Nie Trink Wasser
Graduate Poster
- Joined
- Apr 15, 2002
- Messages
- 1,317
could this be a destructive thing for sound development ?
Teaching Babies Sign Language
- Thread starter Nie Trink Wasser
- Start date
-
- Tags
- sign language
Sign language does not necessarily equal American Sign Language.
Children can communicate long before they can control the sounds their mouths make.
When a baby is uncomfortable, needs changing, is hungry, you will know about it.
As they develop and gain better coordination, they can grab stuff and grab for stuff.
This is the kind of sign language that is helpful for a baby. From there, it is easy to extrapolate simple sentences. A baby outstretches her arms to mommy, she wants to be picked up. Etc.
We "trained" our first baby to clap when he wanted out of the high chair.
He is three now and believe me, his verbal skills are not lacking
Children can communicate long before they can control the sounds their mouths make.
When a baby is uncomfortable, needs changing, is hungry, you will know about it.
As they develop and gain better coordination, they can grab stuff and grab for stuff.
This is the kind of sign language that is helpful for a baby. From there, it is easy to extrapolate simple sentences. A baby outstretches her arms to mommy, she wants to be picked up. Etc.
We "trained" our first baby to clap when he wanted out of the high chair.
He is three now and believe me, his verbal skills are not lacking
Brown
Penultimate Amazing
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2001
- Messages
- 12,984
It could be, I suppose.Nie Trink Wasser said:
But I know of no research that suggests that it actually is.
I know of several hearing individuals (may father among them) who grew up learning sign language. It is not an uncommon thing. Some hearing babies have deaf parents. Some hearing babies have deaf siblings (and the whole family learns sign language to be able to communicate with the deaf family member).
It should be a relatively straightforward thing to research whether there really is a detrimental effect.
Chris Haynes
Perfectly Poisonous Person
While initially having our speech disordered oldest son learn sign language seemed to stop all progress in his efforts to speak (he went from a dozen mono-syllabic poorly inunciated grunts to just using 70 sign words, in one summer)... in the end it was worth it to give him a method of communication.
It was also important to speak to this hearing child as we used sign language. Also, speaking as one signs tends to slow down the adult's speech, making it easier for the child to understand the adult and the form of words (think of when you listen to a language instruction tape of (for instance) French, versus listening to a native speaker in a normal conversation... which one would be easier to distinguish to individual words?).
Because of early diagnosis and early intervention which included an incredible team in a special ed. preschool combined with 8 years of speech therapy he is doing quite well (though you have to be patient when he speaks because it is slow). The use of sign language reduced frustration and anxiety (there is a scene in "Mr. Holland's Opus" where the mother is upset because her deaf son cannot tell her what he wants in the kitchen... that scene played out in our house more than once).
This has a good explanation of how sign language works with kids with a certain motor disability: http://www.apraxia-kids.org/topics/sign.html
Plus the first article in this:
http://www.apraxia-kids.org/talk/newsletterseptember_october01.html
By the way --- even with the other "normal" kids it has been handy to have a basic sign language vocabulary. This has been helpful to communicate in crowds, when I'm on the phone, noisy areas and other places. I often sign to them when they are across the pool... usually things like "sit", "look there", "listen", "no", "yes", and a particular favorite: "STOP!".
My brother got a kick one time while we were at a local mall... #2 child wanted to go into the ice-cream shop and I signed "no". He signed "yes" back... so I signed "no" --- we had a nice quiet arguement
It was also important to speak to this hearing child as we used sign language. Also, speaking as one signs tends to slow down the adult's speech, making it easier for the child to understand the adult and the form of words (think of when you listen to a language instruction tape of (for instance) French, versus listening to a native speaker in a normal conversation... which one would be easier to distinguish to individual words?).
Because of early diagnosis and early intervention which included an incredible team in a special ed. preschool combined with 8 years of speech therapy he is doing quite well (though you have to be patient when he speaks because it is slow). The use of sign language reduced frustration and anxiety (there is a scene in "Mr. Holland's Opus" where the mother is upset because her deaf son cannot tell her what he wants in the kitchen... that scene played out in our house more than once).
This has a good explanation of how sign language works with kids with a certain motor disability: http://www.apraxia-kids.org/topics/sign.html
Plus the first article in this:
http://www.apraxia-kids.org/talk/newsletterseptember_october01.html
By the way --- even with the other "normal" kids it has been handy to have a basic sign language vocabulary. This has been helpful to communicate in crowds, when I'm on the phone, noisy areas and other places. I often sign to them when they are across the pool... usually things like "sit", "look there", "listen", "no", "yes", and a particular favorite: "STOP!".
My brother got a kick one time while we were at a local mall... #2 child wanted to go into the ice-cream shop and I signed "no". He signed "yes" back... so I signed "no" --- we had a nice quiet arguement