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Author Topic: How do you start sign language?  (Read 1544 times)

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Offline GingerNut

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How do you start sign language?
« on: February 16, 2011, 12:37:35 pm »
I'd like to try some signing with my DD, but I can't bring her to classes as I'm working fulltime. Can anyone recommend a website that shows you how to start off?

Thanks!
Caitriona
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Offline RachelC

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Re: How do you start sign language?
« Reply #1 on: February 16, 2011, 17:54:22 pm »
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Offline Chicane

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Re: How do you start sign language?
« Reply #2 on: February 16, 2011, 18:30:21 pm »
Hey!

Join us on the babysigning thread that Rachel posted above! We never went to classes, i bought one book which to be honest was good but I got most of my signs from the internet and the other baby signers here on BW.

To start off...just start! Learn some basic signs like more, milk, bath - things that you do everyday and start doing the sign when you say the word or do the action. Keep on with it and after a time (might take a while depending on age) your LO will start to sign back.

Its the best thing we have done. DS has so many signs and learns new ones everyday, we avoid so much frustration because more often than not he can tell me what he needs...

hope to see you on the signing thread

x
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Offline We Three

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Re: How do you start sign language?
« Reply #3 on: February 16, 2011, 18:37:21 pm »
Yes, definitely have a look at that link!  For us, we started signing to her at about 8 months...she signed back at 11 months (I think?)  We chose just 3 or 4 to start: More, Eat, Mommy, Daddy was it...we fle tlike those were important words for her to be able to communicate to us.  I got a book at Babies R Us, and it had a little flip chart on a magnet that I hung on the fridge, and a quick DVD that I watched.  IMO< classes dont work as well as just "doing" the signs..."Oh! Would you like MORE? (sign) Here is some MORE!" (sign) and then I'd give her more.  When dh would get home I would say "Daddy's home!" (sign).  She knew what the signs meant very quickly...but the end of about 2 weeks, if I signed "Daddy" she'd get all excited and look at the door!  I would pick a few key ones, and use them all the time. It really is amazing!  My dd was the happiest lo....she never got to the point of getting rrally angry/frustrated, because she could "tell" us what she needed.  I'll never foregt one time she signed "drink" and I gave her a cup of water. She took a sip, put it down and signed "milk"...she was about 14 months old...it was AWESOME!!!!   
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Offline x95stocchier

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Re: How do you start sign language?
« Reply #4 on: February 17, 2011, 02:33:27 am »
Hi Caitriona -  Good for you for wanting to sign!  We have just started signing with our 3rd lo. 

To start, these ladies gave great advice! Just pick a few words, for us it was: milk, more and all done, and as Amelia said use them every time you say the word....it actually becomes natural quite quickly.  Once we knew they understood those signs (even though they weren't signing back yet--the way Amelia explained) we started adding more, based on what they were interested in...outside, toys, animals, etc  We made our own signs for siblings names. 

I had a book but I never used it.  I used these 2 website because you can see a video of a person do it rather than a still picture with arrows, which I think is confusing.

http://www.aslpro.com/cgi-bin/aslpro/aslpro.cgi

http://commtechlab.msu.edu/sites/aslweb/browser.htm

We also never did a class, but once los were older we showed them the "baby signing time" videos, which they loved and picked up quite a few signs from.

Both my DS and my DD were 100+ signs before they started communcating verbally.  Both were verbal very early and both (at 5 and 2 1/2) have very big vocabularies now, which I attribute to signing.  I think once they realize they can communicate (by whatever means, signs or words) they start to build the foundation of language and it blossoms!  We also maintain a few signs that we use either to be descrete (like asking if they have to go potty in a crowd without having to say it out loud) or for emphasis..."stop" "share" and "pretend" (as in "that is just a pretend carrot, don't put it in your mouth.")  It remains very handy.

Good luck!

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Sarah
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