Agreed! Visual processing is a STRENGH for virtually ALL dhh people. Certainly, AD/late deafened folks aren't as visually attuned to the world, as well as those who have always been dhh......but still.......older people can and do adapt. Have you heard about Auditory-Verbal? OMG........talk about a philosophy that is really hardcore "trying to make deaf and hoh kids exactly like hearing people"........UGH! They even employ a "cue" that prevents speechreading?!?!? Like auditory verbal therapy isn't that bad, and there are some good points to that philosophy, but overall it can be very extremely hearing chaunavistic.I have yet to meet an hh kid or adult that does not use visual cues to some extent to matter how oral they are. Even those who are AD and use HA will rely on visual cues.
sr171soars, I've heard variations of "oh if we give them a full toolbox, most kids will gravitate to the easier tool to use", for ages. But I think that's extremely silly. The deabte nowadays is about which language should be a dhh kid's FIRST language.
Besides, it's exactly like the English As a Second Language debate. Some kids become very fluent in English, others have significent difficulties with it. Research has indicated that ASL users aren't suffering from LD style processing issues. They simply approach English as a second language.
Besides, the majority of "oral" deaf kids STILL have significent reading and expressive writing problems, even thou most of them aren't exposed to Sign!
I think the majority of dhh kids should get educational exposure to Sign......b/c it really can help with a STRENGH, that is visual processing!