“Your Deaf Child Is Waiting for YOU to Meet Them Where They Are 💙”

💔 “My child and I can’t communicate…”

This breaks my heart every time I hear it. But here’s the good news: connection doesn’t require perfect signing. It requires EFFORT.

🏠 5 tips to connect with your deaf child TODAY:

1️⃣ GET ON THEIR LEVEL (literally) Sit, kneel, or get down to their eye level. Face-to-face communication is EVERYTHING. Your child needs to see your face, expressions, and hands.

2️⃣ MAKE YOUR HOME VISUALLY FRIENDLY

  • Use visual timers instead of verbal countdowns
  • Install doorbell lights & vibrating alerts
  • Add captions to family movie nights
  • Use gesture + pointing until you learn more signs

3️⃣ LEARN SIGN LANGUAGE TOGETHER You don’t need to be fluent tomorrow! Start with: ✨ 5 signs this week (more, help, eat, drink, love) ✨ Sign during routine activities (bath time, meals) ✨ Make it FUN—sign to music, play sign language games ✨ Let your child TEACH you—it empowers them!

4️⃣ STOP REPEATING—START SHOWING If they don’t understand, don’t just say it louder or repeat 10 times. SHOW them. Use objects, pictures, gestures, or write it down.

5️⃣ INCLUDE THEM IN CONVERSATIONS Don’t talk “around” your child. If family is chatting, summarize in sign. If they’re excluded from dinner table talk, you’re missing precious bonding time.

👉 Real talk: The biggest barrier isn’t your child’s hearing—it’s the communication gap WE create when we don’t adapt.

Your child is watching. They’re learning. They’re waiting for YOU to meet them where they are. And when you do? Magic happens. 💙

Drop a ❤️ if you’re committed to learning sign language with your child!

What’s ONE thing you’ll try this week? Tell me below! 👇

💬 SAVE THIS POST and come back when you need a reminder!

#DeafKids #ASL #SignLanguage #DeafFamily #ParentingDeafChildren #LearnASL #DeafCommunity #HardOfHearing #InclusiveParenting #DeafAwareness #FamilyASL #DeafChildren #VisualCommunication #DeafCulture #BilingualKids #DeafEducation

“But my baby passed the newborn hearing test…”

Here’s what many parents don’t know: hearing can change as your child grows.

EARLY SIGNS your child might be deaf or hard of hearing:

🔹 0-3 months: Doesn’t startle at loud sounds or turn toward your voice

🔹 4-8 months: Not babbling or responding to their name by 6 months

🔹 9-12 months: No response to sounds behind them, limited sound experimentation

🔹 12-24 months: Not saying single words by 15 months, watching your face intensely while you talk, turning up TV/devices very loud

Here’s the truth: Early identification changes EVERYTHING. The earlier you know, the earlier your child can access language—whether that’s sign language, spoken language, or both.

What to do: ✅ Trust your instincts—you know your child best ✅ Ask your pediatrician for a hearing evaluation (not just a screening) ✅ Connect with an audiologist who specializes in pediatrics ✅ Know that deaf/HoH kids thrive with early support!

Remember: A diagnosis isn’t a tragedy—it’s information. And information is power. Your child’s journey starts here. 💙

#DeafKids #HardOfHearing #DeafAwareness #EarlyIntervention #ParentingTips #ASL #HearingLoss #DeafCommunity #PediatricAudiology #DeafChildren #InclusiveParenting #SignLanguage

ASL class supporting parents of Deaf children fosters learning, community | csus.edu

In a typical classroom at Sacramento State, the words “poop,” “diaper,” “bathroom” and other potty language are seldom heard.

But this is not a typical classroom.

“Promoting Rich Accessible Language at Home: An ASL Class for Families of Deaf Children” is a course for parents of kids to age 5 that explores Deaf culture and teaches age-appropriate American Sign Language (ASL).

The curriculum is based on “ASL at Home,” a book written by Sac State ASL and Deaf Studies program coordinator Leah Geer and Razi Zarchy, a lecturer in Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSAD).

“There are no similar curricula and there are no similar classes designed for families with Deaf and hard-of-hearing children that focus on daily routines,” Geer said.

The class provides parents of young children an opportunity to learn age-appropriate ways of communication in a supportive environment and benefits Sac State ASL and CSAD students preparing for careers working with Deaf populations.

Since its launch in 2021 as an online-only course, the class has served roughly 120 families. Geer and Zarchy teach four or five sections online each year.

This fall, the class is being taught in-person for the first time thanks to a Research Enhancement Support Grant (RESG). Geer and Zarchy are exploring ways to make the in-person section permanent.

“The in-person and online modalities reach different populations,” Zarchy said. “In our online classes, we have had many families who say that they feel isolated and don’t know any other parents or family members of Deaf or hard-of-hearing children in their area. The classes are a great opportunity for them to meet other people like themselves.”

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