Communication is about Connecting with Others

Signs, words, facial expressions, eye contact, a kick of the foot, cries and giggles are all about communication, and communication is about connecting with others, expressing needs, wants, thoughts and ideas. The more children and babies feel understood, the more they will use these modes of communication to initiate a reaction from you.

Establishing a routine allows children to anticipate and to feel in control; establishing a routine is a good thing. Sign language is a wonderful tool to incorporate into your routine as it helps the baby’s brain to anticipate, remember and to be understood. By having a routine, the chances of your baby guessing what is next, or anticipating what is next is much greater. “Oh, so when mommy signs ‘milk’, I’m going to be fed.” Eventually he’ll try to communicate his desire by imitating your sign or by approximating his own.

Focus on keeping learning fun, and communication about being understood. When you demonstrate that you understand what your baby is thinking, he feels successful in his communication - his simple reward is “they understand me!” When I asked, 'oh do you want milk?', your baby may give you a big smile, nod of his head, a nuzzle in your breast, a clap of his hands or a gleeful kick of his foot. This is great communication. He is using his signs to let you know what he wants.

a routine...

signing has been invaluable in my family.  my little boy has learned many signs, and at 21 months, continues to use them daily.

as a teacher of sign language for babies, i know how wonderful it is when you see your baby sign for the first time...and how helpful a tool signing is to have for all involved.

that said, as a special education teacher, there is really a place in my heart for teaching children with special needs.  academics, social skills...and now, sign language.  when signing is used as a tool for language that otherwise may not yet be possible, the importance of it, and value of it...skyrockets.

for my next few posts, i've decided to give some tips on teaching signing to children with special needs.  now, granted, many of these strategies can be helpful for any child, so feel free to follow along!

for my first topic, i'd like to touch on the importance of routine...

many children benefit from some type of routine.  we all do...even if it's simply the general routine of having three meals a day, and going to bed at night.  so, when teaching signing to children with special needs, i often use a schedule of some sort.  i have pictures of each activity we're going to do, and as each one finishes, we take it down, and place it in a "finished" envelope.  the child can see from the pictures what is happening next, and even what is expected from him or her throughout the session. by having this simple tool, it not only puts the child at ease, but it also allows both the parent and me to know what we'll be doing for the length of the session.

in addition to this tool, i try to keep some of the session similar each time.  we might start and end with the same activity each time...a song, bubbles...things like that.  this gives the child several types of indications (visual, aural, tactile) that our session is starting or coming to an end.

each child may not need the same amount of consistency...and that's where individualization is important!  each child has his or her own unique needs and preferences...just like each of us :)