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Parenting

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Original poster

Teaching our hearing ds BSL

10 replies

Lawrene8 · 28/09/2007 13:37

Would love to hear from anyone else who is teaching (ot trying to like me) their DCs sign language. DH and I went to sign classes and have reached level 2 but would love to hear of other people's experiences in teaching this - did you find it slowed their speech development? And what about the fact that other people don't understand sign? DS gets frustrated when he signs something to others and they don't know what he means.

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3andnomore · 28/09/2007 13:42

Lawrene...not quite the same, but I taught my ms Babysigning, and it really helped him with his speech developement, and lessened the frequency of tantrums, etc..whish I had known about it with es, as for ys...he hated me singing etc...so, I couldn't really do the sing and sign stuff with him...

I assume you are using signs whilest speaking, rather then instead?

Original poster

Lawrene8 · 28/09/2007 13:46

Yes we do sign as well as speak to ds but using BSL grammar. It's good to hear that it helped with sppech development - ds does make a lot of sounds but not many proper words (he's 14 months).

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jo25 · 28/09/2007 14:00

I taught my ds, now 4.11 makaton from early on, and don't really know if it slowed down his sppech but he didn't talk until 2ish. i did however found it did cut down on frustration for him, and find it really useful now as i can comunicate with him when he is at football,gym etc, although i do get some strange looks from across the footbal pitch!

I remenber once we were in the supermarket and ds was in trolley and we had a whole conversation in sign and he did not make a sound! had a lady come up to me and offer her pity! as she thought it was sad to have a child who couldn't hear or talk! needless to say i didn't correct her . I dont think his look helped as he has hydrocelphalus and looked alot out of proportion!!!!!

on the whole i say do it, its a great skill for them to learn, but be prepared for peoples 'sympathy'. good luck

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3andnomore · 28/09/2007 15:33

apparently, well, with Babysigning, it is actually meant to help with speech developement...helping them making the connections in the brain, etc...!

moondog · 28/09/2007 20:21

Signing will not slow speech and language development.On the contrary,all research indicates that it will help it.
I am a salt (and also run baby signing classes.)

beansprout · 28/09/2007 20:22

Doesn't slow it down at all, and aids communication. Ds loves signing and makes up his own too!

Original poster

Lawrene8 · 29/09/2007 22:08

Thanks for all the messages - Moondaog what's a salt?

We do get a lot of pity looks in the supermarket. DH is partially deaf and we learned BSL together and the looks people give us in public have to be seen to be believed!!!

Just wondered if anyone else had the frustration problem when their DCs met someone who didn't undertsand sign? DS is starting to ge a bit stressed when other people don't understand - it's only me and dh that do sign in our families.

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fihi · 29/09/2007 22:19

Random comment maybe - but i teach people who have autism and use makaton (simplified but i think based on bsl) all of my working day. Purely out of habit (oops) i used some with DS1 (now age7) and it really helped him to communicate what he needed though i have to say it was mainly food!! he could also ask for bed at about 9 mo, the whole thing worked so well with him that i repeated it with my other two children.

fihi · 29/09/2007 22:20

salt is speech and language therapist

Tricey · 26/11/2007 19:27

We started signing with our children at 7 months; dd has been talking since 9mos and has 15 word sentences even before two. Still signing too; lots of fun.

I'd imagine it can be frustrating for your son if someone doesn't understand what he is signing/trying to communicate...just as it is for toddlers/children who are 'speaking' but are not fully understandable to the intended audience, etc.. I've always translated signs for the people around us; now that our kids are talking, they'll tell them what this sign is too.

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