You are forgetting one thing, though, Jillio - my parents were not doing anything right when it comes to addressing my needs as deaf, Deaf,
HoH or whatever my hearing impairment required in terms of me as a DEAF person.
Apart from making sure everybody was notified in advance I am hearing impaired, taking me to the doctors to save whatever hearing I have left, even paying thru the nose for ear surgery which most dr insisted won't save my hearing let alone help it (indeed it didn't)
and at the age of 12 supplying me with my first HAs,
they decided from the start I will be raised as a hearing person.
I was fully immersed in a hearing world. Period.
I developed my deaf identity on my own. Also period.
If I was able to develop a deaf identity on my own in such opposite environment, and was always pulled toward other HoH and deaf persons
(I had deaf signing older brother)
chances are, a young child CAN instinctively have a sense of belonging
to a specific certain group even if such young child doesn't fully understand what it all exactly involves.
OK, maybe saying a 5 years old feel "culturally deaf" is a stretch but I think
it safe to say they have a strong SENSE of
belonging to culturally Deaf -
how about that?
Lat but not least -j ust because something is declared measurable, it doesn't mean it is always
100%, ultimately, absolutely right.
But if you want to be such a a stickler for the rules, be me guest
Fuzzy