Babies Learn Sign Language First, Words Later

This is true

This is true. My sister's kids are hearing, but they both learned sign before they learned to speak.
 
Very true!

I sign with voice to my children since they were babies and also sign with voice to my children with bedtime story when they were toddler. They love it.

I didn't teach my children how to sign but learn from us automaic thru watch us.

I notice alot of Deaf Germans's hearing children can't sign because their parents didn't show them their own languages. They do everything for their hearing children to forget about their own langages. Now they have the problem to communicate with their hearing children because hearing children don't like to repeat when their parents ask them to speak slowly or pardon.

They REGRET it after saw us and other young Germans parents who sign their hearing children.

I asked them why they speak instead of sign. They said that their children are hearing. I told them that I would not change everything for my children because they are hearing. Why should I? I stay unchange what I am.

I beleive that the children should learn to accept what their parents are as the same as they accept what their children are. Important is COMMUNICATE KEY - love, attention and trust.

I see nothing wrong when the parents want to sign with voice to their children before speak. My both children (12) and (9) sign very good and goes well at school.

I beleive that the children should learn their parents's own languages as the parents learn their children's languages, too.
 
I've been signing and speakin from the day she was born, now at 6 months old, she recognises a few words... she also said her first word just 2 weeks ago *awwwwwww* .. it was 'mama' ..

The signs she recognises are :

Mama
Dada
Finished
More
Bed
Bath
Milk

All the basic ones we need at the moment :lol:
 
I taught my two daughters in ASL when they were four months old. They can read their own books at age three because I have spent a lot of time to teach or read the books with them in ASL before age three. ASL does everything for the babies that works out so well between parents and d/Deaf children which is very important in early age before they can learn how to speak.

In other hands, babies can understand the concept of language in very early age before they can learn how to speak. .It makes sense all babies do not speak or understand without a true language until after two years old to start a very basic language because they can understand before oral method itself.

It makes sense for all d/Deaf children have their rights to have ASL in their lifetime. No matter if u like or not because it s a huge evidence that babies can communicate with their parents in ASL. :nana:

Thank you!
Sweetmind
 
Yes, this is very true! I voiced and signed at the same time to my daughter when she was a baby. She signed more just before she became a toddler and most the time I understood what she want or say. My brother's boy who is 4 months younger than my daughter still fuss because he doesn't sign. I can see the big difference with sign language. It's great.
 
Sweetmind said:
I taught my two daughters in ASL when they were four months old. They can read their own books at age three because I have spent a lot of time to teach or read the books with them in ASL before age three. ASL does everything for the babies that works out so well between parents and d/Deaf children which is very important in early age before they can learn how to speak.

In other hands, babies can understand the concept of language in very early age before they can learn how to speak. .It makes sense all babies do not speak or understand without a true language until after two years old to start a very basic language because they can understand before oral method itself.

It makes sense for all d/Deaf children have their rights to have ASL in their lifetime. No matter if u like or not because it s a huge evidence that babies can communicate with their parents in ASL. :nana:

Thank you!
Sweetmind
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Sweetmind,

While you have my kudos for raising your daughters in the way you saw fit, you MUST keep in mind that early teaching of communication solely in ASL will later on throw off their English training. They'll write, read, SAY everything in ASL and it will make life a little bit harder for them in the long run. My mother did the exact opposite of what you did - she forbade me to learn any sign language and raised me to communicate by speaking. (Keep in mind this - my mother is hearing!) Needless to say, I was left out of the deaf community quite often, and I decided to learn to sign when I was in college - and that's exactly what I did.

*shrug* The point I'm trying to make is - teaching a baby ASL FIRST should only be a last resort. I would recommend (if it was POSSIBLE) teaching the baby to speak first - if one or both of the baby's parents are deaf, then sure, teach the baby to sign in ADDITION to focusing on speech therapy. WHAT does the kid have to lose??? A fine sense of English?
 
It's certainly okay to agree to disagree. You know I love ya Malfoyish, but I do disagree with your position here. I do find that teaching babies sign, helps in their language development and self-expression...deaf or not. However, I do see your point that it may hinder the acquisition of other languages, such as English, later, if the child becomes too dependent on the sign and is unwilling to broaden their horizons (I know some adults like this).
 
Malfoyish 's
While you have my kudos for raising your daughters in the way you saw fit, you MUST keep in mind that early teaching of communication solely in ASL will later on throw off their English training. They'll write, read, SAY everything in ASL and it will make life a little bit harder for them in the long run.
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Believe it or not! My two daughters were above average and always get an A in English classes. The reason is that they are a good reader that helps them to have a good english written. ASL is the one who help them to see the picture and word that I taught them. They did not have any problem since I have always turned the radio or tv on for them to listen that helps them to see the difference. ;)

I do not believe that we can speak and sign together as always. It s usually confused them. Thats why Total Communication is out of order and failure in many ways. It s just for us to say a word each time that u can understand it better. It is more of limitation for us to speak and sign at the same time that slows u down or boring in the conversation. No one wants to deal with that as far as I know. ASL is more of exciting and motivating to have a good communication quickly than oral method itself.

ASL can help d/Deaf children to understand the language first before we can finally understand English written. There are a lot of deaf oralist without ASL , tend to misunderstood the concept as far as I have seen so many times in any forums. What a pity!

:ty:
Sweetmind
 
*shrug* The point I'm trying to make is - teaching a baby ASL FIRST should only be a last resort. I would recommend (if it was POSSIBLE) teaching the baby to speak first - if one or both of the baby's parents are deaf, then sure, teach the baby to sign in ADDITION to focusing on speech therapy. WHAT does the kid have to lose??? A fine sense of English?
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:-o Yikkkeeess!!! Many deafies are being isolated all those years with oral method only. They failed with English written in a big time beause the parents do not sign or encourage them to read a book. They have lost everything in a big time with oral method only itself at home or at school that doesnt have a great communication.

Sorry I do not agree with you. Many d/Deaf children do not normally speak before three years old. Come on. Be reasonable! Thats enough to force these deaf children to speak for your sakes. Let them be a Deaf kid. No more isolation for these d/Deaf children at home or mainstream school. sighs!!

I have seen many hearing people do not write a very good written or spelling because they are depending on their ears not their eyes to read.

READING is the answer that has nothing to do with our deaf ears to make yourself intelligent. The key of communication is the huge important thing to have d/Deaf children in ASL before they can understand the concept of speaking.

Thanks! ;)
Sweetmind
 
Baby signing

My son is 22 months and has a long medical history..but in a nutshell, he lost his hearing gradually perhaps sometime in Aug or Sept 2005. Official diagnosis of profound loss in November. Since Jan 2006 then, I have used sign with him and he understands them (I only know about 30 signs (SE and ASL) but will be learning more at our School for the Deaf starting this week!) and I think it keeps him from being so frustrated. He will be getting a cochlear implant next month but we are embracing ASL and oral speech depending on who he is around. After all, man's technology is never 100% effective-what if the implant shorts out? We want to be our best at both languages. I agree with the lady that said that if he's to learn orally then we MUST learn to sign too. He will always be hearing impaired from that day forward despite any technology that may come our way. Plus,it gives him a choice if he's around HOH, deaf or hearing impaired friends as to what's more comfortable for them. Give him his own sense of independence when he's away from his family. Plus, I feel like it's my job at this stage to let everyone know that he is deaf because that's never gonna change and we'd like people to get rid of their stupid stereotypes regarding people with hearing issues. Their brains and hearts are just like everyone else's for God's sake!
 
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zookeeper4321

I let little G set his own pace. He wears aides when he tolerates them and at school and during therapy. He is learning sign and oral communication. His sister S who is hearing is learning both equally well. She is 1. She loves to sign and will often sign and speak at the same time.
 
Thats very true.

Im only deaf person in my family for present. My sister, Emily who is more than a year young than I am. She learned sign language before to spoken. She been act like that she is deaf for almost 3 years since she born. And my niece learned sign language before to spoken also. Thats very, very true! :D
 
He will be getting a cochlear implant next month but we are embracing ASL and oral speech depending on who he is around. After all, man's technology is never 100% effective-what if the implant shorts out? We want to be our best at both languages. I agree with the lady that said that if he's to learn orally then we MUST learn to sign too. He will always be hearing impaired from that day forward despite any technology that may come our way. Plus,it gives him a choice if he's around HOH, deaf or hearing impaired friends as to what's more comfortable for them. Give him his own sense of independence when he's away from his family. Plus, I feel like it's my job at this stage to let everyone know that he is deaf because that's never gonna change and we'd like people to get rid of their stupid stereotypes regarding people with hearing issues.
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AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Are you a member of the American Society for Deaf Children yet? Join it! It's a GREAT GREAT organization for parents of kids who are dhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Very true!

And it has proven the best prelingual language to teach the first thing for the deaf babies.

I wasn't taught signs till maybe 4 by deaf school but wish my hearing parents did. I taught my mother and siblings how to fingerspell and little signs when I was about 7.
 
It's quite fascinating to see a small baby signing. I used to sign to the kids I baby-sat for. Their mother had been a deaf education teacher, but hadn't taught her kids to sign. I taught the youngest, who was about 7 or 8 months old at the time some basics (mom, food, sleep), and his mom was shocked when he used them with her for the first time. This was about 3 months before he spoke his first words.

The first years are critical for language acquisition, regardless of whether it's signed or spoken. You'll tend to find that children who are deaf and have deaf parents often have pretty decent English. The people who tend to have poor English are the ones whose parents didn't expose them to language, period.
 
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