Final answer:
Any infant can benefit from learning sign language, as they are naturally inclined to communication and language learning from an early age. Teaching sign language to babies can provide cognitive advantages, regardless of hearing ability or family background in deaf culture.
Step-by-step explanation:
Teaching sign language is appropriate for any infants, not just for those with hearing impairments, those whose first language is not English, or those of deaf parents. Research indicates that infants are ready to learn language from birth and can distinguish between different languages. Additionally, exposing babies to sign language alongside spoken language can lead to deeper cognitive reinforcement and a greater chance of recall. This is supported by studies showing that infants raised in environments with sign language begin to 'babble' using their hands, suggesting that they are processing and attempting to mimic sign language similarly to how hearing children babble with sounds.
Decisions regarding whether a deaf child should attend mainstream schools or schools for deaf children, where they might learn American Sign Language (ASL) and be exposed to deaf culture, can vary greatly. Such decisions are often influenced by multiple factors, including the presence of deafness within the family. When it comes to language acquisition, children show an ability to communicate through gestures well before they can speak, indicating the natural predisposition to use visual forms of communication, such as sign language.