How does early exposure to sign language influence literacy outcomes for Deaf students?

How does early exposure to sign language influence literacy outcomes for Deaf students?

• A. It delays literacy compared to oral-only approaches.
• B. It supports language development and literacy acquisition, reducing delays.
• C. It has no impact on literacy.
• D. It prevents use of spoken language entirely.

Answer: (B)

Early exposure to sign language gives Deaf learners a full and accessible language foundation from the start. When children have a robust first language, they naturally develop vocabulary, grammar, and the mental language structures needed to understand and express ideas. That linguistic base supports reading and writing because literacy relies on knowing words, understanding how sentences fit together, and being able to think about language at a level that makes decoding, comprehension, and written expression possible. Early access to sign language also helps prevent delays in literacy that often occur when language input is delayed or inaccessible, and it can serve as a bridge to literacy in a written language when education supports both sign and written forms. Importantly, this does not block spoken language; many Deaf students develop skills in sign, spoken, and written English, using sign language as a stepping stone rather than a barrier. The idea that sign language would cause delays, have no impact, or prevent spoken language conflicts with what we see in practice and research on language development and literacy in bilingual-bimodal learning environments.

Early exposure to sign language gives Deaf learners a full and accessible language foundation from the start. When children have a robust first language, they naturally develop vocabulary, grammar, and the mental language structures needed to understand and express ideas. That linguistic base supports reading and writing because literacy relies on knowing words, understanding how sentences fit together, and being able to think about language at a level that makes decoding, comprehension, and written expression possible. Early access to sign language also helps prevent delays in literacy that often occur when language input is delayed or inaccessible, and it can serve as a bridge to literacy in a written language when education supports both sign and written forms. Importantly, this does not block spoken language; many Deaf students develop skills in sign, spoken, and written English, using sign language as a stepping stone rather than a barrier. The idea that sign language would cause delays, have no impact, or prevent spoken language conflicts with what we see in practice and research on language development and literacy in bilingual-bimodal learning environments.