How Bilingualism Contributes to Healthy Development in Deaf Children: A Public Health Perspective

The aim of this article is to increase awareness of language practices in the deaf community that affect communication needs and health outcomes, focusing particularly on the prevalence of bilingualism among deaf adults. Language deprivation and poor health outcomes in the deaf population are risks that cannot be addressed solely by hearing intervention. We propose that bilingualism acts as a protective measure to minimize the health risks faced by deaf individuals. Provision of culturally and linguistically appropriate services to deaf stakeholders, and particularly hearing families of deaf children, requires familiarity with the developmental and social ramifications of bilingualism.