Early exposure and access to language facilitates healthy language acquisition, regardless of whether or not that language is native or non-native. in turn, strong language skills support the development of the child's cognitive skills, including executive functioning . Studies have shown that executive functioning skills are extremely important, as these are the skills that guide learning and behavior. Executive functioning skills are responsible for self-regulation, inhibition, emotional control, working memory, and planning and organization, which contribute to overall social, emotional and academic development for children. Early access to a language, whether signed or spoken, from birth supports the development of these cognitive skills and abilities in deaf and hard of hearing children, and supports their development in this area.

However, late exposure to language and delayed language acquisition can inhibit or significantly delay the cognitive development of deaf and hard of hearing children, and impact these skills. Late exposure to language can be defined as language deprivation (see Language deprivation in deaf and hard of hearing children). This experience is the result of a lack of exposure to natural human language, whether that be spoken or signed language, during the critical language period. According to World Health Organization, approximately 90% of deaf children are born to hearing parents; hearing parents that more often than not, and through no fault of their own, are not prepared to provide an accessible language to their children, therefore, some degree of language deprivation occurs in these children. Language Deprivation has been found to impair deaf children’s cognitive development, specifically their executive functioning skills and working memory skills, causing deficits in critical executive functioning skills and overall cognitive development. It is not deafness that causes these deficits, but delayed language acquisition that influences the cognitive development and abilities of deaf people.

Having an acquired language means an individual has had full access to at least one spoken or signed language.Typically, if a person has had this full access to language and has been able to acquire it, the foundation for their social emotional development is present Being able to communicate  is critical for those still developing their social skills. There is also evidence to suggest that language acquisition can play a critical role in developing Theory of Mind. For children who have not had this access or have not yet fully acquired a language, social development can be stunted or hindered, which in turn can affect one’s emotional development as well.

The lack of socialization can significantly impact a child’s emotional well-being. A child’s first experience with social communication typically begins at home, but deaf and hard of hearing children in particular who are born to hearing parents tend to struggle with this interaction, due to the fact that they are a “minority in their own family". Parents who have a deaf child typically do not know a signed language, the logistical problem becomes how to give that child exposure to language that the child can access. Without a method of communication between the child and parents, facilitating their child’s social skill development at home is more difficult.  By the time these children enter school, they can be behind in this area of development. All of this can lead to struggles with age appropriate emotional development. It will be hard on a child who was not given a language early in life to try and express their emotions appropriately. The problem is not caused by deafness, it is caused by lack of communication that occurs when there is a lack of language access from birth. There is evidence to suggest that language acquisition is a predictor of how a child’s ability to develop theory of mind ^[1]. Theory of mind can be an indicator of social and cognitive development. Without language acquisition, deaf children can become behind in theory of mind and the skills that coincide, which can lead to further social and emotional delays.

Second language acquisition is also highly affected by early language exposure. More exposure in an accessible language leads to better performance in the second language upon entering school. Providing deaf and hard of hearing children with the most fluent language exposure possible from the earliest age possible promotes both first and second language acquisition. This means giving students the opportunity to develop language at home and in social environments early on supports the child's language acquisition in American Sign Language as well as printed English. There is extensive research regarding the correlation between proficiency in ASL and proficiency in English literacy skills. Deaf students who use ASL as their primary language tend to have higher English reading and writing scores when they also have a higher proficiency in ASL. There is also research to support that the development of a second language also improves proficiency in the student's first language

According to Hrastinski & Wilbur (2016), American Sign Language proficiency is the single most contributing factor to the academic achievement of Deaf students who attend schools that teach with American Sign Language, particularly in the areas of reading literacy and math. Deaf and hard of hearing children who have higher levels of American Sign Language proficiency and those who have higher proficiency in a second language (e.g., English) are those who were exposed to American Sign Language during the critical period of language.