Source
r/BabySignLanguage•
Grimmjow459

To the parents teaching their LOs sign language, from a mother of a deaf child.

It's an amazing thing to see just how many of you are taking the time to teach your children how to sign. My son Azariah is going to be 3 in January. He was born with Optic Nerve Hypoplasia and bilateral sensory-nuero hearing loss. Which means he is partially blind and mostly deaf. He does wear hearing aids, but it's not certain how well they help him hear. So we have started to learn ASL for the last year. He is picking up on alot of it. But the one thing that gives me hope of him having a more normal childhood, is the fact that there are parents like you who ate teaching their children to sign. This makes the world a much less lonely place for my son. He will have more of a chance at being able to communicate with his peers because of the parents who taught them how to sign. I know most people start out teaching sign language to babies because of the cognitive thinking skills it teaches their children, but it also makes it so my son will be able to communicate without being ostracized and separated from kids his age. So thank you to all the parents taking the time to teach your kids this amazing language. Thank you from the bottom of my heart! As Hellen Keller once said when asked if she could choose whether to be blind or deaf instead of both, which one would she rather live with, "I'd choose to be blind. Blindness separates you from objects. Deafness separates you from people."

Posted Aug 28, 2015, 8:52 AM UTC

215
robino358•

Hi! I completely agree. We were surprised with a hearing loss diagnosis when our daughter was born. I had previously taken sign language classes for my own benefit without knowing I would be depending on it now. It's great to see more people embracing ASL!

4
Grimmjow459OP•

It really is!

1
thesnapsh0t•

I started signing with my daughter bc I wanted her to be able to communicate to me her needs & wants instead of my guessing whenever she cries. I've talked to so many parents who say they wanted to do this but don't have the time or they stop/give up after a few months. I wish more kids signed, it has helped out so much and tbh it wasn't that hard to teach signing to her.

2
dandelion__wine•

My hearing husband grew up with a deaf playmate. He never had any formal lessons but picked up ASL by spending time with his friend. I think he was particularly receptive to non-spoken communication because he spent his elementary school years with a tongue tie. But even without that, he would have learned just as much from him because of the time they spent playing together. So take heart, and know that kids are often much better at overcoming or overlooking what we see as huge social hurdles.

2
Grimmjow459OP•

Thanks! I do hope so! If it's one thing I want most in life, it's to know that must son won't be made to feel isolated by his peers. I know how detrimental it can be to one's self esteem and self worth.

1
myownfunusername•

I started teaching her to sign so we could communicate easier, but I have given a little thought to this. However, though she knows quite a bit (lost count at about 75 signs), I don't know how much of a conversation they'd have.

Her: hi

Him: hi

Her: turtle, fish, banana, crackers, hat, potty

Him: ????

Lol! Any suggestions on signs that would help her talk to someone else? I'm sure many will come with time, but right now all her words are focused on communicating with us, so she can tell me what she wants but probably would have a rather strange conversation talking to another kid! (I don't know any other kids that sign)

(Edit: paragraphs)

1
Grimmjow459OP•

I would start incorporating complete sentences while signing, like instead of just signing milk teach her to sign, "I want milk" or "do you want milk". Those are still pretty simple signs still, and just add on to what your daughter may already know. Also look into schools for deaf kids around your area. Our school offers immersion programs for people to learn at, where we go up to the school and stay on campus in the dorms for a week and go to classes each day, while the kids go to their own separate classes, that is more tailored to their specific needs. It's an awesome experience.

1