Despite his isolation, Curt was not alone as a deaf elementary student. She also taught him a few signs, which she learned out of a book. The fact that he was deaf did not affect his development as much as the way he was treated because of it, he said. The scene is a far cry from the complex linguistic setting in which most children, including Craig, learn a first language. Linguists, like Victoria Fromkin and Robert Rodman in An Introduction to Language , say deaf children, immersed in deaf culture and ASL, show the same patterns of development as those of hearing children.
Language acquisition is a series of steps brought about by exposure and experimentation, they say.
Eventually the babbling, reinforced by delighted parents, becomes coherent. But for Curt, all conversations with his parents were controlled. Even close relatives treated him as if he were helpless. The bowl was then plopped next to his plate unceremoniously. Grandpa wasn't the only one whose contact with Curt became forced because of his condition.