The object aimed at is to lead the child to interpret natural, everyday speech, and such facial contortions and exaggerations cut him off from practice in reading natural speech.  This point cannot be too strongly emphasized.  Speak naturally and normally always to the deaf child.

Above all, the mother should form the habit of watching his eyes and of speaking as often as possible when his gaze is fixed upon her face.  The habit on his part of looking at the face of a speaker, and the habit on his mother’s part of observing his gaze and, when it wanders, of pausing in her talk till he is looking at her again, are two very valuable aids in the language development of the deaf child.  In addition to always raising her voice a little in speaking to her baby, the mother should several times a day take him in her lap and sing to him, and talk to him with her lips not far from his ear.  Talk to him just as all mothers do to their babies (but not with the mangled and distorted words called “baby talk"), about the pussy, the dog, the bird, his foot, his toes, his arms and hands and fingers; about his papa, brothers, sisters; about the flowers, the grass, the trees, and a thousand other things.  Say the good old Mother Goose rhymes of “Patty Cake, Patty Cake, Baker’s Man,” “This little pig went to market,” etc., etc.  But in all your frolics and stories and songs, take the greatest care that he shall hear or see, or better still, both see and hear, what you are saying.  Gradually he can be taught to understand many simple commands and questions just as hearing babies learn them, by constant repetition at times and under circumstances when the meaning is obvious.  Such as “come,” “go,” “go to papa,” “come to mamma,” “jump,” “stop,” “kiss mother,” “pet pussy,” “pick up,” “put down,” “milk,” “water,” “bread” (the later in life that he learns the meaning and taste of “candy” the better), “do you want some bread?” “milk,” “water,” etc.  “Bring my slippers,” “bring my shoes,” “put on your hat,” “take off your mittens,” “wash your hands,” etc., etc., throughout the whole day.

Very early the mother should learn to consider the direction from which the light comes, and should be careful to take her position facing the main source of light which should come from behind the child.  The eye can be trained from the very beginning of attention to unconsciously supplement an imperfect ear in comprehending spoken words.  It is even possible for the eye to perform the entire task of interpreting speech, and, if the hearing is entirely lacking, the course outlined will result in training the brain to interpret the movements of speech as seen by the eye, as it would have been trained by the same procedure to interpret the sounds of speech had the organ of transmission not been injured.  But the idea must be constantly in the mind of the mother that her boy needs to see the spoken word at the very moment when the idea that it represents is in his mind, AS OFTEN as he would hear it if his hearing were perfect.