Guest guest Posted March 20, 2004 Report Share Posted March 20, 2004 I would be willing to bet they use sign in the classroom with some of the other kids and he is picking it up. They may even be encouraging him to sign. If this is the case if your form of communication is AV you need to make sure that they are insisting that he talk as well. I personally don't have a problem with sign but if you want him to be a primary speaker then they need to insist that he not sign unless he is using his voice as well. We have a TC thing going on, but can't speak so they focus on everything. The thing that is kind of similar to your situation is we want him to sign proficiantly, and well they aren't really working on sign from what I am seeing, they are working on him responding to signs, but they are using pictures for him to make a choice which is not what I want. He is able to sign they shouldn't give him a less effective form of communication, they need to push him to sign more and more and instead they are letting him communicate in the easiest form which in his case is less effective and I don't appreciate it. I think in the same way you want your son to speak and they are obviously encouraging him to sign and perhaps not insisting that he speak. You need to talk to them and make sure they are insisting that he speak and if not then you need to insist he be moved to a different class because his goals aren't to have a large sign vocabularly his goal is to have a large speach vocabulary and while sign may be ok for some, if it is hindering his speach production that is something you may not want to do. Anyway that's my take on the situation. It is also possable that they don't encourage him to sign but that they are signing to other kids and the other kids are primary signers and so he is picking up on it because he likes it. Re: signing? <<This weekend has signed " more " several times without using his voice and I have to remind him to use his voice. It's very strange because he's always talking! He's also signing " again " and " help " a lot and I could have sworn he signed " want " last night which is one he never did. Any thoughts on this?>> , For your own information, you definitely should just come out and ask if sign is being used in the classroom. If it is, and if you feel that is not using his voice because it's not being required of him, THAT is what I'd have in the IEP. Being exposed to sign, particularly when it's not directed at him (it sounds as if you think it's being used with another child) shouldn't get in the way of 's being oral as long as he is expected AND REQUIRED to speak. The school my son was in uses ONLY Total Communication with SEE but the kids are required (not just requested) to speak as well. Any incorrect attempts are corrected with the " again " method, in which the teacher prompts the child until they say the sentence they are attempting correctly. After three years in the school, it was who decided to be only oral and he is now mainstreamed. Many of his friends from that school have CI's and, during a recent playdate with 4 of them, none of them signed, even though that is how they communicate at school. They all chattered away, instead. I know my " evidence " is only anecdotal but I think, at least in the case of our friends, that exposure to sign obviously did not impair their ability to learn to speak, and very well. Also, now that they're all 7 and 8 years old and have a lot to say, I'm sure the kiddos choose to be verbal mainly because it's faster and less work! LOL! Just my .02, but perhaps you need to write into the IEP that will speak 100% of the time, if that is your goal, and that he be asked to use his voice as you did with him at home. Perhaps he's imitating another child and just curious to see what happens if he just signs as well. Carol - mom to , 7.11, mod to profound, LVAS All messages posted to this list are private and confidential. Each post is the intellectual property of the author and therefore subject to copyright restrictions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 21, 2004 Report Share Posted March 21, 2004 In a message dated 3/20/2004 1:56:40 PM Pacific Standard Time, srkearns@... writes: It's very strange because he's always talking! He's also signing " again " and " help " a lot and I could have sworn he signed " want " last night which is one he never did. Any thoughts on this? It does sound like he's being exposed to sign at school. Although, every once in a while Neal still pulls out signs that he hasn't used in ages and throws them in like he's been using them the whole time. Signing seems to really cement in their minds, even if it's not being reenforced. At Neal's school I know for sure none of the teachers are using or teaching signs, but there are kids who, like Neal, used to use sign and they still sign to eachother sometimes. That could be what's happening at 's school too. If I were you I would want to go and observe a few days to see what's happening and make sure it's nothing that is taking away from the time that needs to have spent on oral language and communucation in order to reach his goals. I wouldn't tell the staff that you were looking for problems. Just that you want to observe at school to get ideas for how to reenforce what they are doing at home. ~Rhonda~ Mom to Audrey, 7, hearing & Neal, 4, CII 6-11-02 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 21, 2004 Report Share Posted March 21, 2004 In a message dated 3/20/2004 1:56:40 PM Pacific Standard Time, srkearns@... writes: It's very strange because he's always talking! He's also signing " again " and " help " a lot and I could have sworn he signed " want " last night which is one he never did. Any thoughts on this? It does sound like he's being exposed to sign at school. Although, every once in a while Neal still pulls out signs that he hasn't used in ages and throws them in like he's been using them the whole time. Signing seems to really cement in their minds, even if it's not being reenforced. At Neal's school I know for sure none of the teachers are using or teaching signs, but there are kids who, like Neal, used to use sign and they still sign to eachother sometimes. That could be what's happening at 's school too. If I were you I would want to go and observe a few days to see what's happening and make sure it's nothing that is taking away from the time that needs to have spent on oral language and communucation in order to reach his goals. I wouldn't tell the staff that you were looking for problems. Just that you want to observe at school to get ideas for how to reenforce what they are doing at home. ~Rhonda~ Mom to Audrey, 7, hearing & Neal, 4, CII 6-11-02 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 21, 2004 Report Share Posted March 21, 2004 In a message dated 3/20/2004 1:56:40 PM Pacific Standard Time, srkearns@... writes: It's very strange because he's always talking! He's also signing " again " and " help " a lot and I could have sworn he signed " want " last night which is one he never did. Any thoughts on this? It does sound like he's being exposed to sign at school. Although, every once in a while Neal still pulls out signs that he hasn't used in ages and throws them in like he's been using them the whole time. Signing seems to really cement in their minds, even if it's not being reenforced. At Neal's school I know for sure none of the teachers are using or teaching signs, but there are kids who, like Neal, used to use sign and they still sign to eachother sometimes. That could be what's happening at 's school too. If I were you I would want to go and observe a few days to see what's happening and make sure it's nothing that is taking away from the time that needs to have spent on oral language and communucation in order to reach his goals. I wouldn't tell the staff that you were looking for problems. Just that you want to observe at school to get ideas for how to reenforce what they are doing at home. ~Rhonda~ Mom to Audrey, 7, hearing & Neal, 4, CII 6-11-02 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 21, 2004 Report Share Posted March 21, 2004 I have had experience with special needs preschools in three districts now (being involved with my nephew, who is autistic, and now with Sammy who starts school next month). All three schools used some basic signing -potty, wait, quiet, more, etc.- with the children, so I would not be surprised if this is the case with your district as well. Many autistic children benefit from using basic sign, as well as other children with speech delay. I am a BIG supporter of public school special needs preschools, and I am thrilled that Sam is soon starting in our district...he will be going to school with typically developing peers, kids on the autistic spectrum, children with physical disabilities, etc. We all have much to learn from each other....and in my experience, the teachers and aides are very good. Our Sammy is also using AV, and I'm not worried about incidental signing happening around him. The preschool is a language enriched environment, and spoken language is always encouraged and promoted, even when using visual reinforcement for the children who need it. Best, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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