A six-month-old child in an infant and toddler program has been recently diagnosed with a significant hearing loss. According to scientifically based research, which of the following strategies would be the most effective for promoting this child's language development?

• A. Always speaking loudly and slowly when talking to the child
• B. Using exaggerated lip movements to foster the child's speechreading
• C. Immediately starting to use sign language with the child
• D. Making pictures for the child to point to to indicate his or her needs

Answer: (C)

Providing access to a full, accessible language system from the start is essential for infants with significant hearing loss. Signing gives the child immediate language input and expression, even when auditory input is limited. This early access supports vocabulary growth, grammar development, and overall language skills, while also reducing frustration and enhancing parent–child communication and joint attention. Research supports using sign language early as part of a bimodal bilingual approach, which combines sign with spoken language to maximize communication opportunities, literacy, and cognitive development. While other strategies like speaking loudly and slowly, or using gestures and pictures, can help, they don’t provide the same robust linguistic framework as a natural sign system does for a child with significant hearing loss. Starting sign language now helps establish a strong language foundation that benefits communication and learning as the child grows.