Focus Group Discussion (FGD) in adopting Malaysian Sign Language (MySL) as a Third Language among Typical Children and Adolescents

Children with early-onset, severe to profound deafness are more vulnerable to mental health problems than their hearing peers. Communication deprivation is a key risk factor in developmental delays. The key element of the Introduction to MySL pro forma is to create awareness and assess the willingness to adopt a new language among hearing individuals prior to embarking on inclusive education. The objectives of this paper are to explore youths and adolescents' prior experience and attitudes communicating with persons with hearing difficulties (PWHD), MySL lesson expectations, and adolescents' experience of the MySL pro forma and their attitudes towards communicating with PWHD.