Recently, it has been argued that American Sign Language (ASL) should be the first language of some deaf children and that English should be taught as a second language. This article supports that argument on both philosophical and empirical grounds. Philosophical support stems from viewing deafness as a cultural difference rather than as a medical disability. Empirical evidence demonstrates that (a) ASL is a natural language, (b) deaf children acquire ASL in a normal and predictable manner when exposure occurs at an early age, and (c) deaf children who acquire ASL at an early age may outperform other deaf children on all measures of academic achievement. Based on the empirical evidence presented, implications for educational practice are provided.
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