Any advice on meeting a deaf child for the first time?

I'm just posting to bump this question up in the line. There are a few people here at a2k who will be able to help you if they see the question.

Hi there Agent of Change,

So the girl is now one year old?

A lot of what you can do is just the same as you would for a hearing baby -- smiling, peek-a-boo, making faces, getting into mimicking games.

You can even go ahead and say "coochy coo" and such, as even if she doesn't understand the words, forming them makes entertaining faces.

I can always tell a deaf baby by his/ her eyes -- always seeking out faces and lingering on them in an aware way that is much more intense than hearing babies. Deaf babies LOVE faces.

I know very little BSL (British Sign Language, right?) so I have limited advice on specific signs to use (I am Deaf, and fluent in ASL/ American Sign Language, which is very different from BSL). But with a one-year-old, I think you'll find that you don't have to do anything too differently from what you're used to with hearing babies, and you can probably pick up some appropriate signs from the parents.

Have fun!

Smiles work wonders.

A grown man down on his hands and knees playing horsie has great appeal.

Do you have a prominent Adam's Apple? Take deep breaths, hum with resonance and let her feel the vibrations.

Thank you all for the advice. There is much there that I didn't know about handling hearing kids, never mind deaf kids!

My trip is scheduled for a month's time, so I'll let you know how it went.

Thanks again.

Have fun!

I didn't answer one specific question you had, about how to get her attention. You'll probably find she's very aware of you and where you are, but if not, you can tap her lightly on the shoulder (if nearby), or if you're across the table, say, you can wave your hand around a bit (she'll likely look up to see what the fuss is about -- deaf babies are more attuned to movement than hearing babies). The American Deaf handwave is to extend your arm, palm down, and move your hand up and down. We all do that in my house, even though I'm the only one who's deaf, and my daughter (age 5) still hasn't quite figured out the hearing ways of getting attention -- clearing throat, starting to say something when there's a break in the flow of conversation, etc. She'll frequently be waving at hearing people who don't notice her at all.