Mothers of Deaf Children in the 21st Century. Dynamic Positioning Between the Medical and Cultural –Linguistic Discourses

This study investigated hearing mother's engagement with the educational options for their child from a dynamic, poststructural perspective. Three Flemish mothers were interviewed in-depth at the child's ages of 6, 9, 12, 18, and 24 months. The data were analyzed within a theoretical model that describes the positioning process of the mothers. This method yielded alternative explanations for former findings concerning mothers’ decision-making processes, especially the difficulty of learning sign language as a second language in an effort to provide a bilingual–b icultural education, and highlighted the importance of having rich experiences. It further showed that a bilingual–bicultural position was scarcely available and poorly supported for these mothers. These findings are discussed in relation to recent international consensus statements on best practi ces in early intervention.
Source: Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education - Category: Audiology Source Type: research