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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal – Vol. 11, No. 8

Publication Date: August 25, 2024

DOI:10.14738/assrj.118.17421.

Musyoka, M. M., & Anderson, S. (2024). Deaf Parents Supporting Hearing Children Language and Literacy Development: A Narrative

Retrospective Study. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 11(8). 204-221.

Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom

Deaf Parents Supporting Hearing Children Language and Literacy

Development: A Narrative Retrospective Study

Millicent M. Musyoka

Department of Deaf Studies & Deaf Education at Lamar University

Sarah Anderson

Department of Deaf Studies & Deaf Education at Lamar University

ABSTRACT

For most children, home is their first school, and their mother is the first teacher.

The current research study, focusing on hearing Children of Deaf Adults (CODA),

explored how Deaf parents support their hearing children's language and literacy

development and how hearing children of Deaf parents experience language and

literacy development within a sign language home environment. The research

employed qualitative narrative research to collect data from Deaf parents and

hearing children of Deaf parents. The study involved four whites (three female and

one male) and two female African Americans ages 22-45. All the participants were

from the Southern United States. The data was analyzed using a thematic analysis.

Keywords: Deaf parents, CODA, Language development, Literacy development, Family.

INTRODUCTION

Although the research in Deaf education has tended to focus on Deaf children with hearing

parents or with Deaf parents, there is limited research on hearing children with Deaf parents;

The term CODA refers to Children of Deaf Adults and is used to refer to explicitly hearing

children (Bishop & Hicks, 2005; Mand et al., 2009). The limited research on CODA shows that

Deaf parents may use American Sign Language as their primary language, while their hearing

children are typically exposed to English in school and other social settings (Mallory et al., 1992;

Moroe & de Andrade, 2018). With early exposure to two languages simultaneously because of

exposure to American Sign Language from an early age, it is expected that CODA may have the

advantage of developing strong language skills, making them grow up to become bimodal and

bilingual (Singleton & Tittle, 2000). Also, research reports a few isolated cases where CODA

experienced spoken language delays (Singleton & Tittle, 2000). All the same, their early ASL

and English bilingual skills open opportunities for communication and socialization within the

Deaf communities and for them to become language brokers interpreting for their Deaf parents

at an early age (Buchino, 1993; Moroe & de Andrade, 2018).

Despite the advantages of growing up in a bilingual environment, there is no research on

CODA's experience regarding language and literacy and if they face any distinctive challenges

related to language and literacy due to language differences between them and their Deaf

parents. Also, continuing research indicates that most Deaf graduate high school with fourth- grade level reading skills (Cawthon, 2004; Traxler, 2000), which could pose challenges in

supporting their children's literacy skills resulting from delayed reading and writing.

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Musyoka, M. M., & Anderson, S. (2024). Deaf Parents Supporting Hearing Children Language and Literacy Development: A Narrative Retrospective

Study. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 11(8). 204-221.

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/assrj.118.17421

Additionally, in mainstream educational settings, since CODAs do not receive special education

services, many educators need to recognize the impact of being a CODA, which may impact their

language and literacy development consequently impacting their academic performance.

Hence, understanding the experiences of language and literacy development of CODA could

assist in identifying strategies that Deaf parents and teachers in the mainstream could use to

support CODAs language and literacy skill.

On the other hand, Deaf parents could face challenges in reading and writing in English since it

is their second language, impacting their hearing children. Also, difficulties may arise for the

Deaf parent to support their hearing children in literacy, especially if the hearing child is an

auditory learner. Because this is an uncharted area of inquiry, the current study examines the

experiences of both Deaf parents and CODAs on early language and literacy skills in a home

environment where ASL is the primary language.

Deaf Parents with Hearing Children

Existing literature indicates that most Deaf parents have hearing children because only 10% of

Deaf children have at least one Deaf parent (Caselli et al., 2021; Geeslin, 2007). Although this is

the case, there is limited research on the experiences of most Deaf parents, in this case, 90-95

% who have hearing children. Language and culture have impact on literacy development. Deaf

parents, as members of the Deaf community, have a distinct language and culture passed from

one generation to the next through home interactions and in schools for the Deaf (Leigh et al.,

2020; Humphries et al., 2012). The unique language and culture of the Deaf community have

resulted in Deaf individuals being considered a linguistic minority language in society and in

education as bilingual learners who use sign language and a spoken language. Although this is

the case, there is limited research on the experiences of these Deaf parents and their hearing

children, who, in this case, 90-95 % have hearing children.

Generally, language and communication are critical issues among Deaf individuals. There is

extensive research on language and communication issues experienced by Deaf individuals

(Moores, 2012; Pizzo & Chilvers, 2019; Scott & Dostal, 2019); hence, it is expected that deaf

parents will encounter similar challenges whether they have deaf or hearing children. A review

of the literature shows some Deaf parents raising hearing children use their children to

navigate communication challenges in the dominant hearing community, an experience

reported as one that could impact their hearing children's childhood experience (Banda &

Nakstad, 2021; Gee et al., 2022; Moroe & de Andrade, 2018; Singleton & Tittle, 2000; Zaborniak- Sobczak & Perenc, 2017). Although there is research on child language brokering (CLB), a form

of interpreting done by children for their immigrant families, and how it affects them and their

families, the same is lacking for Deaf families with hearing children (Napier, 2021).

Despite the language and communication challenges Deaf parents experience, a recent study by

Klimentová and Dočekal (2020) examined the experiences of Deaf parents raising hearing

children and reported that Deaf parents do not perceive their parenthood as arduous or

complex. According to the parents interviewed in the study, they have accepted their sensory

disability and its consequences, employing social tools to overcome the challenges associated

with deaf parenting. One of the issues addressed in Klimentová and Dočekal (2020) study is the

impact of parents' school segregation, mainly through attendance at weekly boarding schools.

Many Deaf children who later become Deaf parents experience separation from their families