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Keyword signing (KWS) is an intervention used with children and adults to support communication and language development. As opposed to American Sign Language, KWS is not a language in itself. KWS is always accompanied by speech (from the communicating partner) and only the most important content word in the utterance is signed. For example, if someone said, “Dry your hands” the keywords that would be signed would be ‘dry’ and ‘hands’. KWS can be used with body language. natural gesture, and facial expression. KWS is considered unaided Augmentative and Alternative Communication (Reed, 2018). Research on KWS as an evidence-based practice has demonstrated that children introduced to the intervention are able to generalize their signing skills across different activities (Tan et al., 2014).
Who may benefit from KWS?
KWS may be learned by individuals of all ages
Individuals with developed motor skills to execute the physical performance
Individuals with imitation skills to reproduce the signs themselves
Individuals with communication and language difficulties
How to:
When working with children, it is recommended to start the implementation of KWS intervention in a play setting (e.g., play time) or meal time.
Start with one sign (it is recommended to start with core vocabulary words, these are words used 80% of the time)
Use the sign in a verbal phrase/sentence as you model signing the target word. A visual such as the one seen here may be used.
Have the child practice the target sign (guide the child's hands if necessary).
Provide modeling as needed.
Repeat with each new sign.
Four main principles of KWS:
Always speak with spoken words as well
Use complete grammatical sentences if appropriate - emphasize verbally the signed word
Sign keyword in the sentence
Add meaning with facial expression and body language
https://raisingchildren.net.au/autism/therapies-guide/key-word-sign
https://www.rainbowspeechpathology.com.au/blog/key-word-signing
The following video was made by Key Word Sign Australia and it gives a brief overview of how KWS works.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdrgVi90EjU
Recommended materials
Copy of Copy of Data Collection Sheet with Cues.docxThis may be used as a data collection tool.
Goal: The goal of KWS is to help the individual with communication difficulties communicate with others by reducing communication frustrations and barriers.
Example goal: Given a need and a verbal prompt, the student will sign a basic “need” sign, such as (help, more, done, want, need, etc.) to make a request with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 opportunities as measured by SLP observation record.
Suggested Prompt Hierarchy:
No Prompt (Independent or only needed wait time)
Verbal Prompt (Say the full phrase/sentence with emphasis on the target word)
Visual Prompt (Model actions)
Physical Prompt (Hand over hand)
References:
Key word sign. Raising Children Network. (2022, May 20). Retrieved December 18, 2022, from https://raisingchildren.net.au/autism/therapies-guide/key-word-sign
Reed, V. (2018). An introduction to children with language disorders. Pearson Education.
SpeechyMusings. (n.d.). Login: Teachers pay teachers. Retrieved December 21, 2022, from https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/FreeDownload/Speech-and- Language-Therapy-Data-Collection-Sheet- Freebie-2125576
Tan, X. Y., Trembath, D., Bloomberg, K., Iacono, T., & Caithness, T. (2014). Acquisition and generalization of key word signing by three children with autism. Developmental Neurorehabilitation, 17(2), 125–136. https://doi.org/10.3109/17518423.2013.863236
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