Editor's introduction

Gaustad's research focuses on the special case of a pair of twins of deaf parents, one of whom is hearing, the other deaf. This is a particularly interesting scenario, with considerable theoretical importance, since the study of fraternal deaf-hearing twins provides a natural laboratory in which to consider questions of the role of modality versus handicap in the acquisition of language. Gaustad was interested in the effects of hearing status on the pragmatic effects of communication, communication mode, and language functions. She studied the twins as they interacted with each other and with deaf and hearing adults. Gaustad found that the hearing twin received more input than the deaf twin, that the parents code-switched to accommodate to the hearing status of the children, and that hearing status did not seem to affect the children's functional use of language. Furthermore, the children's output modality matched that of the parents quite consistently. This sensitivity to mode and hearing status of the interlocutor observed in both children and adults provides further evidence of the importance of deaf teachers in schools, both as sources of input and as role models for the children.

By adulthood, most deaf persons have attained some skills in both English and American Sign Language (ASL). Although English is required for literacy in a hearing society, sign language is the social and cultural bond within the Deaf community.