The Use Of Infant Sign Language

With the various forms of sign language such as American Sign Language (ASL), Signed Exact English (SEE), and Pidgeon Signed English (PSE) there is the potential for sign language to help individuals with a variety of disabilities. The use of sign language can be pared with speaking if the individual with disabilities has the capability to do both, or sign language only can be used if the person is non-verbal. Sign language is more commonly used with individuals who have the developmental disabilities of Autism and Down syndrome. Studies binging in the 1970’s and spanning a more then 40 years have found that using sign language can be an effective way for individuals with disabilities to

At this point we can begin to understand the limitations of body language, facial expression and gesture when language is not available. Although they allow for instant communication they cannot help a child to understand what is being seen or provide a way in which afterwards the child can communicate what she has seen. This means that children who only have the basic communication skills of body language, gesture and facial

Gwyneth Doherty-Sneddon bring up points like is it fair to the deaf community to teach hearing infants signs, do deaf children get the amount of help that they need, and is there really enough research to prove that it helps hearing children. She brings up that baby sign language is really nothing new as it has been used with children with developmental delays for decades to help them to be able to communicate, there has been research done to show that it helps with behavioral problems during preschool years and therefore preventing the possibility of negative parenting that is brought out due to the frustration of said bad behavior. She also points out that one of the arguments around baby sign is if preverbal nurslings actually “need” the

Speech, language and communication difficulties can have a profound and lasting effect on children’s lives and development. These can affect their ability to communicate and interact with others. The impact of these difficulties will vary depending on the severity of the problems, the support they receive, the demands of the child’s environment

The most successful interventions for Sarah are a special preschool that is equipped for the deaf and hard of hearing. This school began to teach Sarah American Sign Language (ASL). The school has several interventions that worked well for Sarah, among them a speech therapist, special education teacher, and an interpreter. Sarah worked well with a speech therapist and with the special education teacher, however her social skills were limited in the classroom. The main reason there are social skill concerns are that Sarah does not hear other students and can not deliver competent responses to them because of her inability to hear properly.

This is because speech production trails behind cognitive ability in the first years of life. Baby sign language proponents say that this gap between wanting to communicate and being unable to do so leads to tantrums and a lot of frustration. However, since hand-eye coordination comes ahead of verbal ability, infants are able to learn and apply simple signs for words such as 'milk,' 'more,' 'play,' 'eat,' 'sleep' and others before they can actually say the words.

Growing up I had always been a quicker reader than most. I possessed a vocabulary more advanced than those around me, and all throughout high school I was reading college level material and even had a teacher tell me that some people are too smart for high school and should be able to go straight to college, and that I was one of those people. I have never been more than an average test taker, but I can learn quickly and now I push my younger brother and sister to do the same. When born, my little brother had no signs of anything being wrong with him. However, about the time he should have began talking, he was not. He did not make a sound or anything. Concerned, we took him to a doctor and he was diagnosed with apraxia, a condition in which the brain does not communicate with the mouth to make movements or sounds for speech. Being told he may never speak, my family quickly started learning sign language and tried teaching my younger brother ASL as well as speech. In time, our efforts must have paid off because he does not stop talking now and you would never know he had the condition in the first place. This video really opened my eyes about how crucial it was that we teach him quickly, and we did it without knowing if we did not, he really would never learn. While the crucial learning stage in my life may be over, I now have had the joy of having my

With the prevalence of autism at an all-time high, there are many benefits to identifying a child as early as possible. Identification and intervention can dramatically improve outcomes for children with ASD. Children have increased neural plasticity at a very early age, making it easier for children to learn new skills such as communication, play, and overall skill development. Early intervention will improve children’s behaviors and remediate areas of weaknesses. Also, according to the New Jersey Early Intervention System program, early intervention makes the transition into preschool easier for children diagnosed with autism. In addition, parent-implemented intervention usually leads to better parent-child interaction, improved communication, behavior, and better maternal knowledge of autism.

The topic for today's reading was Augmentative Communication Systems-Sign Languages, PECS. In the assigned reading and module, we observe that a characteristic of autism is difficulty developing and using verbal speech to communicate with others. The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) is used to help children with autism to develop a system for communicating with others across multiple environments. It is used most often with learners that are non-verbal, but can also be used with learners with limited verbal skills. PECS can be used across age ranges, starting in preschool, to help individuals with ASD communicate with others. In fact, research has shown that learners can use PECS to increases their work production

The variability in the level of success of complete spoken language acquisition associated with cochlear implants, even when the implants are implemented at very young ages, points to the importance of fluency in a signed language as a “backup”, in case the child either fails to become proficient in spoken language or chooses later in life to only use their signed language. The Deaf community strongly advocates for a signed language as a first language, viewing their deafness as part of the “variability” of the human condition and not as a disability. However, it appears unfair to deaf children to also isolate them from the speaking community by not at least attempting to help them gain proficiency in a spoken language as well as a signed one.

Most children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder will have a language delay. The language delay can range from a mild to severe. If done early, speech and other early intervention therapies can dramatically improve the language skills of a child with autism spectrum disorder. One way these therapies are successful is, research shows that there are many early behaviors that lay a foundation for the learning of language. These early behaviors are closely related to whether or not a child is able to understand another person and use this understanding to communicate with them. Two important early behaviors required for these skills are symbolic play and joint attention. An example of symbolic play is when a child uses his crayon and pretends it is a truck. Joint attention is when a child has equal attention on an object and another person. For example, they see a plane flying in the sky and they point at the plane while looking at another person to check if they are looking (Fessenden, 2012). Both of these early behaviors are vital in learning appropriate language skills. Early invention services work on these skills which helps lay a proper foundation for language development.

This is a problem ,this sometimes occurs with no physical contact from parent ,friends ,and other loved ones.Some children with autism only speak through hand gestures like sign language and facial expressions. Such as frowning to show sadness ,smiling to show happiness ,and baring teeth to show anger or frustration. Others may say little words like mom , dad , hi , bye , thanks , please , yes , no , and why.

Because the child is from the inner-city, she may not have had equal access to quality healthcare and adequate resources for deaf children, which has hindered her from learning official sign language. In the USA, many children that are deaf do not receive “equal access to care, intervention, and follow-up services” (Sacks et al., 2014, p. 92). Socioeconomic, minority status and non-English native language are barriers to children having access to various types of services and health care that produce favorable developmental outcomes (Sacks et al., 2014).

AIM: To demonstrate that listening is more than a passive skill, and that eyes can be as important as ears in perceiving a message.

Autistic children tend to be delayed in babbling, speaking, and learning to use gestures. By age three, most children are on a pathway to learning language. They begin early with babbling, until they are saying a word or two, point out to objects they want, and turn to you when their names are called. Children who coo and babble in the first few months of life but develop autism tend to loose these communicative behaviors, while other children experience significant language delay and don’t begin to speak until much later. When therapy is applied especially as an early intervention most children learn to use spoken language and communicate. Children who are nonverbal learn to use different communication systems such as sign language, pictures, electronic word processors or even speech generating devices (Autism Speaks, 2015). Depending on your child needs these can be things to look into.