Re: SIGN LANGUAGE FOR KIDS

[Guest guest]

I also use sing with my daughter but we use signing

exact english....this type of sign doen't leave out

the little words. The reason we chose this type of

sign is to help in the long run in things like grammer

and english,speach in genral.

--- smom05@... wrote:

> You can start out with simple signs like mommy daddy

> (sister and brother)

> foods the child likes & simple objects around the

> house. My personal

> experience is to learn from another person rather

> than books and videos, but

> if your just going to use it for a short term videos

> and books will do. We

> are teaching our child to be fluent in Sign

> therefore we take classes, and

> have hired an interpreter.

>

> We just ordered from M2K ASL for kids and ASL

> Dictionary America Online had a

> special offer. and Noble has some books for

> children with simple

> signs. Your local library should have books and

> videos too. If they don't

> they will send for them from another branch that

> does. Ask for the Joy of

> Signing, Pocket dictionary for ASL, Signs for Me.

>

> Hope that helps.

>

> Lori D.

>

>

>

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

I guess I should comment on using sign. Our daughter just turned six and

has a severe, bilaterial hearing loss due to a congenital ear malformation.

Her primary dx, however is severe apraxia/aphasia (she's non-verbal) and she

has autistic features as well.

We use sign language, along with voice as our primary mode of communication

with our middle daughter. Mostly, we use ASL signs in English word order

(again, along with voice). We use some SEE (Signing Exact English) signs

but find ASL signs easier for our daughter. If you're familiar, they just

make a lot more sence!

The evidence that SEE improves reading skills is disheartening. The primary

contributing factor in learning to read is a primary LANGUAGE. Let's be

honest, nobody having learned SEE really uses it that way! It's just too

cumbersome and totally unrealistic in life. (If you know sign, check your

TCC classroom!!!!) Likewise, I don't know any DEAF individual using pure

ASL. In the real world it becomes rather English-like 90% of the time and

gets " creative " in the DEAF community. I agree, ASL is a language but the

reality is ------ nobody uses it as such!

Personally (and from our personal experience), I think signing

approximations are fine if that's the level of the child at that time. If a

child needs improvement in terms of engagement and recepical communication,

such would be a good thing! You wouldn't demand a child SPEAK perfectly at

age 12 months developmentally. Such things take time regardless of the

modality of communication -- speech, sign, etc. You start with baby-talk

..... you start with baby-sign as wel.

So, I have no point! :-) Actually, I wanted to mention that if your school

or other is suggesting a child with severe apraxia cannot become proficient

in sign, that's not our experience. If they say PECS is the only way, I

would ask " is this all my child is capable of or is this all the school is

capable of " ? Check it. Who knows?

Best,

Dana in Michigan