Cued Speech is a visual system that uses handshapes and hand positions near the face to make the sounds of spoken English visible. It is not a language. It is a tool that removes the ambiguity of lipreading by clarifying which specific sound is being produced.

Many sounds look identical on the lips. The sounds "p," "b," and "m" are a familiar example: all three look the same on the mouth but are distinguished by different hand cues. A child who uses Cued Speech receives both the lip movement and the cue, which together make spoken English fully visible.

Cued Speech was developed in 1966 by R. Orin Cornett at Gallaudet University. Systems adapted from the original have been developed for languages other than English.

A child who uses Cued Speech has a cueing transliterator (a trained professional who cues the spoken English of the classroom) or family members who have learned to cue. The child reads spoken English through the combined information of lip movement and hand cue.

Cued Speech is used alongside amplification for children with residual hearing. For children without usable residual hearing, it makes spoken English fully accessible visually.

Learning to cue is a manageable skill. Most adults can learn the basic system in 20 to 30 hours of practice. Fluency at conversational speed takes longer. Finding trained cueing transliterators for school settings is the greater challenge, and availability varies considerably by region.

Family members need to learn the cueing system. Many parents find the basics accessible within a few weeks. Maintaining fluency at speed, across everyday conversation, takes ongoing practice.

Schools need qualified Cued Speech transliterators, who are trained professionals distinct from sign language interpreters. Transliterators are not interchangeable. Availability is limited in many areas, and families frequently need to advocate explicitly for this service. It may not exist in your district and may require an out-of-district placement or contracted provider.

The strongest area of evidence for Cued Speech involves English literacy development. Research has found that children who use Cued Speech can develop phonological awareness (an understanding of the sound structure of English), and that this supports English reading and spelling (Leybaert, 2000, Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 75(4), 291–318).

Cued Speech does not provide independent communication access the way a full language does. A child who relies on Cued Speech cannot communicate with someone who is not cueing. In environments without a transliterator, the child is back to lipreading and listening, which has real limits depending on the situation and the degree of hearing loss.

Strength of evidence: moderate for phonological awareness and English literacy outcomes; limited for broader communication access outside cueing-familiar settings.

“Can my child use Cued Speech to communicate with anyone: teachers, relatives, classmates?”

Only with people who are cueing or speaking clearly enough to lipread without cues. Cued Speech makes English visible for the child receiving it, but the person on the other end still needs to cue for the system to work as intended. In most settings without cueing support (most social situations, most classrooms without a transliterator), a child who uses Cued Speech alone relies on lipreading and listening. This is worth factoring into decisions about daily communication access across your child’s whole day, not just during transliterated instruction.

A school that supports Cued Speech in principle but cannot locate or fund a qualified transliterator. Ask who specifically will be providing cueing, what their training is, and how many hours per day your child will have cueing support.

Presenting Cued Speech as equivalent to a full visual language in terms of independent communication access. It is not. Ask directly: how will my child communicate in settings without a transliterator?

No plan for monitoring how much language access your child is getting in cueing versus non-cueing environments. Gaps in access accumulate.

Ask schools: Do you have a qualified Cued Speech transliterator on staff or contracted? What is their training and certification? How many hours per day will my child have transliterating support?

• Communication approaches: overview
• Monitoring language and academic progress
• Language access: what it means for Deaf children
• Language testing: what it covers and why it matters

This page provides general information, not legal or medical advice. Verify your state’s specific rules and programs, and consult a qualified professional for guidance specific to your child.