The Plight of Language Deprivation in Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children Born to Hearing Parents: A Call to Action

Abstract Deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children who experience language deprivation face heightened risk for long-term cognitive, social, and emotional harm. These outcomes are not due to parental unpreparedness but arise from entrenched social biases and professional practices that that frame deafness itself as a problem to be corrected rather than prioritizing early access to a fully accessible natural language. A natural signed language, American Sign Language (ASL), a visual language with its own grammar and syntax, provides full linguistic access for DHH children and supports healthy development across domains. This paper calls on deaf-aware social workers to challenge outdated models, advocate alongside families, and collaborate with medical professionals and policymakers to ensure culturally appropriate, rights-based interventions. Centering full language access from infancy is essential to preventing language deprivation and safeguarding the developmental, relational, and human rights of DHH children.