[Fwd: ARTICLES: FAQ about sign and speech]

[Guest guest]

I ran across this today and thought it might be helpful to those of you

exploring sign language for your tots...the " diagnosis " referred to in

the article is Downs Syndrome, but the information about signing and

communicating is universal.

-------- Messaggio Originale --------

Oggetto: [ ] ARTICLES: FAQ about sign and speech

Data: Tue, 16 Nov 2004 09:01:19 -0500

Da: Tricia Morin <tricia@...>

Rispondi-a:

A: Childrensapraxianetgroups (DOT) Com

< >

The Use of Signs by Children with Down Syndrome

Down Syndrome Today Spring 1993, Vol. 2, No. 2, p. 22-3 Marita R. Hopmann

<mailto:mhopmann@...>, Ph.D. Research, Demonstration & Evaluation

Administration on Children, Youth & Families Department of Health & Human

Services 330 C. Street, S.W. - Room 2117 Washington, DC 20447 (202)

205-8398; Fax: (202) 205-9721 Printed with the permission of Marita R.

Hopmann <mailto:mhopmann@...>, Ph.D. and Darlynne A. Devenny, Ph.D.

The shortest distance between two points, we are taught in highschool

geometry, is a straight line. Developmental patterns, though, often deviate

from the " straight line " approach. For example, many parents of babies with

Down syndrome are being advised to use sign language to help their children

learn to talk.

Although we currently lack a large body of research about the use of sign

language with children with Down syndrome, a number of reports, together

with many clinical observations, provide initial support for this

intervention, often called Total Communication. Let me share with your some

of our observations, along with information from research findings,

presented as responses to the questions parents have often asked.

My child isn't deaf. Why signing?

Signs may be useful for children with Down syndrome for a variety of

reasons. The primary motivation involves language production, often called

" language expression. " Creating signs comes earlier for many children than

saying the corresponding word, both for children with Down syndrome and

normally developing youngsters. Perhaps the oral motor planning required for

talking is more complex than instructions for the hands in signing. It might

also help that one can assist a child in forming signs?called " hand over

hand. "

A second purpose involves comprehension, or understanding what someone says.

While your child may not have any hearing loss at this time, hearing loss is

common among children with Down syndrome; these children may benefit by

seeing what someone is saying when they are having problems hearing it. In

addition, spoken language occurs very quickly; one can often " hold " at least

part of a sign in place so that a child who needs extra time can inspect and

re-inspect the signal.

Why should I ask my child who hasn't learned to speak any English to learn

an additional language?

All children deserve to have means to communicate. Manual signs may provide

a way of communicating a message at a time when the child does not yet have

the oral motor coordination necessary to say a word.

Why not just wait for the child to talk? Language is learned in the

give-and-take of conversations. Signing can provide a means of taking part

in these conversational exchanges, and can move the child into the arena of

learning language and participating in the goings on of others. In addition,

frustrations resulting from inability to express oneself can be reduced by

providing the child a way of communicating his or her interests and wishes.

What is the difference between Total Communication and Sign Language?

In sign language, vocabulary and syntax are represented by hand movements.

It is a complete language unto itself. Total Communication (TC) refers to

the philosophy that individuals are encouraged to use oral language and

other means (including sign language, gestures, signs, pictures, writing) to

communicate as fully as possible what is on their minds, and understand what

others are communicating. It puts the emphasis on the most important issue,

communication.

>From a practical point of view, TC for youngsters with Down syndrome

typically means the simultaneous use by the adults of a spoken word together

with the sign for that word. Parental anxiety should be eased by knowing

that the child will be hearing the spoken word as often as if only spoken

language were used.

Usually children with Down syndrome are taught signing as a transitional

phenomenon, to assist them to become oral communicators. As they gain

competence at oral communication ( " talking " ), the use of signs diminishes in

importance, whether because of the children's greater interest in learning

to talk, or because of the adults' reduced use of signs.

Will the use of signs delay or interfere with my child's interest and/or

skills at talking?

Much of the concern that children will prefer signing over talking because

" it is easier " is misplaced. The emphasis on Total Communication should

serve as a reminder that one is not using signing as an alternative to oral

language, but presenting both simultaneously and guiding the child to

effective communication. There is no evidence that this use of signing

interferes with the development of speaking. In fact, there are many reports

of children following a progression of signing, then signing and speaking a

word, and finally only speaking the term. Our research and that of Dr. Jon

at the University of Wisconsin shows that few words are spoken and

signed at the same time; it's possible that the period of time that words

are simultaneously signed and spoken may be quite brief, so that our

information, based on a particular point in time, may miss many of these

events.

Appropriate attention should also be spent on ways of helping children who

have oral motor planning difficulties gain competence at voluntary control

of their voices, tongues, lips. An ultimate goal is always to assist the

child to learn to speak so that the child's message will be understood by

both strangers and those familiar with him or her.

How do I pick the signs to teach my child?

Deciding which concepts to sign is a process that should involve the speech

pathologist, family members, and other frequent caregivers. Initially, one

should encourage the use of " natural gestures " waving bye-bye, holding up

one's arm to be picked up, saying the words clearly as the child (and adult)

make the motions.

To select vocabulary to sign, one first thinks about things children

want/need to tell the people around them - that they want more food or

drink, that they're all done with their meal, that they do not want to do

what you want them to do! In addition to learning names for people, things,

and actions, children need vocabulary to communicate expressions of

politeness (please, thank you) as well as their feelings. Children also need

to have ways to describe things (for example, pretty, big, hot). The most

useful general guide for selecting a child's sign vocabulary is probably to

look carefully at what the child is doing and is interested in. At the 1991

Convention of the National Down Syndrome Congress, Betsy Gibbs and Ann

Springer listed as the 15 " starter signs " eat, drink, bed, more, finish/all

done, cracker, bottle, mother, daddy, music, block, boat, ball, cat, and

dog.

Do kids learn many signs?

In our work, and that of Dr. , one sees a wide range in the use of

signing by infants with Down syndrome. The families we've studied have

varied considerably in the parents' enthusiasm at signing and the amount of

support they have received from Early Intervention to provide signs for

their children. Overall, when the children reached a mental age of one year,

they produced a similar number of oral and signed words, producing a similar

size vocabulary to that of normally-developing children. In this simple way,

we see that their ability to communicate with signing doubles what they can

say.

Should I be concerned that my child isn't making the signs properly?

When children start using signs they show similar patterns to children

starting to talk, with many of their first attempts " off the mark " of the

target word. Think of a typical child's way of saying the color yellow - at

first it often sounds like " lellow " . As with the child's mispronunciations,

the best way of helping your child learn the target sign is to use it when

he or she is paying attention to what the word stands for (for example,

teach the sign ball when the child is playing with one); when your child

signs the word to you, repeat what the child has done, then say or sign it

" correctly " and add another sign. In this way a child is encouraged to

communicate and learns the way others are using words and signs in a

cheerful atmosphere.

In summary, the use of signs as part of a Total Communication environment

seems like a sensible approach to early communication development for many

children with Down syndrome. The goal is always to teach children to be as

effective as possible in communicating a wide range of ideas to others, and

to understand what others are trying to communicate to them.

For further reading on Total Communication Dr. Hopmann suggests:

Gibbs, E.D., & Carswell, L.E. (1991). Using Total Communication with young

children with Down syndrome: A literature review and case study. Early

Education and Development, 2, 306-320.

, J.F. (1992). Development of speech and language in children with

Down syndrome. In I.T. Lott & E.E. McCoy (Eds.), Down syndrome: Advances in

medical care (pp.39-50). New York: Wiley-Liss.

http://www.csdsa.org/artsigns.htm