HELP!!!

if there was a sign i could tell everyone to teach their child...it would be "help!" this sign has been absolutely invaluable to our family! my son, now 16 months, has been signing his approximation of "help" for months now, and it has saved us from meltdowns, confusion, and frustration!

not only has it saved us from things...but it has provided us with a sort of trust...leo asks for help, and i know he's in need of help. what also comes of this, is that he asks for help when he's ready. i'm not jumping in on his own exploration and development. and he doesn't have to get upset when he is ready...he simply asks.

here he is, at 15 months, asking for help with opening a banana (after signing banana, too :) )

Give the Gift of Language

The holidays bring a spirit of giving. I thought about the gift of language and how through communication, we understand each other more and draw closer to each other.

And as the new year is approaching, I strongly encourage those of you at home who know more than one language, to strive and find out what works for you in teaching those languages.

This does not work for every household, but between my husband and I, I speak English to our children and he speaks Vietnamese. I predominantly am the one teaching sign language along with those spoken languages, and my husband tries to use the signs he knows to bridge the two languages together.

I realize that with giving the gift of language, my daughter of 20 months, is choosing which communication method works best for her as she is bridging the three languages together in her own way.

For instance, when she was not able to vocally produce the word “dirty,” she simply said the Vietnamese word for dirty which sounds like “yuh.” Around the age of one, as I would say "dirty" and sign, she would say "yuh" and sign dirty. She understood that all three languages meant the same thing.

At other times, when she was not able to vocally produce a word, she would sign that word. She signed “milk” for a very long time, and then all of the sudden around 16 months, I noticed she was not signing “milk” any more. It was because she was saying “milk.”

And some times my daughter chooses her own language... body language. For instance, my daughter doesn’t say the word “frog” in Vietnamese or English, nor does she use the sign, but she does insist on bouncing her whole body up and down while saying “ribbit, ribbit” each time she sees a frog. She’s communicating and giving me a gift of laughter.

The power of communication is in her hands... in many different ways.

Happy Holidays! Written by Shawna Tran: www.mybabydetails.com

Just Sign It

As your little one is maturing and finding new adventures and discoveries of life (such as the discovery of “candy” this holiday season^_^), it not only brings the opportunity to teach new words but to introduce these words with signs at the same time.

*A cold late afternoon brought my daughter and I to our back yard where she kept saying “dirty” as she pointed to the leaves. Last year when there were leaves on the ground, she was only 6 months old, so this time, she was well of age to understand “tree” and “leaves” as I pointed to the both and signed each word. Then upon coming inside she saw big brother with candy in his hand. SO, I took the same opprotunity to sign cany since I was going to give her one.

I realized within a twenty minute time frame, I was already teaching her three new signs. As little eyes mature and observations run wild, enjoy the learning opportunity for not only your child but for yourself. Learning a new language can be fun and exciting for both of you.

Here are three tips in making signing fun:

1) Obtain a small notebook or use your computer to jot down three to five words a week that you’d like to introduce or teach the sign to your child

*as you strive to find ways to teach these signs, don't forget to jot down the unforeseen signs that you were able to teach that week; tree, leaf, and candy

2) Make a goal when introducing a new sign to sign and say it at least three times

*"there's the leaves?" "yes, those are leaves... are they dirty?" "hold the leaf."

3) Keep a log of what signs you have introduced to your child... realize how many words you have already introduced and test yourself to see if you can remember all the signs to those words

*if you forget the sign or don't know it yet such as when your child is pointing to a leaf and asking what it is, don't be afraid to look up the sign and teach her the sign at a different time

*you could keep a separate log of the words you did not know but want to eventually learn

Please share your own tips with us! We’d love to hear and see^_^!

As some of you may be fluent in ASL and others still learning,

here is a list of five online ASL dictionary sites:

ASL Browser

Signing Savvy

ASL Pro

Lifeprint

Handspeak

Written by Shawna Tran: www.mybabydetails.com

The Debate Continues...

There has been lots of research on the effect of using augmentative or alternative communication methods (like signing) on the spoken language development of children. However, I've never seen any that suggest that using sign or other methods delays speech -- in fact, just the opposite. Learning to communicate in any form, develops the language areas of the brain, so that when the motor systems are ready for verbal speech, words and meanings have already been established. All that's left to do - is to associate sounds with them. Kids having a head start in using sign have an advantage when they do begin talking.

There has never been a case in all the literature, of a child who preferred to use sign (or any other non-speech system) after developing normal speech. Remember - communication is inherent! It's on our DNA. We want to communicate. Using ASL with children of any age only assists and advances this process for all involved!

Kelly English Barnhart, MA www.hands4learning.com
Author: "Crossing Hands Friends" www.hands4learning.com
kelly@hands4learning.com

What does the Research Say?

Recent research reveals that Signing with books:

[click on the picture to view Tosca and Pheonix read and sign:]

1. Develops the imagination of both the child and the parent.
2. Promotes rich meaning to reading making it a fun and inviting experience for those involved.
3. Associates reading with positive experiences and opportunities for interaction – get the whole family involved!
4. Motivates to develop literacy skills.
5. Makes the child an ACTIVE participant: the book is more interactive since the child is involved in the PROCESS of reading while signing along with the book.
6. Offers a view into a child’s mind and understanding of a child’s memory. Children sign what is important to them.
7. Reminds parents and teachers to introduce new signs and to reinforce familiar signs.
8. Creates opportunists to sign and talk about the alphabet.

Let the Sign Shine!
etel

Etel Leit, M.S.
Founder & Owner http://www.signshine.com/
Publisher http://www.babysignshine.com/
310.613.3900 etel@SignShine.com


Thank you for voting SignShine Best of LA 2009!

Words & Signs that Sound & Look Similar

There are many words that sound similar as my 18 month old is talking up a storm now. She is starting to mimic words so clearly, but there are many words that become clearer with signs.

Take for instance, my two year old nephew. Last night he was walking by me and signed “where’s” and then said dobby. Uh, I was not sure if he was asking where the dog was or his dad, so I signed with a question on my face, “where’s daddy” or “where’s doggy?” He then ran off as I saw his hand go up to his head. He was looking for his dad.

My daughter, at 18 months, is signing with her own approximation of the sign. Before ever trying to figure out which word she is trying to say, I try to get to know her structure of signing. Some signs look very similar, so when the words and signs sound and look similar, I need some extra clues to help me out.

For words that sound the same and signs that look the same, I use these three clues:

ask myself What’s the Context of the Situation

ask myself What is the Approximation of the Sign

ask her Which Sign are you Signing, asking for Clarification of Sign

For example, these are some of the words that sound Very similar in her vocabulary:

juice, rice, and cheese (sounds much like “choosh”)

The signs for juice and rice look very similar shown by a big wave of her first from high to low where as the sign for cheese is shown by her palm of one hand moving on her other arm.

For these three words, it’s a matter of recognizing what she may have just saw on the counter or in the refrigerator (Context of the situation), recognizing if it’s the big movement of the one arm in the air or if it’s the movement of the palm against her other arm (Approximations of signs), or the third clue is when I have used context and approximation of the signs and then ask “which one” (Clarification of object being signed).

The FOURTH important step is reemphasizing the sign. You can do this by saying/signing words such as, “good signing/good talking” (making sure to emphasize the sign of that word). Many times I find myself repeating a word after my daughter and then saying, "Good Talking." You can also ask your child to sign the word again as you repeat the sign.

Taking that extra step in emphasizing the word and sign can really help your child in his world of develop of speech and language! And it can help you too as you study the way in which your child speaks and signs the word for the next time.

Find out which clues work for you, and continue to enjoy the journey of communicating the many details with your children.

Written by Shawna Tran: www.mybabydetails.com

Communication! Whew!!

I was on the subway the other day when I saw a former client of mine, someone who had taken Baby Fingers classes for quite some time, when her baby was 3 - 15 months old.   He is jsut over 2 yrs old now.  

He was crying so hard, he could hardly breathe, let alone talk to his mom, and she couldn't figure out if he was scared, hurt, or something else.  Suddenly she reminded him to sign to her and he did! He signed "Friend-Stop!"  

We departed the train at the same time, so I was able to say hello and marvel at their conversation.  She further explained to me that they had passed the subway stop where her son's best play group friend lives and he desparately wanted to go play!!  

Fortunately, he wasn't hurt, but to our babies and toddlers, when things don't go their way- and especially if they can't communicate that to you- it certainly feels like an emergency.  I can still  remember the relief I felt when my children were signing before they were talking-- and once they were talking, the sign still helped to clarify their speech or gave them an outlet when the speech just couldn't.  

Communication!  Whew!!

www.mybabyfingers.com