11 Tips to Improve a Child ’s Communication Using Signs

We see it every day with our young clients: When they’re hungry, thirsty, hurt, tired, or want a specific toy or activity, they whine, scream, point or grunt as their means of communication. This nonverbal communication creates a guessing game for the parent, caregiver or speech-language pathologist. Sometimes they guess correctly, but when they don’t, everyone involved can get frustrated, especially the child. If you work with clients who fit this description, I find signing provides good results with most young children and their families. Signing offers a useful and calming communication tool for many situations. I’ve used it in conjunction with other augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems, or as the child learns to talk. Using signs with young clients can encourage clear communication with the child, while improving their speech and language development. I suggest implementing—and teaching caregivers—these 11 tips to help children transition from whining to signing: Consider using American Sign Language (ASL) signs. Using single signs doesn’t mean the child knows sign language, but it’s a good base of the vocabulary that’s part of a true language. ASL has its own syntax, morphology and word order that are different from those in spoken or signed English. Young clients may use only single signs before starting to talk. Encourage signing instead of whining. Help your client use signs as more specific communication alternatives to gestures l...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Tags: Private Practice Schools Slider Speech-Language Pathology Augmentative Alternative Communication Early Intervention hearing loss Language Disorders Speech Disorders Source Type: blogs