You’ve got mixed up there. If you plan to learn multiple languages then it is beneficial to learn as a child but even similar languages, like English and French, can cause issues communicating when young. When learning vastly different languages especially when one is written and one signed it causes a lot of issues. This can leave a deaf child struggling to communicate for a time.
Often deaf parents will choose to stick to sign first.
Only in 'murica (and the anglosphere) could people think that learning more languages could possibly be a bad thing…
I’m not American but it’s suggested that learning a sign language and a ‘spoken’ language at the same time can slow the acquisition of both.
We see it in kids with two ‘spoken’ languages too but I believe to a lesser extent.
If I had a deaf kid I would teach them both but I understand the choices of parents that don’t do that.
What in the world? It’s commonly understood that children learn the fastest and if you want to learn multiple languages, it’s best learned early…
You’ve got mixed up there. If you plan to learn multiple languages then it is beneficial to learn as a child but even similar languages, like English and French, can cause issues communicating when young. When learning vastly different languages especially when one is written and one signed it causes a lot of issues. This can leave a deaf child struggling to communicate for a time.
Often deaf parents will choose to stick to sign first.