The deaf child must switch over during his development from a quite different and poorer gesture language to verbal language. He masters verbal language along the abnormal visual and kinaesthetic channels and at a later age than the normal child. The resultant mainly visual approach to verbal language influences his use of phonemes, ties the child to the concrete, but most of all hinders the use of syntax.
Some linguistic, educational and didactic problems are mentioned and the serious complications in multiply handicapped children are alluded to.
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