Why do some parents of Deaf children learn ASL while others do not?

A summary of findings of Nate Dutra's "Including the Deaf Child at the Dinner Table: When and Why Hearing Parents Learn Sign Language" along with a few personal notes regarding positive deviation.

Reviewer: William G. Vicars, EdD, 2024

According to Nathan J. Dutra, EdD, the key differentiator between parents that learn ASL and those who do not is acceptance of the child's deafness, which then motivates parents to overcome barriers and learn ASL. However, societal, medical, and personal factors all play roles in this complex decision-making process. (Dutra, 2020)

Common factors that influence why some parents of Deaf children learn ASL while most do not:

1. Acceptance: Acceptance of the child's deafness appears to be a crucial factor. Parents who fully accept their child's deafness are more likely to embrace ASL as a communication method.

2. Early intervention: Parents who start learning ASL within the few six months of their child's diagnosis seem more likely to continue and succeed.

3. Exposure to Deaf adults and the Deaf community: Parents who have positive interactions with successful Deaf adults are more likely to see ASL as beneficial for their child's future.

4. Support systems: The availability of supportive individuals, mentors, and resources can greatly influence a parent's decision to learn ASL.

5. Medical advice: Some medical professionals may discourage the use of sign language, promoting spoken language or cochlear implants instead, which can influence parents' decisions.

6. Misconceptions: Many parents may believe that using sign language will hinder their child's ability to learn spoken language or to integrate into the hearing world.

7. Time and effort: Learning a new language is challenging and time-consuming, which can be a barrier for many parents.

8. Cultural and societal pressure: There may be pressure to "normalize" the child by focusing on spoken language and hearing technologies.

9. Lack of awareness: Some parents may not fully understand the importance of early language acquisition and the potential consequences of language deprivation.

10. Hope for medical solutions: Some parents may focus on medical interventions (like cochlear implants) in the hope of "fixing" their child's hearing, rather than adapting to deafness.

11. Personal resilience and determination: Parents who learn ASL often show high levels of perseverance and willingness to step out of their comfort zone.

12. Educational background: While not a determining factor, parents with experience in learning multiple languages seem to be more open to learning ASL.

References:
Dutra, Nathan J. (2020). "Including the Deaf Child at the Dinner Table: When and Why Hearing Parents Learn Sign Language
." California State University, Sacramento. Retrieved: 6/28/2024, URL: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Nathan-Dutra/publication/359849695_Including_the_Deaf_Child_at_the_Dinner_Table_When_and_Why_Hearing_Parents_Learn_Sign_Language/links/6254b39fcf60536e23564d4d/Including-the-Deaf-Child-at-the-Dinner-Table-When-and-Why-Hearing-Parents-Learn-Sign-Language.pdf

Pascale, R., Sternin, J., & Sternin, M. (2010). The Power of Positive Deviance: How Unlikely Innovators Solve the World's Toughest Problems. Harvard Business Press.

I met with Nate Dutra on Tuesday morning, March 26, 2019, for breakfast at at the "Rivers Edge Café" in Sacramento.
As an experienced educator of Deaf youth Nate had been concerned for many years regarding the problem of language deprivation and the role of parents.

Nate was considering formally studying why is it that the majority of parents of Deaf children do not become fluent in sign language? Together we explored the idea that it is often more effective to study what is working than try to figure out why something "isn't" working and that it would likely be more efficacious to study parents who actually did become fluent in ASL and find out what motivations and characteristics they shared -- rather than studying parents who didn't learn sign language.

I shared with Nate an analogous situation of a pair or researchers that helped a society figure out why babies from poorer neighborhoods were thriving while babies in more affluent neighborhoods were not. The solution wasn't to study the lives and habits of the parents whose babies were sick an malnourished but rather to study the behaviors and environment of the babies who were thriving and then try applying what works. It turned out that the families of children who were thriving were feeding their babies "dirty" rice or in other words rice that had mixed with left over fish bits and similar types of protein). Families that could afford plenty of "white" rice that was more pure and supposedly more desirable were actually feeding their children a diet that was less nutritious.

It was by studying what worked (not by studying what didn't work) that a solution was found.

The specific study to which I was referring had to do with work conducted by Dr. Jerry and Monique Sternin in Vietnam making use of the concept of "positive deviance." They worked with the Save the Children organization in the 1990s to address malnutrition in children. Instead of just focusing on the families with malnourished children, they studied the behaviors of families whose children were thriving despite being in poor conditions. They discovered that these families were incorporating nutrient-rich foods like small shrimp and crabs from the rice paddies into their children's diets, along with sweet potato greens, which were often ignored by others. This approach led to significant improvements in child nutrition.

If the following link is still active, you can read about the research

https://web.archive.org/web/20160424021330/http://www.positivedeviance.org/about_pd/Monique%20VIET%20NAM%20CHAPTER%20Oct%2017.pdf

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It was an honor and a privilege to serve on Dr. Dutra's dissertation committee. If you are interested in this topic I encourage you to read the dissertation for additional information.

- Bill Vicars