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Deaf and Hard of Hearing Canada 
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Sign
systems are sometimes developed within a single family. For instance, when
hearing parents with no sign language skills have a deaf child, an informal
system of signs will naturally develop, unless repressed by the parents. The
term for these mini-languages is home sign (sometimes home sign or kitchen sign). Home
sign arises due to the absence of any other way to communicate. Within the span
of a single lifetime and without the support or feedback of a community, the
child is forced to invent signals to facilitate the meeting of his or her
communication needs. Although this kind of system is grossly inadequate for the
intellectual development of a child and it comes nowhere near meeting the
standards linguists use to describe a complete language, it is a common
occurrence. No type of Home Sign is recognized as an official language.
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