Teaching Sign Language To Your Child With Down Syndrome
In the majority of our kids with Down Syndrome, language development is delayed. They start speaking later than their peers due to various reasons that can make speech and language more difficult such as physical and cognitive characteristics.
Fluid in the middle ear, low muscle tone which includes the muscles around the face and mouth, and a mouth that is relatively small in relation to tongue size can impact their speech and language development.
Every child with Down Syndrome is unique and although there are some commonalities it’s important to realize it is not one size fits all. The reason why one child may struggle to communicate well is not the same reason another may.
Unfortunately, effective communication can be a persistent issue well into adulthood.
Expressive language is definitely an area where Max struggles.
Early on we could tell he was understanding A LOT more than he could tell us. It was frustrating for him and for us so I began to do some research.
My research led me to American Sign Language or ASL, as I will refer to it for the rest of this post.
How ASL Can Help Your Child With Down Syndrome
ASL can be a great way to bridge the language gap for our kids with Down Syndrome. Especially in the early years!
I was so excited to discover this and started talking to other families touched by disability as well as the professionals involved in our lives. All of the therapist were supportive and encouraging, but I was surprised to find a couple of families that were not jumping on the ASL bandwagon with me.
Their fear was by teaching ASL their kid would not bother to try and talk.
My gut was telling me this really wouldn’t be the case. I did more research and the research I found wasn’t finding this to be true either so the Mathe crew learned some ASL.
Want to know how we learned?
Teaching Your Child With Down Syndrome ASL
Yes, that’s right and no, Baby Signing Time is NOT sponsoring this post.
Instead of Friday night movie night Hubby and I would sit on the couch and watch Baby Signing Time. Every now and then we’d really go wild and have a cocktail while watching!
We gradually worked our way up from Baby Signing Time to Signing Time DVDs.
It worked people.
We did take a free ASL course for parents through the Barber National Institute (BNI) too.
BNI is a non-profit organization that supports individuals and families touched by a disability here in our little city of Erie.
Honestly though, I learned the most from those DVDs.
And Max?
He loved the DVDs especially the Baby Signing Time ones. He would watch them over and over and over. We watched them so much I can still break out into the “Diaper Dance” song if asked!
The Difference ASL Made In Day To Day Life For Our Child With Down Syndrome
The Mathe crew found using a combination of signs with spoken words led to less frustration on Max’s part which led to a decrease in unwanted and disruptive behavior.
I also feel it was key to helping him develop age appropriate social skills and helped boost his language.
We supported his teachers as much as we could by gifting Baby Signing Time DVDs, making ASL flashcards for them, as well as providing other ASL resources such as websites.
These websites are a great reference when learning ASL.
In preschool and Kindergarten the teachers had the entire class learn and use signs right along with Max. It was awesome and to this day there is one girl in Max’s class who comes up to me at school events and shows me signs she remembers.
We discovered as Max’s expressive language improved and people were better able to understand what he was saying he would stop using the sign for the word because well…people understood!
Now a days we rarely use ASL, but every now and then Max will bust out a sign if we are somewhere noisy and guess what?!
So do my husband and I!
So if your child is really struggling with expressive language consider utilizing ASL to bridge the gap!
I hope this blog post helps you rock this special life! If you liked this post check out…
Positive Parenting Solutions For the Special Needs Mom
A Mom’s Guide To Potty Training Your Child With Special Needs
How To Deal With Temper Tantrums: A Guide For The Special Needs Mom
Dandelion Tribe Takeaway: Often, children with Down Syndrome struggle to effectively communicate. Teaching American Sign Language is a great way to help them communicate while their speech and language skills are developing to bridge the gap. We taught Max ASL using Baby Signing Time and Signing Time videos. This had a positive impact on our day to day reducing his frustrations.
Mama Bear Share: What is your experience, if any, with ASL?