Building Language

Foundations in ASL and English

Debra Cushner, Parent- Infant TeacherJulie Mitchiner, Early Childhood TeacherDebra Nussbaum, Coordinator, Cochlear Implant Center

Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center, Gallaudet University, Washington, D.C.

Faculty Disclosure Information

• In the past 12 months, I have not had a significant financial interest or other relationship with the manufacturer(s) of the product(s) or provider(s) of the service(s) that will be discussed in my presentation.

• This presentation will (not) include discussion of pharmaceuticals or devices that have not been approved by the FDA or if you will be discussing unapproved or “off-label” uses of pharmaceuticals or devices.

Who We Are

Gallaudet University

Clerc CenterEarly Childhood Programs…

meeting the needs of individual children and families

•Parent-Infant

•Nursery

•Pre-Kindergarten

•Kindergarten

Other Clerc Center Supports

• Family educator

• Family sign language program

• Shared Reading program

• Other support services (OT, PT, Audiology, ASL, Auditory/Speech, Psychology, Counseling, Nursing)

• Coordination with local childcare services

Agenda

• Beliefs about early language development

• Strategies to facilitate American Sign Language with young children

• Strategies to stimulate spoken language with young children

It is important to initiate early language in the most accessible way

possible

It is not always clear what role “listening” will play on the path to

learning language.

Beliefs about early language development

• Early language acquisition and a shared language, (in any modality) is critical to timely development in all areas

• Communication should be comfortable, non-frustrating and accessible.

• Language is best learned in child centered, functional, language rich and meaningful contexts with strong language models

• Children can benefit from exposure to both American Sign Language and English during the early stages of language development

• Early amplification and its role in learning spoken language should be closely monitored

• Language use may change over time based on changing child characteristics (i.e. obtaining cochlear implant, demonstrated competence/comfort in ASL and/or Spoken English)

Beliefs about early language development

FullyVisual

Communicator

MostlyAuditory

Communicator

MostlyVisual

Communicator

FullyAuditory

Communicator

VV VVAA VAVA AAvv AA

Important to look at children on a continuum

Where a child fits on the continuum depends on the coming together of many impacting factors

(and may change over time)

Strategies to facilitate ASL development

Building early visual communication

• Establish and maintain eye contact

• Incorporate attention-getting strategies such as touching, tapping, and waving.

• Position infants so they can see the communicator’s face as well as other objects or people of interest.

• Use positive and interesting facial expressions

• Expose signs through signing on a child’s body, book, or near an object. Incorporate a child’s peripheral view.

• Use frequent repetition of signs. Include strategies such as pointing to an object before and after a sign, and signing the name of the object

Establish and maintain eye contact

Incorporate attention-getting strategies such as touching, tapping, and waving.

Position infants so they can see the communicator’s face as well as other objects or people of interest.

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Position infants so they can see the communicator’s face as well as other objects or people of interest.

Use positive and interesting facial expressions

Video clip

Expose signs through signing on a child’s body, book, or near an object.

Video clip

Incorporate a child’s peripheral view.

Video clip

Use frequent repetition of signs. Include strategies such as pointing to an object before and after a sign, and signing the

name of the object

Video clip

Ideas to support language development

• Invite strong language models to interact with children (i.e. parents, teachers, other professionals…)

• Use props to motivate language development such as puppets , art supplies, animals, pets, nature, and mirrors

• Facilitate positive language development by following a child’s interests

• Use books for Read Aloud with follow up activities

• Introduce to new concepts (cooking, sound and music, stars and lights, wind, color gradation, growing, babies)

Include strong language models to interact with children: (i.e. parents,

teachers, other professionals…)

Video clip

Use props to motivate language development such as puppets , art supplies, animals, pets, nature, and

mirrors

Facilitate positive language development by following child’s

interests

Video clip

Use books for ASL Read Aloud with follow up activities

Video clip

Introduce to new concepts (cooking, sound and music, stars and lights, wind, color

gradation, growing, babies)

Video clip

Strategies to facilitate spoken language

development

A child must “learn to listen” before they can “listen to learn”

About “Learning to Listen”

– Establishment of listening foundations is a process that follows a hierarchy of development

– Listening development takes place at different rates for each child

– Listening development involves both structured training and natural integration

About “Listening to Learn”

• Children have varied potentials to access learning through their listening

• Spoken language potential may shift (hearing aid fitting, cochlear implantation, maturation of auditory skill development)

• A child’s “auditory functioning level” as well as other areas should be considered in determining when a child is ready to “listen to learn”

• Spoken language immersion may not be “enough”

• Guidelines are helpful in determining “if” and “when” a child is ready to transition to spoken language.

Bring sound awareness in varied ways

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Work with families to facilitate attention to sound

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Help children to learn that their voice can cause something to happen

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Work on conditioning a child to respond to sound

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Structure activities to “imprint” and “imitate” new sounds

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Help a child make sound-object associations

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Integrate spoken language skill development into natural settings

(imprinting, repetition, sound object association)

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Remember

The goal is for each child to become the best communicator possible… as early as possible.