Babyblue

I am currently a Pre School teacher and I am very active on teaching my pre schoolers signs. I get alot of positive feedbacks from the parents. It is true that kids learn signs a whole lot faster than speech. I have taught several infants and toddlers signs and I communicate with parents and let them know what the child is saying. I taught several babies "more milk please" and taught them differents sign on the vocabulary words that is in the cirriculum and lesson plans. I'm also a V.P.K teacher which is the No Child Left Behind program to teach 4 year olds before the enter Kindergarden. They truely enjoy learning signs and learning how to express themselves in a positive way. These children are all hearing children with hearing parents and it is great. I even have parents/grandparents buying and looking up to learn ASL so they can communicate with their child better. Even the owner of the center is getting involved, it is a new trend and it will help to spread our language to others.

Deafness

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jillio

That's is wonderful! Now if we can get the pre-school teachers of the deaf to follow your lead!

Babyblue

I'm HOH so I'm not sure if you mean for the deaf schools or what? I have graduated from a Deaf School so.....What do you mean by of the deaf?

jillio

No, not the deaf schools, per se. Most of them use signs. I'm talking about the mainstream programs....and the oral programs that keep insisting that signs will impede a deaf child's speech. My son graduated from a Deaf school, as well. I should have been more clear, and said the pre-school teachers responsible for teaching deaf kids. You are correct....there is a difference between a teacher of the deaf, and a teacher that simply teaches deaf kids in the mainstream. Sorry for the confusion.

Babyblue

Alot of pre school teachers are now taking classes to teach infants and toddlers Signs to be able to teach them better now. It is a big trend now to teach the hearing child to communicate. Now as you say "of the deaf" meaning "for the deaf" I highly encourage it because I truely believe in total communication to help that child to learn vocabulary, Speak and Sign at the same time. A deaf child can learn to Sign when a teacher speaks and sign and that child will know exactly what to say and to expect as well as the teachers. but it requires the parents to cooperate to achieve that goal Signing to a deaf child will NOT delay a childs speech if you use Total Communication. I had a child that was in my pre school class that was deaf and had a CI and the parent didn't want me to sign to that child anymore they wanted me to talk to that child and I was in Awe...so upset, I could not stop myself from signing and speaking to the child because the childs first language was ASL and then she just wanted me to talk to him and he was still adjusting to his programs on his CI. Unfortunately she withdrew him and wanted him to just learn to talk and get used to the sounds without signs. But........I was her right it is her child..... even though I disagree with it.

jillio

Yes, I am very glad to see the trend of teaching hearing children sign. It still puzzles me why so many parents will teach a hearing child sign to give them an advantage in communication, but so many hearing parents of deaf chidlren refuse to allow them to sign.

The situation that you just described is what I was referring to. You are correct, it is that parent's choice. But it is so sad for deaf children.

I have taught all of my nieces and nephews sign, starting when they were babies. And like your pre-schoolers, they loved it!

Babyblue

I agree parents that have deaf children are often in denial. It is the strangest thing I know... I guess the parent expected a child to be perfect with ten fingers and ten toes and then the child is deaf....The parents are not sure what to do.... but hopefully teaching babies ASL trend will encourage all parents/families/teachers to teach ASL so it will not be such a "dirty" little disablity.

jillio

**nodding agreement** Keep up the good work!

shel90

That's something that angers me cuz these deaf children are in desperate need for access to language, yet they are being denied it. I am partially angry at the parents but I am more angry at the "oral professionals" who feed that misinformation to the parents.

I dont know what to say about that cuz it is just too upsetting but on a more positive note, I am ahppy that those hearing kids are learning ASL. If it helps them, great. Anything to improve children's language development.

Like Jillo said, keep up the good work!

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fredfam1

This is what I will be doing at the public library in spring of 08. I will
be teaching hearing parents of hearing infants how to teach their
children ASL. The librarian told me there has been alot of intrest
in this class, so much so that we may have to form two classes.
I bet my receptive skills improve then! Having to watch all those
parents try to use sign language. heeheee I'm even going to be
paid a small stipend. If this goes well, I just may have a home
based business going here! Travel around to different librarys
teaching a 5 week course in ASL! Awsome!

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Babyblue

Way to go! I think it is great now that we see the hearing people are starting to learn the concept of ASL and it is a start, to educate hearing people on Deaf Culture, by teaching them sign. I feel we should add Deaf Culture to the ASL classes so they have more understanding of the language.

fredfam1

In ASL 4 we had to do many hours studying Deaf culture
do s and don't s. I probably forget a lot of them though.
When you are in a new Deaf situation and struggling to
remember your signs, it is difficult to think about how
your body is positioned in relationship to other people.
shoot! I have enough trouble just walking and not
tripping!

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jillio

Agreed. The ASL classes at the college where I work includes cultural studies. Understanding the culture is necessary to fully understand the langauge....particularly useful as well, it one's intent is to enteract with deaf people given their new found knowledge.

Babyblue

I agree...I personally HOH did not learn ASL and took deaf culture in the Deaf School I attended til 1989. It was hard at first but me attending to a Deaf school being with my peers helped me alot. I was picked on alot at first by my peers, but eventually I got it and was and am respected by my Deaf peers. I just think ASL is a great resource to get hearing and deaf to unite and to understand one anothers language. It will not be perfect but if we can get the hearing culture to understand that signing ASL isn't a insignificant language then we are set.

Babyblue

Just an undate to prove that A.S.L is much easier to teach that oral speech. I was playing with a 7 month old child today saying and clapping my hands to Patty cakes... Did the child say patty cake or clapped her hands?



If you guess clapped her hands.

OF COURSE.... I can just say "Patty Cake" the infant would automatically clap her hands.

Something to ponder.... Let me know what you think of this..

fredfam1

Guess what? The head of the local private preschool wants to send
her teachers to my class, so they can learn ASL and teach the
hearing pre schoolers! Maybe when ASL becomes even more popular
with Hearing community, the Hearing parents of Deaf children will feel
more comfortable with letting their children learn ASL. I think it would
improve their abilities to learn oral speech and any other modalities.

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deafdyke

Maybe a good idea might be to contact any early intervention programs (you know the ones for all kinds of disablities) and let them know that you'd be available in case there's a dhh kid. Also contact any deaf ed programs in your area, and let them know that you're available. Trust me......they are ALWAYS looking for ASL fluent TODs!

fredfam1

Thanks, I'll look into that.

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jillio

Yes. Children develop motor skills like that earlier than they develop the skills necessary to produce speech. But she understands that the words "patty cake" mean the same thing as clapping hands.

Miss-Delectable

That's great, babyblue. Keep up the good job.

Fredfam, good luck on the job when it starts.

Maybe ASL will be a huge trend that hearing parents of deaf kid will have no choice but to allow it.

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fredfam1

I hope so too. One thing I have noticed is that the market will provide
what is demanded by more than one group. Like, Deaf people have
been demanding the use of their language for years and have largely
been ignored. Now us Hearing moms have found a "new" use for ASL.
Why, we are going to have smarter babies! ASL makes your baby
smarter and once we moms found that out, the competition is on!
Who gets bragging rights about how soon their baby signed their
first sign?! Moms are sooo competitive sometimes. But that
is never lost on the people who desire to profit. So once ASL becomes
the IN thing among the Hearing populace, (for whatever silly competitive
reasons) and the powers that be now have to jump through the
tax payers and consumers hoops, well low and behold now the arguments
against ASL will gradually die the death they deserve. Maybe it was some
really smart Deaf person who pointed out to us Hearing mommies that
our babies could be made smarter, all the time knowing that it would
have a snowballs effect. Rolling and rolling and getting bigger and
bigger! I am optimistic about the Deaf communities educational future.

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lindasparties

I taught preschool children for 20 years and always taught my students ASL. I think it's a great benefit to be able to learn the language. I wish more teachers would use it in the classrooms

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Roadrunner

Thread moved here from 'General Chat'--




~RR

ashleysmommy

My daughter is in a mainstream preschool program. She has a hearing impaired teacher that comes to her class 2 times a week for 30 mins and works with her. Her teacher happens to be deaf and has an interpreter with her. She is teaching sign and oral to Ashely. If the parent stresses the importance of their child learning sign they have to provide the service from what I was told about the schools here. I requested that to be in her IEP. I think it is great for kids as well as adults to learn sign. Communication is key to many things. It opens many doors.

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shel90

Teaching ASL to babies is so great! I love it. I can undy if hearing parents of hearing children dont do it but for deaf children, pls use ASL with them. They really need it.

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