Question for everyone...
Just curious, how does everyone feel about teaching a baby to sign? I'm not talking about teaching them the silly, made-up signs that some systems call for, but genuine ASL. Does anyone have experience doing this? I'm just curious because, knowing what I learned in child psych during my masters program, this could cause a delay in speech, so I was quite opposed to it. However, I am reading all sorts of other research that states the opposite (granted, this is stuff I am finding on the internet, but with cited studies). I am confused.
It would be cool for Ruary to learn a second language. The little ASL I learned in order to communicate with my deaf art students has come in handy a few times, for sure. Plus, knowing what he needs would be nice also. Feedback? Knowledge? Anything?
posted by K Schimmy at 4:43 PM
7 Comments:
Hmmm... Good question. I know quite a few people who have taught their children signs, but very few who went past "more", "please", etc. As far as delaying speech, I think it comes down to your child's tendencies. Some kids are more verbal, others aren't. For kids that aren't naturally driven to talk, they're probably going to sign longer before they start speaking, but it's not like Ruary will end up mute. I think the key is maintenance. If you intend to essentially teach Ruary ASL for the purpose of him becoming bilingual, as long as you have opportunities for him to maintain it (aka practice and sign with others) then I think that's a really cool idea. My grandparents are deaf, so if you decide to teach him and he wants to "pracice", he could sign with my dad. Just be careful, Grandpa Joe could introduce some new "fun" signs...
7:15 PM
I think the bilingual idea is cool, but we have decided not to teach Charles sign just to be able to communicate with him a bit earlier. We have friends who have done it, and their kids don't seem to talk as much for what they want. Also, I have to say, I am not really willing to put in the work to teach Charles "more," "milk," etc. However, I might teach him French just by speaking it to him as much as I can.
7:40 PM
It sounds like you guys are in the same camp as I have been... it seems more like a party trick than anything else, unless it is for the purpose of truly learning a language.
Perhaps we will just stick with teaching him the bit o' Spanish we know (Rick is pretty fluent, more so than I) and consider that our gift to his language development. Dora the Explorer, here we come!
8:44 PM
So I'm a little late, but I'll give you my 2 cents as well. The signing is good for the little things like "more/drink/food," but I don't really think it's necessary. I think a better use of your time would be the "teach my baby to read" series... We actually going to start it to get ready for pre-school. Also O has had Spanish speaking influences around since he was about 2 months old. He actually speaks a little without knowing it - saying word twice once in English then in Spanish or vice versa. No matter which you choose he will pick up on it and if you keep it up he'll retain it.
9:08 PM
Awesome if you can teach Ruary Spanish. Whenever I'm chatting with my bilingual students, I complain about not being taught a second language when I was little. I tell them how jealous I am of them and their languages.
1:35 PM
Okay, my two cents worth. I think if it is natural for your family, do it. Words that are said in two languages, signing and saying words can be part of your family culture. Useful words that can be repeated and reinforced will be remembered and integrated in much better than spending time learning to forget later. All useful and "nice" words can be just as easy to learn as those that are less desirable. Kids mimic what they see and hear. I think the most helpful lesson a friend shared with me regarding speech development was put a mirror in their crib. Kids learn how to form their mouths as they see them formed. Their speech can more easily be practiced by seeing themselves do it. Hence the mirror. They watch you, they mimic it inthe mirror. She was a special ed teacher and went to nursing school with me.
FYI - I know three sign language words well - milk, Water, and B------t. Pretty useful right? The last one was the first one I learned from Joe and his dad.....
5:18 PM
We taught Michael a few basic signs (please, more, etc), but always encouraged him to say the word at the same time. Michael has always been a verbal child so I saw no need to keep teaching more signs (although whenever he says "please," he still does the sign at the same time). I had a friend who taught her son tons of sign language words (not as a second language, but just to communicate needs) and his speech was definitely delayed.
You might try a few signs here and there and see what sticks. Ruary will let you know if he wants to stick with it.
1:52 PM
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