Spoken English AND ASL, right?

I'm confused about language education in the U.S. My month-old daughter is profoundly deaf, the 1st in my or my wife's families. I've gotten no clear answers as to the 'right', 'best', or even 'most common' route for teaching her to communicate with the deaf and hearing communities.

As I see/understand it:

(1) She should learn to communicate with hearing people via lip reading, and if possible amplification of what little hearing she may have. (Note: I'm not posting this to start a discussion on cochlear implants.) Hopefully she'll be able to speak clearly enough to be understood, but we'll see.

(2) She should learn ASL right away. No delay, start today.

(3) She should be able to translate spoken English using CASE.

It seems to me that she should learn both languages together. Is this common? Is it typically one or the other, or that ASL is delayed until later? Let me know what people recommend, and why.

Oh, and thanks!!!!!!!

It looks like you are off to the right start. You are keeping your options open, using oral and signing communication, and not delaying. Those are important first steps.

Let me just add to #2. You stated that "she should learn ASL right away." I hope that you and other family members are also beginning to learn ASL now. Parent/child communication is very important.

If possible, I suggest you meet other hearing parents of Deaf children who have "been there, done that"; Deaf adults who can mentor you and your child as the years progress; and (when your child is a little older) find a signing play group for her to participate in.

Be prepared to become an advocate for her educational rights. It sometimes requires vigilance to get the services your child requires (depending on your state and school system).

I think it is tremendous that you are not wasting time, and that you are doing your research now.

Most of all, give her lots of and show her lots of love (without spoiling ), and enjoy your time together--hey, that's just like parents of hearing kids!

My parents went through the same situation like you are in right now. They were informed that there are two kinds of sign languages, ASL/SEE. my mom asked the speech therapist what were the differences between ASL/SEE.

ASL = easier and faster to learn, however ASL DOES NOT help with reading and writing, and it is based on the body gestures

SEE = harder and slower to learn and it helps with reading and writing BASED ON the way hearing people communicate using English. Your daughter will be able to read and learn how the English structure works and she will have good academic skills in education, early in her childhood. it ALSO helps with lip reading unlike ASL.

I strongly recommend that you teach her SEE, then she can adopt ASL during late teenage years.

My daughter was born the day after 9?11, the hosptital was on the Canadian border, the staff was more than 50% Canadian, and the borders were closed, they neglected to do the newborn hearing screen, so our daughter's deafness was not officially diagnosed until she was 18 months old.

By then, it was imparitive that we start pouring language in asap. At first, we were told to use cued speech because she has auditory neuropathy, but there were no instructors in our area. Doctors couceled us against relying on ASL if we ever wanted her to learn to speak, but the schools in our area were very pro-ASL. At that point, my husband and I were very anxious to learn any way to communicate with our daughter, and the teachers at the school were very good, so we went with ASL. We do not regret it.

We have met so many cool people and done so many fun things just because of our involvememnt with the Deaf community here. Gabby has learned to say a few words, they are approximations, and her voice quality is hoarse, but we can understand her sometimes, and I think it will get better over time. If she ends up wanting to be ASL only and voice off, we are prepared for that, I think that is all you can do, provide as many options as you can, and let them choose.

Well, everybody got a different opinion (as you may already notice!)

My mother suspected I was Deaf since birth but no doctor was able to confirm and a hearing test wasn't given to me until I was about two years old. She enrolled me in a deaf program at a hearing school and tried to encourage me to learn a language-- let it be SEE, PSE, or ASL. I used a signing language to voice out my emotions, desires, and thoughts. I was well-functional to an extent that I "skipped" a grade. I was struggling with English because my mother isn't a native English speaker but I soon picked it up quickly in 3rd grade (after an awakening: ASL is a LANGUAGE and I must learn ASL and English and my mother's native tongue which ALL have its own rules, grammar, et cetera-- so I finally encountered English as a foreign speaker *err, signer!* instead of trying to accept English as my native language). I do have some grammatical errors there and here but overall, my English is excellent for a Deaf person who uses mainly ASL (I use PSE in academic environments, but my husband will argue with me here-- I am totally ASL with several SEE signs and none of PSE!).

Everybody learns differently so it is totally up to you (unforunately) to decide what is best for your child. If she already starts to gesture or mimic what she wants, then try to parallel the lessons in ASL and English. I think everybody should learn at least two languages before age 5. It just enables your mind to think in different ways and gives you more freedom to express yourself. And it makes your life easier if you want to learn more languages in later in the future.


"it is totally up to you (unforunately) to decide what is best for your child." I hope you don't misunderstand me here... it seems to me that you are looking for answers but you only can find it within your child and yourself. You may hear others' opinions and statistics/facts/whatever and weight them only by yourself. Nobody can really decide for one person. There is no "one-size-fits-all" method for a Deaf/hearing-impaired/HoH child.

I can sign language-ASL and I cannot speak an English so I can write an english very well.

RoyalGuard said:

I'm confused about language education in the U.S. My month-old daughter is profoundly deaf, the 1st in my or my wife's families. I've gotten no clear answers as to the 'right', 'best', or even 'most common' route for teaching her to communicate with the deaf and hearing communities.

As I see/understand it:

(1) She should learn to communicate with hearing people via lip reading, and if possible amplification of what little hearing she may have. (Note: I'm not posting this to start a discussion on cochlear implants.) Hopefully she'll be able to speak clearly enough to be understood, but we'll see.

(2) She should learn ASL right away. No delay, start today.

(3) She should be able to translate spoken English using CASE.

It seems to me that she should learn both languages together. Is this common? Is it typically one or the other, or that ASL is delayed until later? Let me know what people recommend, and why.

Oh, and thanks!!!!!!!

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I was born profoundly deaf on one side, hoh on the other. I grew up oral only, but it wasn't what was "right" for me. Looking back, myself, my family, and even some of the educators I knew growing up , now ALL believe that I would have benefited greatly from a bi-bi ( ASL & English ) approach... things where so different 25 years ago Now I use ASL and spoken/written english daily, and I LOVE being about to use both

I think if there's one thing that is most important it's flexiblity ... meaning that you are willing and able to adjust the communicate methods to suit your childs needs.

Here's my personal opinions/comments regarding your post ...

(1) Speechreading skills ( and using residual hearing ) are VERY useful, but it's important to realise that it's also very hard work, and only about 30-40% of speech is visable on the lips. There are some people that are AMAZING speechreaders, and others of us that are 'typical' ... depending on who I'm reading I can understand about 30-50% - just enough to get you into some realllly weird miscommunications ! I'd suggest you try watching a movie you are familair with ( but haven't memorized) on mute, and see how much of the conversation you understand ... that way when frustrations occur you'll know why . You might also want to suppliment speechreading with cued speech to help with accuracy.


(2) I think ASL is a wonderful, beautiful langauge, and wish more poeple regardless of hearing status would learn it ... It gives you an unrestricted form of communication with your deaf child starting with the very first sign you use, and even if you decide to go for a more oral approach and possibly in the future CI, it is still an excellent language for noisy situations where comprehension is minimal, or situations where it's not possible to use amplification ( pool, bath, some sports). There's no reason that you should feel you have to pick one form of communication - use what works

(3) Being able to code switch, translate etc is important - There's no reason that you can't use ASL,PSE and spoken written english together, infact I think MOST of us do use a variety of different communitcation methods The local School for the Deaf here using Bi-Bi ( Bi-cultural, Bi- lingual ) education ... meaning that the students learn both ASL& Deaf culture, as well as English& hearing culture.

I think the most valuable tool that you can give is early literacy ... there are a number of programs that help parents teach reading skills to their hoh/deaf children ... written language is a VERY powerful tool. It's NEVER too early to start reading to / with your child - it's quite possible the best investment in your child's future you can make

I still remember the stuggle I had learning to read - my parents didn't realise ( and no one ever told them , or helped them out either , this was 25 years ago though) that because I couldn't hear all the sounds in english that I'd need more help learning to read... I fought, and struggled, and wanted to "figure it out" so bad, I'd literally cry I got so frustrated !- I still remember how I felt when I finished my very first book - I was SOOOOO proud ! I haven't put a book down since

Growing up my parents had a "books are always free" rule ... if I wanted to read a book ( not comics , real books ) they'd either take me down to the library to get it , or they'd buy it for me. It was to encourage me to keep on reading, to improve my skills, and to learn how to access the "world" thru print ... at the time I don't think I realised how much of a profound difference a few books would make in my life ... it wasn't until I was an adult that I could really appreciate what "books are always free" really 'did' for me.

p.s. - I'm 27 , I've lived on my own since I was 18 and went to college - every sunday I get together with my dad and we go hang out at the bookstores ... and though I haven't taken him up on it for years - yes, even as an adult ... "books are always free" - that's something I KNOW that I'll be doing with my kids !!


Sorry if that was a bit of a ramble ....
HTH

I use ASL

Hi RoyalGuard,
SEE is used for teahing kids and adults to read and write.
Teach your month old daughter very simple signs like mother and father.
It will take awhile, but she'll pick it up has she gets older.
Then teach her ASL later when she starts school.
We have many dvd's and vhs tapes you can buy on our website:
www.deafadvocady.com.
Margie
Dir. of Commincation Services
OCDAC
ps: We do have alot for babies, kids and parents too.

Wow. Seriously, wow. Thanks for your inputs! Not coming from a bilingual family, I don't know about the kinds of problems/opportunities that there are in learning multiple languages. I hadn't thought about how hard reading english could be if you had never heard it. The structure must be really hard to pick up. I can only imagine how hard lip reading is as well......

So, I think I'll start learning ASL and CASE AND SEE! Ugh! It's gonna be tough to learn all this, but at least it'll be fun to learn. I've spent years learning french, so I've got a little bit of a clue what sort of frustrations to expect...............

More Research

Hi, Royal Guard

You originally asked if there was a proven method. Galluadet University may have some research that would be helpful. Individuals who attend deaf schools which rely on ASL do not test as well in reading and writing as those who are mainstreamed. Unfortunately, no one has been able to "prove" that one method of education is better than another.

Although your daughter may never learn to speak intelligibly, it is essential that she learn to read and write well enough to communicate with hearing people. Unfortunately, in my work I encounter deaf individuals who rely on ASL and cannot read or write well enough to communicate. It is a challenge to decipher the meaning of what they have written.

If you need to select one method of sign language, I would recommend signed english. Also, please be aware that with the shortage of sign language interprters, and the unevenness of educational services, you may wish to begin investigating school systems to ensure that you have identified a good state/county and school when your daughter is ready.

Good luck!

YAY!!!! We're got another one! Unless you have WICKED good insurance or are well-off or are the type of family who really thrives on hyperprograming, or already live near one of those private oral programs, oral only isn't that good of an idear. Yes, give your child speech therapy....Oral skills are a great thing to have. BUT, if you're poor, don't have good health insurance etc....chances are that you'll end up with a kid with limited language. It's better to start out with BOTH ASL and speech....let the child have a say in how they want to commuicate. The only reason why a combined approch doesn't work is b/c oralists consider sign a crutch.....ARUGHHH....Under their way of thinking it's better to function with the speech skills of an elmentaty schooler then to have the Signing abilties of a Harvard level person.
Gnalydorkette is right.....You probaly have noticed that most of the people who post here, still don't have perfect fluency with written English. That is b/c Deaf folks approach English as a second language. Even most oral kids have trouble with English....

Hi,
I'm a parent of a deaf child who speaks well and uses ASL. There are many strong opinions about methodology, and I won't get into that debate. But 2 things I would suggest: first, I would use signs with your baby right away. It doesn't matter if your child uses them later exclusively, in a combination method, or drops them altogether. What's important now is language, giving your child a way to communicate. There is no evidence that using signs detracts in any way from developing speech, actually in my child's case I think it helped develop speech. I would also talk to your baby, but learn ASL as much as you can and use it along with your talking. Second, I'd like to invite you to join a listserv for parents of deaf and hard of hearing children. The people on the list are very knowledgeable and can give you a lot of support as a parent. Look forward to seeing you there!

You can access it thru the American Society for Deaf Children link

www.deafchildren.org, and then click on the LISTSERV
there's also a yahoo group but the folks on the listserv have a lot of experience.

There's also a group called Listen-Up which is very helpful to many parents. I believe the link to that is listenup.org, but if that's wrong, you'll get a search result that will direct you to the site.

Best of luck

Outspoken said:

You originally asked if there was a proven method. Galluadet University may have some research that would be helpful.

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Good idea. Gallaudet Press is a good resource.

...If you need to select one method of sign language, I would recommend signed english. . .

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Clarification: "Signed English" is not a language. It is a useful tool for teaching English reading, writing, and spelling skills thru manual means. ASL (American Sign Language) is a real language, with its own vocabulary and grammar.

Written English is not a written form of ASL. English has to be learned as a second language. The problem is, English is not always taught as a second language to ASL Deaf students. Using Signed English is one way of teaching English skills to Deaf students, as long as it is presented as a "foreign" language.

Thanks Princess Tabu!!!! Membership in ASD is VERY VERY important!!!
Actually Outspoken, ASL DOES NOT cause poor reading and writing skills!
Plenty of OTHER people whose native language is not English, but who use English as a second language have poor English skills. Remember the debate on English as A Second Language? Ever read the written directions from a product manufactored in a foriegn country? Enough said!
When your daughter's a little older you may want to learn Cued Speech which helps with English aquastion, as it makes the phonetics of English visable....CS kids are HIGHLY literate!

I understand why you are against SEE, but I had to learn English by the chosen sign language mode that my parents decided to teach me. You know what? hearing parents are against ASL and my mom felt weird when she was trying to do ASL in SEE mode, and she said that ASL is very crazy and she continues on using homemade signs and use real English.

http://www.answers.com/topic/manually-coded-english

Very good page, a lot of information.

rjr2006 said:

...I had to learn English by the chosen sign language mode that my parents decided to teach me. . .

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You did the best you could with what you got. You are an intelligent young with strong motivation to succeed, and I congratulate you.

I know that many parents in the past didn't have all the support and information that hearing parents can get now. They had to make their decisions based on what they were told by the "experts" of that time.

I think that is why RoyalGuard is here seeking information. Now, there are many more options available, and more support for parents.

If it worked for you, that is all that is important.

Well IMO, I would seek out as much info as possible, take classes if you can, get books, get out into your local D/deaf commuinity and start learning as a family. I think ASL is the way to go - speachreading also and speech therapy. Check out books at the library is a good thing too!!

RoyalGuard said:

I've spent years learning french, so I've got a little bit of a clue what sort of frustrations to expect...............

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Actually, your knowledge of French will benefit you when learning ASL. ASL grammar, I'm told, is similar to French.

Good luck to you and your family!

Steve