When to start teaching your child ASL?

DannieMarie

DannieMarie

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okay i'm having a problem figuring out when to start teaching my baby ASL, and i wanted to know if anyone knows a good time to start? See i am hard of hearing and use ASL but i also use my voice sometimes. And i just want my baby to be able to communicate with the Deaf Community as well.:ty:
 
And, actually, you can start to teach ASL with your child now. It is just anytime.
 
We have a hearing 3 year old baby. ASL's his first language. You start signing to him through your wife's womb as I did to mine. It's never too early.

:)
 
Wirelessly posted (Blackberry Bold )

I started signing to my nieces literally the day they were born - just like hearing people start talking to their hearing children immediately.

There's no reason to wait to start using ASL - they will start "babbling" in ASL (playing with hand shapes and movements) the same way they babble in spoken language (goo, ahh, eegg). Once they gain a bit of control over their motor skills they'll start forming baby-variations of ASL signs - even as early as 4months old this can start (my niece signed milk, milk-eat, and more at 5months ...and her parents are hearing so she's not even immersed in sign).

The sooner the better is the right time to start ... So start today.
 
They say it's best to start when they are about 3-6 months and before the child turns 7 I think it's easier for them, but I've been teaching my niece since she was a new born. She can't say milk and eat like Anij's niece can, but she can sign green and the letter "J". I guess it just depends on the baby. Everyone's different, but I would definitely start now. The sooner the better. Good luck.
 
H.o.H_Angel said:
They say it's best to start when they are about 3-6 months and before the child turns 7 I think it's easier for them, but I've been teaching my niece since she was a new born. She can't say milk and eat like Anij's niece can, but she can sign green and the letter "J". I guess it just depends on the baby. Everyone's different, but I would definitely start now. The sooner the better. Good luck.
Click to expand...

Please keep in mind that when "they" say to start at 3-6months they are referring to hearing parents, teaching hearing children.

For those of us who are hoh or deaf ourselves, or have family/children who are hoh or deaf it's absolutely critical to start signing with the infants as soon as possible.

Hearing families learn sign to bridge communication gaps (and for "fun"). The reason hearing families are told 3-6months isn't because the infant can't understand the signs earlier - it's so parents don't get discourages waiting for their child to start signing back. The infants are learning to understand signing long before they can reproduce them though, so really starting at birth would be advisable "even" for hearing families (and just realize it will take 3-6months for the infant to start signing back).

For those of us who are hoh or deaf, we learn/teach/use sign language as an actual language of communication (even in families who aren't fluent).

In families where there is a Hoh &/or deaf member(s) with-holding signing until an infant reaches a certain age is detrimental to the entire family, because it basically sets up a situation in which the child is barred from experiencing and interacting with what will be one of their critical languages - ironically during a time in which they'd most naturally be picking up (unconsciously) the linguistic cues for that language.
 
As to starting ASL while a child is still in the womb-seems to be "difficult" to effect.
Is this something "new'?
 
drphil said:
As to starting ASL while a child is still in the womb-seems to be "difficult" to effect.
Is this something "new'?
Click to expand...

No, it is not new something. Yes, you're right; it is impossible to teach unborn children ASL. That is why it is always better to start signing when they born on their first day of their lives.
 
Wirelessly posted (BB Curve 9300)

Yesterday.
 
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