Instead of Ten on Tuesday, I have decided to do a post on E's current sign vocabulary. He spent most of his weekend showing his signs to various family members. I got asked frequently, "How many signs does he know?" I did not know off the top of my head, so I figured it was time to compile a list...
Signs E uses:
daddy mommy please deer apple play dog I love you elephant car fish giraffe potty bed milk horse go tree hat grandpa yes book
Signs E understands, but does not yet use himself:
eat no bath cat more drink water look stop sleep hairbrush brush teeth come sit
There are more signs that he has imitated, but he does not use them consistently and we do not know for sure he understands the meaning, so I did not list them. We have been signing with E for four months (when he was diagnosed with his hearing loss). We are told that his sign vocabulary is wonderful and on par with the vocabulary of his hearing peers. We are very pleased with his desire to learn :-)
That is an awesome vocabulary list for a child his age! You should definitely be patting yourselves on the back.
ReplyDeleteThat's great! That's an excellent amount of words for someone his age. My favorite is when they start piecing them together :)
ReplyDeleteHave you been able to find some Deaf adults to socialize with, and/or has the county provided a deaf mentor to come visit with you? That can help you improve your sign skills and provide E with a fluent language model at the same time.
Alicia: Yes, we have been privileged to get to know several deaf adults in our area. We have developed some wonderful friendships and it has certainly been the best way for us to learn to sign.
ReplyDeleteThat is wonderful! Love your enthusiasm and support. E is very lucky to have you guys.
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I am still working my way through your blog, however I must say that you have made a wise decision to sign with your son.
ReplyDeleteBased on what I read and on my own observations of several deaf kids with CI's, *not* signing with a deaf child equals language deprivation and delay, whether or not the child is a "CI superstar". There is no way to predict either how well someone will do with a CI or how fast they will progress. Even with the ones who do well there is an adaptation time of weeks to years for full language access, and some CI users never gain full language access through their CI's. The kids who do best with their CI's seem to be the ones with a pre-existing language base. (This may be because of hearing better at a younger age or because the family signs.) The time and effort needed for "catch-up" with implanted deaf kids whose families do not sign with them is time and effort that is not available for other educational and life tasks.
You should ignore anyone, even "professionals" who might tell you not to sign with your deaf child.
David
Thank you David. I agree with you and made it VERY clear to all professionals that would be working with my son that I had no intention of stopping ASL communication. As of today, E can sign around 70 words, can put together small sentences, and can recognize and sign most of the letters of the alphabet. We do not have problems with frustration due to lack of communication. He can easily tell you what he desires or needs. I hope you enjoy reading about my amazing little man and I am pleased to have you joining us on our journey :-) Thank you for your feedback. It is much appreciated.
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