In a style both positive and pragmatic, authors Stewart and Luetke-Stahlman employ commonsense reasoning to establish the importance of teaching deaf children language fundamentals as early as possible. This essential book for parents continues by explaining why the visual-gestural nature of signing is generally the best language mode for deaf children. The Signing Family shows parents how to create a set of goals for signing centered around the needs of their deaf child. Individual chapters follow that describe in even-handed terms the major signing options available: American Sign Language, Signed English, Signing Exact English, and Contact Sign. Armed with the thorough information supplied by The Signing Family, parents can determine how each type of signing maps onto their goals for themselves and their child, both within the family and in the educational system.