Ilona, 10, is the only hearing member of her Deaf family in Namur and grew up signing before she spoke

TF1's 1 PM news met Ilona, a 10-year-old CODA (child of Deaf adults) in Namur, Belgium, whose grandparents, parents and four siblings are all Deaf. She used only sign language until age two and a half, then learned to speak at a school for Deaf and hard of hearing pupils. Her mother Sandrine, signing in the report, explains that Ilona often speaks for the family with shopkeepers, and recalls only realizing around six months that her daughter could hear.