It has always been said âLike father, like sonâ.
Nowadays we know that genetics play an important role in this affirmation, because our chromosomeâs information gets passed on from generation to generation. However, this repetition is not exact, and with the passing of time qualities are gained or lost. The average teenager nowadays is taller than his/her parents, and the same occurred with their parents a few decades ago. Nature is picky and tends to decide which characteristics get passed on and which donât. For example: Deafness.
Itâs absolutely false that from two deaf parents a deaf offspring will be born; the combinations are infinite:
Hearing father, deaf mother: Deaf son, hearing daughter.
Deaf father, deaf mother: Hearing daughter, deaf son.
Deaf father, hearing mother:âŠâŠ
As a matter of fact, most deaf people have hearing parents. There we can see the importance of developing means of communication different from oral language that encourage communication in the family.
Generally, there are two ways to face a sonâs/ daughterâs deafness. The âspeakingâ position maintains that the child needs to learn how to vocalize and read lips as soon as possible. However, this wonât occur until the child reaches his/her teens, given the amount of effort and dedication the child has to put into it. Â Another perspective, the linguistic one, fights for the use of Sign language to communicate. However, this implies a great effort from the parents, who must learn a second language in order to teach it to their child. The question being, who should carry the load of the disability?
