Examining signed language challenges of early- and late-exposed deaf children

Many deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children who are exposed to a signed language acquire their language with seemingly little effort and communicate effectively with other signers. However, some children struggle with aspects of comprehension or production, and their communication with other signers is hindered. An online survey was used to gather estimates from professionals who work with signing DHH children about aspects of signed language comprehension and production that tend to be challenging for DHH children who are exposed to a signed language early and regularly throughout childhood (early/regular group) and DHH children who do not have early and regular exposure to a signed language (delayed/limited group). Estimates from 55 professionals revealed differences in the prevalence of language challenges across groups, with children in the delayed/limited exposure group reported to experience significantly more challenges than the early/regular exposure group, across all features of language examined. Focused analyses of specific features reveal that some aspects of language are more difficult than others.