Language in the First Year

Even before babies sign or speak, their brains are building the foundation for language. Every shared look, every touch, every smile, every signed or spoken word is shaping pathways in the brain that support language, thinking, emotional regulation, and connection.

It begins with relationship. In the first few years of life, your baby’s brain is especially ready for language. Millions of neural connections are forming every second (Harvard University, 2013). When communication is consistent and accessible, those pathways grow stronger. The first year in particular is when babies’ brains focus on the phonemes of their language, map words, and find syntactic patterns (Friedmann & Rusou, 2015; Levine et al., 2016).

This is not about doing everything perfectly. It is about providing access. For Deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) babies, access matters deeply. Language should not have to wait for perfect listening skills, perfect equipment, or perfect decisions. Babies thrive when communication is clear, responsive, and available to them every day. Visual language, spoken language, touch, facial expression, shared attention — all of these experiences help build your baby’s brain.

You do not need to be fluent today.
You do not need to decide everything this month.
You just need to begin.

Remember, language grows through connection, not perfection.

Click on your child’s age to learn more about their development that month.

0-1 month
1-2 months
2-3 months
3-4 months
4-5 months
5-6 months
6-7 months
7-8 months
8-9 months
9-10 months
10-11 months
11-12 months

References

  • Braem, P. B. (1990). Acquisition of the Handshape in American Sign Language: A Preliminary Analysis. In: V. Volterra & C. J. Erting (Eds.), From Gesture to Language in Hearing and Deaf Children, (pp 107-127). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-74859-2_10

  • Caselli, N., Pyers, J., & Lieberman, A. M. (2021). Deaf children of hearing parents have age-level vocabulary growth when exposed to American Sign Language by 6 months of age. The Journal of Pediatrics, 232.

  • Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University. (2007). The Science of Early Childhood Development (InBrief). Retrieved from www.developingchild.harvard.edu

  • Embree, J. A., Kinzeler, N. R., Fraker, S., Castle, S., & Wilson, J. F. (2017). Age of language acquisition and prevalence of suicidal behavior in a deaf population with co-occurring substance use disorder. JADARA, 51(3), 1-24.

  • Fellinger, J., Holzinger, D., Sattel, H., Laucht, M., & Goldberg, D. (2009). Correlates of mental health disorders among children with hearing impairments. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology, 51(8), 635-641.

  • Friedmann, N., & Rusou, D. (2015). Critical period for first language: The crucial role of language input during the first year of life. Current opinion in neurobiology, 35, 27-34.

  • Glickman, N. S. (2019). Language deprivation syndrome. In N. S. Glickman & W. C. Hall (Eds.), Language deprivation and deaf mental health (pp. 47-53). Routledge.

  • Goldin-Meadow S. (2015). Gesture as a window onto communicative abilities: Implications for diagnosis and intervention. Perspectives on language learning and education, 22(2), 50–60. https://doi.org/10.1044/lle22.2.50

  • Hindley, P. A. (2005). Mental health problems in deaf children. Current Paediatrics, 15, 114-119.

  • Kushalnagar, P., Topolski, T. D., Schick, B., Edwards, T. C., Skalicky, A. M., & Patrick, D. L. (2011). Mode of communication, perceived level of understanding, and perceived quality of life in youth who are deaf or hard of hearing. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, 16(4), 512-523.

  • Kushalnagar, P., Ryan, C., Paludnevicience, R., Spellun, A., & Gulati, S. (2020). Adverse childhood communication experiences associated with an increased risk of chronic diseases in adults who are deaf. American Journal of Preventative Medicine, 59(4), 548-554.

  • Kvam, M. H., Loeb, M., & Tambs, K. (2007). Mental health in deaf adults: symptoms of anxiety and depression among hearing and deaf individuals. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, 12(1), 1-7.

  • Lederberg, A. R., Branum-Martin, L., Webb, M., Schick, B., Antia, S., Easterbrooks, S. R., & Connor, C. M. (2019). Modality and interrelations among language, reading, spoken phonological awareness, and fingerspelling. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education,24(4).

  • Levine, D., Strother-Garcia, K., Golinkoff, R. M., & Hirsh-Pasek, K. (2016). Language development in the first year of life: What deaf children might be missing before cochlear implantation. Otology & Neurotology, 37(2), e56-e62.

  • Ocuto, O. L. (2024). Understanding deaf children and their home language environments. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, 29, 434-435.

  • Simms, L., Baker, S., & Clark, M. D. (2013). The standardized visual communication and sign language checklist for signing children. Sign Language Studies, 14(1), 101-124.

  • Wilkinson, E., & Morford, J. P. (2020). How bilingualism contributes to healthy development in deaf children: A public health perspective. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 24(11), 1330-1338.