AustLit

'The word Deaf is misleading when it is used in a general term. Children who are born deaf, that is, pre-lingually deaf have a completely different problem to those who lose their hearing later in life. The pre-lingually deaf have never heard a spoken language and for them it is a lifelong struggle to make sense of their environment. However if hearing is lost after the establishment of language then the problem becomes one of a sound deficiency. The social emotional and intellectual consequences of the two groups are not the same and require different educational approaches.' For the purpose of this paper the pre-lingually deaf children will be discussed.'  (Introduction)