Guest guest Posted December 11, 2004 Report Share Posted December 11, 2004 Hi Vicky, We communicate with using British Sign Language. She goes to a school where BSL is the teaching language and English is taught as a second language (sign bilingual school). In reality, her expressive language is quite limited but she understands way more than she is able to communicate. That is a start and she constantly surprises us by understanding something we sign without thinking she will understand. Like today, she came and signed " book " to me while trying to drag me to her story books, I signed " you get the book yourself " and she wandered off and tried to get a book. Now I did not think she would understand that. Guess it's all in there and waiting to come out. I am a great believer that using more than one mode of communication can only be a positive thing. Even at 18 months, it is of course not too late to try out different types of communication. Be patient and persevere though if it appears that you are getting nothing back for considerable periods of time( referering to signing). I do remember thinking that will never understand or express herself etc etc but suddenly last summer, she decided to let us know that she can use expressive language. We are still having to work quite hard on this but it is gradually improving. I am sure your speech and language therapist will also in due course explore the idea of pictures for communication. Really, the hard thing has been learning a new language and remembering to use it when speaking to our other daughter when is there so she does not get excluded. We have also not been great at signing our conversations to each other when she is around. Hopefully this will come in due course. We are still learning BSL of course so there are times when we simply don't have the language to speak and sign competently. At this point I have to stop and remember that is only 4-1/2 and delayed in her language so I should minimise the neurosis. Her sister picks it up so fast but I have to also remember that she is (a) hearing with no vision problems or other problems we are aware of ( at an age where absorbing info like a sponge is the done thing © to all intents and purposes, she is growing up bilingual (more oral, less BSL but sometimes uses BSL to make her 2 year old speech understood). I have rattled on a bit so hope a little of this waffle has answered your question. Vicky, the issue of communication is an emotive one so I do appreciate how scary this must all be for you (it still sometimes is for me too). Once you have decided on the best mode for , just go for it (and it sounds as though you are starting to sign). I do find BSL quite difficult but I actually really enjoy learning and using it which I guess makes life easier. Good luck in exploring all this stuff and as I said before, keep asking the questions. Flo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 11, 2004 Report Share Posted December 11, 2004 Flo -- i am training to be an ASL interpreter but i am also very interested in learning BSL as well... various reasons -- maybe being a bibliophile is an allencompasing thing i dunno lol but do you know of any sites online that might help me persue this interest? cole. > Hi Vicky, > We communicate with using British Sign Language. She goes to a > school where BSL is the teaching language and English is taught as a second > language (sign bilingual school). In reality, her expressive language is > quite limited but she understands way more than she is able to communicate. > That is a start and she constantly surprises us by understanding something > we sign without thinking she will understand. Like today, she came and > signed " book " to me while trying to drag me to her story books, I signed > " you get the book yourself " and she wandered off and tried to get a book. > Now I did not think she would understand that. Guess it's all in there and > waiting to come out. > > I am a great believer that using more than one mode of communication can > only be a positive thing. Even at 18 months, it is of course not too late > to try out different types of communication. Be patient and persevere > though if it appears that you are getting nothing back for considerable > periods of time( referering to signing). I do remember thinking that > will never understand or express herself etc etc but suddenly last > summer, she decided to let us know that she can use expressive language. We > are still having to work quite hard on this but it is gradually improving. I > am sure your speech and language therapist will also in due course explore > the idea of pictures for communication. > > Really, the hard thing has been learning a new language and remembering to > use it when speaking to our other daughter when is there so she does > not get excluded. We have also not been great at signing our conversations > to each other when she is around. Hopefully this will come in due course. > We are still learning BSL of course so there are times when we simply don't > have the language to speak and sign competently. At this point I have to > stop and remember that is only 4-1/2 and delayed in her language so > I should minimise the neurosis. Her sister picks it up so fast but I have > to also remember that she is (a) hearing with no vision problems or other > problems we are aware of ( at an age where absorbing info like a sponge is > the done thing © to all intents and purposes, she is growing up bilingual > (more oral, less BSL but sometimes uses BSL to make her 2 year old speech > understood). > > I have rattled on a bit so hope a little of this waffle has answered your > question. Vicky, the issue of communication is an emotive one so I do > appreciate how scary this must all be for you (it still sometimes is for me > too). Once you have decided on the best mode for , just go for it (and > it sounds as though you are starting to sign). I do find BSL quite > difficult but I actually really enjoy learning and using it which I guess > makes life easier. > > Good luck in exploring all this stuff and as I said before, keep asking the > questions. > > Flo > > > > > Membership of this email support groups does not constitute membership in > the CHARGE Syndrome Foundation. > For information about the CHARGE Syndrome > Foundation or to become a member (and get the newsletter) > please contact marion@... or visit > the CHARGE Syndrome Foundation web page > at http://www.chargesyndrome.org > 7th International > CHARGE Syndrome Conference, Miami Beach, Florida, July 22-24, 2005. > Information will be available at our website > www.chargesyndrome.org or by calling 1-. In Canada, you may > contact CHARGE Syndrome Canada at 1- (families), visit > www.chargesyndrome.ca, or email info@.... Thank you! > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 12, 2004 Report Share Posted December 12, 2004 Hi Cole, My goodness, you must be a sign enthusiast. I am having so much trouble with BSL reception I would not dare to consider another sign language but I guess you are either a linguist or not, and it is obvious now that I am not (at least not in reception anyway). Unfortunately, I have not really used websites as when I have looked, I have found them quite limited. The main one I can think of is www.britishsignlanguage.com. It only has a limited number of signs/words. I think it really exists to promote their CD rom. Guess it is better than nothing. If I come across any more, will let you know. Yesterday, we were watching See/Hear on TV ( a weekly BSL programme). A British presenter is in the USA covering various deaf issues (deaf Elvis, a spiritualist, a theatre group etc). Interesting to see how different the two languages are (ASL and BSL) but they seem to understand each other. We are planning to come to the conference in Miami next year and kind of wonder how will be in an environment where maybe ASL is the main language and hers is BSL. We will work on a basic dictionary or something (we do not want Elly at the tender age of 3 to be her interpretor if it can be avoided). Oops, getting on a hobby horse again! Ask a simple question!!! Flo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 12, 2004 Report Share Posted December 12, 2004 hehe i kind of am a sign enthusiast -- i am really interested in learning all i can -- how cool would it be to eventually be able to be an international sign interpreter??? as it is i'm not even a level one ASL interpreter yet but hey gotta set your sights high right? thanks for the link!!! it isn't really just sign language that i'm interested in learning -- i'm also interested in learning spanish and italian (already know a very little bit) like i say aim high! but really sign is my main focus right now because of Ethan and because it is my career of choice -- a bit limited right now though because of a broken arm -- apparently the school has to 'modify' for me but i don't want to learn with modification first... does that make sense? i am still practicing and it makes great OT for me but i don't want to pay for classes that would have to be modified for a temporary condition... mebbe i'm strange... anyway Thanx for the link!!! cole Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 13, 2004 Report Share Posted December 13, 2004 With ASL I think you are wise. My husband has the 2 bones in his right forearm fused from a prior injury. He is right hand dominant, so that should be his dominant signing hand; the one that moves when the other is still etc. Unfortunately that arm does not move in many positions needed to make a sign, so he would switch back and forth. Drove his Deaf instructors nuts, gave them a headache, because it was so visually off to go back and forth, so he had to learn to sign left handed. Basically had to sit on his left hand for a long time, to keep it from taking over, but he needed to learn to do the signs left handed consistently. I think you should wait until you can learn to make the signs the way you would with both hands working. Now skilled signers can make the sign with very little movement. Me I don't think I will ever get there. Kim > > hehe i kind of am a sign enthusiast -- i am really interested in > learning all i can -- how cool would it be to eventually be able to be > an international sign interpreter??? as it is i'm not even a level one > ASL interpreter yet but hey gotta set your sights high right? thanks > for the link!!! it isn't really just sign language that i'm > interested in learning -- i'm also interested in learning spanish and > italian (already know a very little bit) like i say aim high! but > really sign is my main focus right now because of Ethan and because it > is my career of choice -- a bit limited right now though because of a > broken arm -- apparently the school has to 'modify' for me but i don't > want to learn with modification first... does that make sense? i am > still practicing and it makes great OT for me but i don't want to pay > for classes that would have to be modified for a temporary > condition... mebbe i'm strange... > anyway Thanx for the link!!! > cole > > > > Membership of this email support groups does not constitute membership in the > CHARGE Syndrome Foundation. > For information about the CHARGE Syndrome > Foundation or to become a member (and get the newsletter) > please contact marion@... or visit > the CHARGE Syndrome Foundation web page > at http://www.chargesyndrome.org > 7th International > CHARGE Syndrome Conference, Miami Beach, Florida, July 22-24, 2005. > Information will be available at our website > www.chargesyndrome.org or by calling 1-. In Canada, you may > contact CHARGE Syndrome Canada at 1- (families), visit > www.chargesyndrome.ca, or email info@.... Thank you! > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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