Late acquisition of language and cognitive development of deaf people
Keywords:
language acquisition, deaf, sign language, cognitive development.Abstract
This paper aims to discuss the effects of late acquisition of a language - more specifically the sign language – in the cognitive development of deaf people. The late diagnosis
of deafness is very common, especially when the child is from hearing families, who are slow to realize the difficulties and to seek expert help. After the diagnosis is common yet some
resistance by the family not only to accept the condition of the deaf child, but also to accept sign language. Although, from early childhood, deaf people are embedded in the symbolic world of language (consisting of the language spoken by the mother, gestures and signs used), allowing the cognitive development. The effects of late acquisition of a language (oral or sign) become restricted not only the communicative possibilities of the child in some circles, but also the possibilities of learning content, conveyed by formal language.