That deaf child and you: a forensic approach to the problems of hearing and speech.

Gesture, particularly manual gesture, is an important element in early childhood language formation. Its attempted elimination from the early communicative experience of hearing impaired children raises serious ethical, and possibly legal, questions. Though deaf children are deprived of information by the suppression of Sign Language so that their pretended education becomes a nullity, their cognitive power remains intact and undiminished. Official and academic refusals to recognize gesture and abhorrence, explicit or implied, of non-vocal language systems are culture-specific in their operation. They have no effect on normal children but are highly destructive of hearing-impaired children in direct proportion to the degree of impairment. Thus, sign-deprivation in profound hearing loss is completely destructive. The responsibility, including legal liability, of professionals stands in the same proportion. The most important developmental period for Sign Language is infancy. It is doubly important therefore that, in addition to educators and indeed prior to them, all health professionals who work with hearing impairment of any type be proficient in the principles and practice of nonvocal communication. Sign Language is the hearing aid of the deaf.