Attachment Behavior of Deaf Children with Deaf Parents

Seventeen deaf children, all of whom have two deaf parents, were videotaped. Analyses of their behaviors indicated that they are comparable to children with normal hearing who have participated in research projects in the past. They are neither precocious nor are they delayed in their development of secure attachment to and independence from primary caregivers. Thus, children younger than age 3 were unwilling to consent to the parent's departure from the room and were distressed by the separation. Most of the children between ages 3 and 5 reached agreement about the plan for separation; only 1 showed distress while alone, and all were sociable upon reunion. Findings are compared with those of previous studies, and suggestions made for explanations of differences which emphasize the importance of the sociolinguistic environment for optimal development of deaf children.