PST 376 Universality and Variation in Sign Language Learning

This 1-credit course is aimed at parents and service providers of deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children. It addresses the very complex question of how variation in the quantity, quality and timing of children's linguistic input affects the language(s) that they develop. The curriculum presents research related to older DHH children (beyond toddlerhood) and their families, who are often learning sign language at the same time as their DHH child, and also includes multilingualism and language delay, particularly in the context of international adoption. Participants are invited to share their experiences and observations in these areas and encouraged to (re)consider and (re)formulate their own conclusions for how to apply existing research to their individual family contexts.