This book discusses the development of children who are deaf or hard of hearing and the educational and practical issues that face them and their families. Chapters discuss: (1) the effect of a child with deafness on a family, and family adjustment to early childhood hearing loss; (2) the population of people who are deaf, the causes of early hearing loss, early identification of hearing losses, and technology assistance; (3) sign language, artificial speech and sign systems, and speech training and speech assessment; (4) the effects of hearing losses on early social relationships; (5) language learning in young children who are deaf; (6) legal issues confronting the education of children with deafness, educational program alternatives, academic support services, and educational and psychological implications of alternative school placements; (7) literacy development of children with deafness; (8) the relationship between language and thinking, and evidence concerning verbal and nonverbal creativity of children with deafness; and (9) personality and emotional growth during the school years, influences of siblings, and mental health issues. Information sources and organizations serving children with deafness are provided, along with illustrations of everyday signs. (Contains 72 references.) (CR)