass.eku.edu/honors_theses/709