How do you teach a deaf child to sigh language?

Question

Ive always wondered,i have two cousins who are both deaf and they both started learning sign language at such a young age.How would you teach a child that?? it's not as if you just TELL them what the diffrent signs mean

Answer 1

well they should be able to read you show them the letters in a hand format

Answer 2

You're thinking of how we learn a second language. We go to a class and someone tells us "Gato means Cat". The fact is, sign language is generally the first language of deaf children, and if you look at it that way, its actually exactly the same as learning how to speak.

When you were learning how to talk, your parents didn't tell you what things meant, they would show you something and then give it a label. The same goes for any language. If you are learning English, your caregiver will point to a cat and say "cat". If you are learning Spanish, your caregiver will point to a cat and say "gato". If you are learning ASL, your caregiver will point to a cat and sign "cat".

The problem is that ASL can't be written, so we say "the sign for cat". Because of that, we always link ASL with English. Since most children will learn the sign before they learn the English word, they don't consider it "the sign for cat", they consider it "this movement is associated with that fuzzy house pet". Really that's what all children do. Really its "if I speak these sounds together, people will know that I am referring to that fuzzy house pet."

I hope that made a little bit of sense.

Answer 3

I am a father of a deaf child who lost her hearing when she was 8 months old. She is now a college student in a prestigious NY University. Our primary method of communication was, and still is sign language. We taught her by learning it ourself and signing to her when we talked to her. We put labels on all of our furniture around the house and would always sign and show her the labels. We would constantly read to her and sign at he same time. Taking her to a grocery store, we woud sign everything we could to her and just keep repeating it. Its a life long endevour to teach a deaf child just like it is to teach a hearing child.

As a cousin learning to communicate with them now will be such a huge benefit to them (and you) as they get older and feel part of the family. There are a number of places to take classes in your community (Churches, Colleges, Junior Colleges etc) and I would very strongly urge you to learn. Your cousins are a part of the family and they need to be able to talk to others in the family or they will feel isolated.

It is a fun language to learn and it is the third most used language in the US behind English and Spanish. Nearly 10% of the US population has a very significant hearing impairment.

Places for you to check some resources would be Galluadet University in Washington DC (Liberal Arts college for the hearing impaired and they have an extensive library on books for kids as well as tips on how to read to deaf kids), the John Tracy Clinic in LA (more toward oral education of deaf students but they have some hints) and your local deaf population.

Good luck and give it a whirl I think you will be very glad you did.

Answer 4

Children with a hearing impairment learn sign language in the same way that hearing children learn speech, it is through consistent use of the communication , in this incidence, signing.
for example when the a baby is getting their bottle the adult tends to vocalise the word bottle or bo-bo, in the case of your cousins the adult would sign the word for bottle. the child then learns to associate the sign with the object or action which occurs immedialety after. hence learning to communicate through use of sign language.

Answer 5

It's pretty amazing. Most children learn Macaton now instead of BSL(British Sign Language). Just bare in mind that deafness doesn't mean you cant see, smell, taste and feel experiences. One sense missing is not the end for children.

Answer 6

It is the same way you would teach one to talk.. only you Associate signs with objects. They pick it up just as they would if they were learning to speak. A good book is "The Joy of Signing" it is a universal book. Easy instructions as well.

Answer 7

Try some of these links, there is some information about signing on them
http://www.ndcs.org.uk/information/communication/sign_language_1.html

ASL - American Sign Language
http://www.lifeprint.com/asl101/lessons/lesson1.htm
http://www.waterfallrainbows.co.uk/learnbslsignlanguage/fingerspelling1handedasl.htm
http://www.nossgalenbaby.com/signing_faqs.html

BSL - British Sign Language
http://www.learnbsl.org/index.htm
http://web.ukonline.co.uk/p.mortlock/
http://www.signpostbsl.com/
http://www.british-sign.co.uk/learnbslsignlanguage/fingerspelling2handedbsl.htm


http://www.ndcs.org.uk/information/education/helping_your_deaf_child_to_learn/
http://www.royaldeaf.org.uk/page.php?id=100261
hope this helps :)

Answer 8

If you go to the following web site www.forestbooks.com they have all types of books for all ages, the ones I have found which might of use to you will be Lets sign greetings poster, sign and sing DVD, more sign and sing DVD, my first signs, the "sign about" series these can be found on page 34 in the forest books catalouge. If you order on a Monday your books, DVD CD-Roms will be here by the next working day.

Hope this helps.

Answer 9

I'm guessing that they write the stuff down like letters and show them with sign language.

Answer 10

sign language, symbols and expressions. be creative in the way you present stuff!

Answer 11

I'm not quite sure, but you might be able to teach them SIGN language.

Ask your cousins how they learned, but you might get a response in hand gestures. If they do, just say, "Write it down!!"