In what ways is development of deaf and hard-of-hearing babies and toddlers like that of those with typical hearing? What specific challenges are likely to be faced by child and parent - and when are they most likely to occur? What modifications in parenting and caregiver interaction can help or avoid these challenges? A strong, supportive foundation for optimal learning is achieved from early, positive, and responsive experiences. With Nurturing Language and Learning, Patricia Elizabeth Spencer and Lynne Sanford Koester provide the expert information and guidelines needed for professionals and parents in order to build that critical foundation.

Patricia Elizabeth Spencer has been a teacher, assessment specialist, and educational advocate for deaf and hard-of-hearing students (including those with multiple learning challenges) across the age range of infancy through post-graduate levels. Her work at the Gallaudet Research Institute focused on early interaction, play, and language development. She has worked internationally as a researcher and educational consultant and has written extensively on issues related to development and education of deaf and hard-of-hearing children. Lynne Sanford Koester retired after 25 years of teaching developmental psychology at the University of Montana and at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. She has also worked in Ethiopia, Austria, and Germany, and is the former Director of the Intercultural Youth and Family Development graduate program at her university. Her research has focused primarily on infant development within the family context - parenting behaviors and cultural influences, early parent-child interactions, and intuitive parenting.

Dedication Preface Chapter 1: Great Expectations: An Introduction Chapter 2: What Can My Baby Hear? Chapter 3: Welcome to the World: The Prenatal Period to 3 Months Chapter 4: Early Parenting Goals: Nurturing and Supporting Development in the First 3 Months Chapter 5: Why Is Early Learning So Important: 3 to 6 Months Chapter 6: Learning, Feeling, and Communicating: 3 to 6 Months Chapter 7: On the Move: 6 to 12 Months Chapter 8: Little Communicators: 6 to 12 Months Chapter 9: The Symbol Users: Representing, Remembering, Recreating: 12 to18 Months Chapter 10: Almost Two and Look What's New! 18 to 24 Months Chapter 11: Little Psychologists and Budding Linguists: From Two to Three Years Old Chapter 12: Where We Are...and Where We are Going References Resources and Websites for Parents and Professionals