title: Hearing parents and deaf children. Some perspectives on sign communication and service delivery.
abstract: The results of a survey of hearing parents' perceptions of their use of sign communication with their deaf children are reported. Survey questions addressed parental understanding and motivation in choosing a particular system of sign communication, input from professionals and deaf adults that was found to be most and least helpful, and parental assessment of their service needs. The results of the survey highlight the need for family focused services throughout the deaf child's development, and the discussion includes specific comments made by parents.
authors.affiliation: Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ritter-Brinton
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Stewart
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003638:Deafness; D006801:Humans; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D012813:Sign Language; D012947:Social Work