My kid doesn't sign back

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InnocentOdion

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Hi everyone,
I've asked people elsewhere this, but I thought I would here because I'll probably get better answers besides 'you're not trying hard enough!'

My daughter is 15 months old now, and she doesn't sign much. I've taught her sign for some time, but she doesn't respond back. In fact, when I sign to her, she looks away -- always has! We always watch "Mr Tumble" so she can at least see people signing (though this is Makaton, ugh).

How can I encourage my darling little brat :)giggle:) to sign more? Her speech is delayed (she can say "mam, dad, pop (also for food), ta, "ap" for up, no and yeah), but she can sign a few more words (for example, thank you, hungry, like, love, as well as the words I listed for speech) -- problem is, she chooses not to sign most of the time.

As well as me being HH, I miss conversation so it's a little frustrating for me.
I blame the mother, she almost never signs to her no matter how many times I ask her to sign more. In fact, when I sign to her she speaks back. I think it's ignorant. :dunno: :run:
 
Do you use your voice while signing to your daughter?
 
InnocentOdion said:
Yeah, normally.
Think I should drop voice or keep it?
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That was the mistake I made with my daughter who is 10 years old now. I used both signing and voice with her and even today she still speaks back, not sign back. I wish I had kept both languages separate.

With my 2 year old son, I keep both languages separate. He didnt look at me at first when he was around a year old to 18 months...after that, he looks at anyone who is signing to him and he signs back. In fact, his ASL is much more fluent than his English. He signs like he is deaf.

My suggestion is to keep both languages separate. Up to you.
 
shel90 said:
That was the mistake I made with my daughter who is 10 years old now. I used both signing and voice with her and even today she still speaks back, not sign back. I wish I had kept both languages separate.

With my 2 year old son, I keep both languages separate. He didnt look at me at first when he was around a year old to 18 months...after that, he looks at anyone who is signing to him and he signs back. In fact, his ASL is much more fluent than his English. He signs like he is deaf.

My suggestion is to keep both languages separate. Up to you.
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Hmm. Maybe that's what I should do then.

I think I should drop it, too. Wife seems to think that if I drop my voice she won't understand what I'm saying. Apparently the "Baby Bop" club my wife has been to a few times, said you should never not use your voice because "it could damage their learning".
Arses to 'em, do you think so too?

However, I don't want to have my daughter so much better in BSL that her English suffers; got to find a decent balance. Mind you she should pick up spoken English in school shouldn't she? Everyone's been telling me to stop signing to her because her speaking is behind, but they can't seem to understand her speech is behind because she had an operation on her tongue (if she didn't have, she would have been mute).


Just curious, what is the ASL (and hopefully BSL) sign for "mute" and "quiet"?
 
InnocentOdion said:
Hmm. Maybe that's what I should do then.

I think I should drop it, too. Wife seems to think that if I drop my voice she won't understand what I'm saying. Apparently the "Baby Bop" club my wife has been to a few times, said you should never not use your voice because "it could damage their learning".
Arses to 'em, do you think so too?

However, I don't want to have my daughter so much better in BSL that her English suffers; got to find a decent balance. Mind you she should pick up spoken English in school shouldn't she? Everyone's been telling me to stop signing to her because her speaking is behind, but they can't seem to understand her speech is behind because she had an operation on her tongue (if she didn't have, she would have been mute).




Just curious, what is the ASL (and hopefully BSL) sign for "mute" and "quiet"?
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Those people at your wife's Baby Bop are listening to old and outdated myths. It wont damage her learning nor her English will suffer if u drop your voice. My son just learned to count thru ASL without voice. He is learning the concept of numbers just fine.

Many CODAs learn ASL without voice during their first few years of their lives and many adult CODAs are very fluent in both languages.

U can go to ASLPRO.com to look for the signs for those two words. I suck at describing signs.
 
Thanks! I'll tell my wife about this.

I know that the myths are outdated myself but it's annoying when they try to force them from one group to another.

I want to learn ASL quite quickly, because my sis-in-law is going to adopt a Deaf kid (sometime soon) and I want to be able to chat to the kid whenever that time is, but obviously I won't get much practice here in England. I need more Deaf online friends, I guess. I've tried going in camfrog but I don't have camfrog pro.
 
InnocentOdion said:
Thanks! I'll tell my wife about this.

I know that the myths are outdated myself but it's annoying when they try to force them from one group to another.

I want to learn ASL quite quickly, because my sis-in-law is going to adopt a Deaf kid (sometime soon) and I want to be able to chat to the kid whenever that time is, but obviously I won't get much practice here in England. I need more Deaf online friends, I guess. I've tried going in camfrog but I don't have camfrog pro.
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Wow! That must be so exciting with the adoption! I would love to adopt a deaf child myself. Maybe someday. :)

Good luck!
 
Wow my son learn very little sign language when he was a tolddler and didnt pick up english so the doctor order him to go to early intervention and it help alot and he was picking up really fast. So most of the time we speak. Sometimes I used sign language so I could understand what he was staying. I wish he sign more to me so I may one day lose my hearing completely. :D

Do what Shel90 said and I agree with her.
 
shel90 said:
Wow! That must be so exciting with the adoption! I would love to adopt a deaf child myself. Maybe someday. :)

Good luck!
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I think it'll be great when they do. They're both really good parents and their signing is pretty decent too.
 
horselover61 said:
Wow my son learn very little sign language when he was a tolddler and didnt pick up english so the doctor order him to go to early intervention and it help alot and he was picking up really fast. So most of the time we speak. Sometimes I used sign language so I could understand what he was staying. I wish he sign more to me so I may one day lose my hearing completely. :D

Do what Shel90 said and I agree with her.
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I have a similar problem. I am partially deaf and I don't know if I will go permanently Deaf. My wife and I both know Sign Language but we speak when we sign (though I sign more than my wife). I'm probably going to drop the voice, or use it less often.
 
InnocentOdion said:
Thanks! I'll tell my wife about this.

I know that the myths are outdated myself but it's annoying when they try to force them from one group to another.

I want to learn ASL quite quickly, because my sis-in-law is going to adopt a Deaf kid (sometime soon) and I want to be able to chat to the kid whenever that time is, but obviously I won't get much practice here in England. I need more Deaf online friends, I guess. I've tried going in camfrog but I don't have camfrog pro.
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How your in law do that find adopt a deaf kid or baby? bec I want adopt a deaf boy! :)
 
Well dhh kids tend not to be too popular b/c they are special needs. Unfortunatly, the babies who get adopted easily are all white. Special needs or other minority babies have a much much harder time being adopted.
 
Remember - receptive skills usually develop before expressive skills... and every child has his/her own timeline. The most important thing is she is getting ONGOING language input.
 
I have almost never voice with my son, now age 7. He signs very fluently and can understand my Deaf friends also.

I also think it's mistake to voice with child if you want them to learn sign language. It will NOT hurt their speech or their English. Our son reads at 5th grade level!

What you can do to get your baby or toddler used to it, is to just do "game" with her/him. Say "for one hour today we are both not going to use our voice and sign only". At first it's a little tough, but then after the third or fourth time your baby gets more fluent and doens't mind to turn off voice.

Also this improves their receptive skills. And you can voice with them 23 other hours the day. :)

Then when they get older preschool, you can say, ok for 2 hours, no voice today. Whoever wins, will get new toy or icecream, whatever the gift!

This is what several of my Deaf and HOH friends did. Also try take kids to Deaf clubs during the day.

Get Deaf baby sitter who will not voice.

Hope this will help! But don't give up, because it's never too late! :)
 
DeafTJ said:
I have almost never voice with my son, now age 7. He signs very fluently and can understand my Deaf friends also.

I also think it's mistake to voice with child if you want them to learn sign language. It will NOT hurt their speech or their English. Our son reads at 5th grade level!

What you can do to get your baby or toddler used to it, is to just do "game" with her/him. Say "for one hour today we are both not going to use our voice and sign only". At first it's a little tough, but then after the third or fourth time your baby gets more fluent and doens't mind to turn off voice.

Also this improves their receptive skills. And you can voice with them 23 other hours the day. :)

Then when they get older preschool, you can say, ok for 2 hours, no voice today. Whoever wins, will get new toy or icecream, whatever the gift!

This is what several of my Deaf and HOH friends did. Also try take kids to Deaf clubs during the day.

Get Deaf baby sitter who will not voice.

Hope this will help! But don't give up, because it's never too late! :)
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Good advice!


My son goes to a Deaf sitter..he is so fluent in ASL but when he is home, he switches to spoken English with my hearing hubby. At 2 years old, not being exposed to speech all day hasnt hurted him. :)
 
Shel, he sounds so cute!
He signs with you, though?

If your husband also play the 'hour-off-voice" game, then your son will get used to signing with your husband also. :)

It only takes an hour a day. :)

P.S. I want to adopt another Deaf child also!
 
DeafTJ said:
Shel, he sounds so cute!
He signs with you, though?

If your husband also play the 'hour-off-voice" game, then your son will get used to signing with your husband also. :)

It only takes an hour a day. :)

P.S. I want to adopt another Deaf child also!
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My husband, himself, could also use the hour "voice-off" game cuz his receptive skills are so poor. I usually have to voice while signing with him. He cant understand me if I dont use my voice just like I cant understand him if he uses his voice only without signing.

My son does switch to ASL and spoken English with me cuz I have good oral skills also (I was raised oral-only :roll:)

I would rather just use more ASL at home.
 
Ha cute. However if its ASL that you really want at home, only you can make it happen.

Let your husband know it's very important to you that he improves with signing and can understand you no matter if you voice or not. Maybe go to Deaf chats together. .

And you can also ask your husband to do the hour game with both you and your son. It's way more fun when it's a total family thing! :)
 
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