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Sign Language Questions and
Answers What is American
Sign Language (ASL)?
American Sign Language is a visual-spatial language used
by the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing population. ASL is a true language in that it has its own grammar and syntax. We endorse the
use of ASL because it allows children to learn a hands-on second language - a language that would allow your child to
communicate with a Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing child in the future. Most public schools offer programs for children with special
needs including those who are Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing. Wouldn't it be great for your child to meet another child at school,
who may rely on ASL, and be able to communicate with him/her? More and more schools, daycare programs and preschools,
are learning about the benefits of ASL for children of all ability levels and are embracing this language and teaching it!
You will find our products in schools for this very reason.
How does sign language benefit my child?
Research shows using sign language with infants and toddlers~
- almost eliminates the "Terrible
Twos"
- reduces frustration
- enhances communication
- increases IQ scores
- increases vocabulary
skills
- enhances reading and spelling skills
Sign language taps into your child's ability to communicate
through use of fine motor skills. A child's fine motor skills develop well before a child develops speech - the ability
to produce and articulate words. By using sign language, children are able to communicate their needs and wants - milk, juice,
more, cracker, ball, please, dog, cat, etc.
Is there a difference between teaching a hearing child sign language and teaching a Deaf
or Hard-of-Hearing child to sign?
The answer is yes and no. I give two answers because the approach used
with a Deaf or Hard of Hearing child is a little bit different. However, developmentally deaf children with no additional
special needs, follow very much the same "typical" pattern of development prior to establishing
spoken language as their hearing peers. They begin smiling, cooing, making sounds, scooting, crawling and walking just
like hearing children. For this reason, in the past, deaf children often went undiagnosed for long periods of time
(about age 2) before a parent, caregiver or doctor would discover it. Now that we have hearing screenings (a hearing
test) mandated at most hospitals prior to the release of a newborn infant, parents are aware much sooner. These tests do have
false positive results for hearing loss due to debris and amiotic fluid still present in an infant's ears. However,
should this be the case, a re-test would be performed a few days later, and the child would pass if there truly was no
hearing loss present.
A Deaf child, does not hear or does not hear clearly the sounds in their environment.
They do not get the benefit of hearing everyday conversations around them, the radio in the car, conversational exchanges
on television, etc. Therefore, they require more explicit (one-on-one) teaching of objects and things in their environment.
While hearing children benefit greatly from one-to-one interaction, research shows this is important for all children. Hearing
children have the benefit of a language rich auditory environment. Hearing children have the benefit of hearing
conversational exchanges, words, sounds, pronunciations, etc. For a Deaf child, it is more of an "experience" approach
to learning. It is showing your deaf child the bird outside, and signing "bird". It is explicitly showing your child
the trees, grass, flowers, clouds, cars, etc., and providing the signs that represent these words. Creating an experience
book with your child is a great way to get your child learning about the objects and things in his/her enviroment. The experience
book provides your child with a tool for him/her to revisit, touch, and discuss those things in the book. For more on experience
books, visit our "Educational Tools" page.
Will using sign language with my child delay
his/her speech?
Having done a lot of research myself and having taught children with a variety of special
needs as well as Deaf and Hard of Hearing students, and while currently teaching my own children sign language, I have never
heard of or experienced first-hand any negative impact as a result of using sign language. Sign language simply gives children
the ability to express themselves and the ability to communicate well before their ability to speak develops. It is a
great way to foster language development while children are learning about the sounds and speech patterns in their environment.
It is a fun way of getting language jump started! The following are just a few suggestions for interacting with your
child using speech and simple signs:
Anytime you are signing with your child, it is important when signing
to speak as well. For example, your child picks up a "ball". You might say something like "ball,
yes I see you have a ball. Are you playing with the ball?" Every time you
say the word "ball," sign it as well. You will find children learn best from repetition - saying and signing things
over and over again. Children learn to speak by being spoken to directly (one-on-one interaction). Most children are
surrounded by language - conversational exchanges, book reading, etc. The environment reinforces the use of spoken language.
Using speech is just as important when signing. Enrich your child's environment and jump start learning with sign language.
My child and I communicate very easily using sign language. However, what do you recommend
I do when she has to go to a baby-sitter or with anyone else that doesn't know sign language?
You
will find your child will rely on pointing and gesturing just like other children who do not know sign. However, we recommend
using flashcards. When purchasing flashcards, you want to purchase flashcards that incorporate signs you use most frequently.
Place a sticker on each card your child uses most often. or remove the cards you don't use. When you
drop your child with the caregiver give him/her the flashcards. The stickers allow for easy and quick reference as to
signs your child can expect to use. It makes it less stressful for the caretaker to know they have their signing answers
at their fingertips! Before you know it, your sitter will be signing too! (If you don't have flashcards, you could
check out our online store).
I want to start using sign language with my
infant but can you tell me how to get started?
Start simple. With an infant, some of the most common
signs you might like to start with for example would be: milk, more, diaper, eat and all finished. You
want to choose words that you say often to your infant throughout the day everyday. Each time your child is ready for
his/her bottle or breastfeed, ask your infant "Do you want to eat?" Always say and sign the
word eat. When you are ready to feed, sign "milk". As with anything, consistency
and repetition is the key. Your infant will begin to associate the ability to be soothed and comforted when he/she
hears and sees the sign for example "milk." Each time you sign this word, your child will know something good
is going to happen. You may even start to notice when you sign "milk," that your child might start kicking
his/her legs, smiling, cooing, or flapping the hands. Over time, as your child develops, he/she will begin
signing back.
At what age should I start signing with my infant and
is it too late to start signing with my four-year-old?
There is no such thing as "too late." Sign
language has proven to benefit people of all ages. With my children, I began signing to them when they
were 2 - 3 months of age. My son was fascinated by our dog. He loved the dog! As a result, I began signing dog,
among other words. I would pick the dog up and sign "dog". I would help him pet our dog and sign "dog".
His first sign at 6 months of age was of course, dog. Typically children will begin signing back (expressive language)
at 8 - 14 months of age. Some kids have large sign language vocabularies by 14 months and some children have just a few
signs by 14 months. To my knowledge there is no correlation between the numbers of signs a child knows and intelligence.
It is often based on how motivated your child is to have his/her needs met and the consistency of use,
among other factors. For older children, sign language offers kids a wonderful tactile skill. Older children
can practice their spelling words using the ASL manual alphabet. The tactile input gives the
brain another way of storing and remembering the spelling words. Sign language has also show to enhance reading
and spelling skills as well as vocabulary skills!
My child doesn't make
the signs correctly. Instead of tapping his fingertips together for the sign "more" he claps his hands. Should
I correct him?
No, don't feel the need to correct him. Just as children say "nana"
for banana and "da-da" for Daddy these are called approximations. Your child hasn't developed the ability to
articulate words perfectly. Instead he/she makes approximations like "daw-daw" for dog. Just as with children who
are learning to speak, children who are learning sign language also make approximations. As your child develops
more fine motor coordination, you will find his/her ability to perform the signs more correctly will improve over
time. It is a lot of fun to watch your child's fine motor skills evolve over time from approximations
to perfection!
We hope you found this page helpful. If you have additional
questions not answered here, be sure to email us at contact@busybeelearning.com or you can reach us by clicking on our "contact" page and
sending us an email from there. You just might find your question posted here
for others to read!
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