Where to Begin when Teaching Signs

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​Where to begin when teaching children sign language depends on many factors. Most importantly, the age of the group and prior exposure to ASL. People of all ages can learn American Sign Language even with no prior exposure. When teachers and caregivers teach the children in their program ASL, they typically begin with the words that are most commonly used by the children. Often these are names for people and mealtimes. 

It is important to use sign often and in context. The efficacy of the sign instruction and the child’s ability to retain and use the signs is completely dependent upon how often the child is exposed to the signs in the correct context. It is also important to note that children will typically not begin signing back until they are approximately 8-14 months old, according to Claire Vallotton, Ph.D.

​Adults often wonder if teaching sign language to children who are developing spoken language can have a negative effect on their language development. Infants and toddlers who are learning to communicate often communicate using hand gestures, body language, and facial expressions. Claire Vallotton, Ph.D. references a study done by Susan Goodwyn, Linda Acredolo, and Catherine Brown where they worked with 32 families as they taught their infants sign language. The three researchers continued to study the infants as they grew through various developmental stages. What they found was that children who were taught sign language from around 8 months of age had greater language acquisition by age 2. The study ended when the children were age three and found that they regularly used longer sentences and had a much broader vocabulary. There have been other studies that have found similar outcomes, so it is safe to say that teaching sign language does not have a negative impact on children’s language development.

You can read much more about this study at the following link: http://c445781.r81.cf0.rackcdn.com/wp_SigningwithBabies&Children.pdf

​Another concern is who teaches sign language to children. Often the classroom teacher doesn’t know sign language fluently and they are still learning along with the children. Is this ok? The answer is, yes! While a formal American Sign Language course is preferably taught by a member of the Deaf community, when teaching sign language to children in your classroom you shouldn’t be discouraged if you are still learning yourself!

Optional Resources for Further Study

• Learning American Sign Language by The National Association of the Deaf
• Basic ASL:  First 100 Signs from Life Print
• American Sign Language by National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
• Learning American Sign Language (ASL) by Signing Savvy 
  

Navigation Menu

1. Course Agenda
​2. Sign Language Introduction Video
3. ASL Video Discussion
4. Deaf Culture and Community
5. Cultural Influences on Language
6. Video Protecting Deaf Culture
7. Discussion Deaf Culture
8. Hand Shapes
9. Facial Expressions and Body Language
10. Signed Alphabet 
11. Discussion: Facial Expressions

12. Occupations with and without the Agent Marker
13. Basic Signs
14. Color Signs
15. Days of the Week
16. People Signs
17. Place Signs
18. Animal Signs
19. Food Signs
20. Feeling Signs
21. School Signs
22. Basic Signs
​23. Discussion: Signs in the Classroom

24. Check for Understanding
25. Where to Begin when Teaching Signs
26. Signs by Age
27. Older Children Signs
28. Classroom Management
29. Make it Fun!
30. Discussion: Make it Fun!
31. Sign Language Quiz #1
32. Sign Language Quiz #2
33. Sign Language Quiz #3
34. Sign Language Quiz #4
35. Sign Language Quiz #5
36. Evaluation Form​
​Parking Lot