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First, what is ASL?
ASL is a visual, kinesthetic, and spatial language. This is the most commonly used sign language among the Deaf community in the United States as well as parts of Canada. The grammatical structure of sign language is clearly distinct from spoken language. Sign language is made of a combination of handshapes, palm orientations, locations, movements, and non-manual markers, such as facial expressions.
I don’t know ASL to effectively communicate with my deaf infant and young child. How do I start?
You can start with what you already do naturally and instinctively. For example, you may gesture to someone across the room from you to ‘come here’ or to ‘wait’. Using gestures, body language, and facial expressions are the building blocks to becoming comfortable in learning ASL. The more we engage together, the more the learning process and communicating with ASL becomes comfortable.
What does the National Association of the Deaf say about the information for parents learning sign language?
Read on. Sign Language for parents.
Learning ASL in the home, where and how do I start?
This resource created by the Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center is a good start for you to become familiar with plenty of resources towards learning ASL. There’s more!
VL2 has some excellent research-based information about American Sign Language and bilingualism for families with deaf and hard-of-hearing children. It’s packed with good resources to get you an early start.
Another resource from the Clerc Center addresses how deaf and hard of hearing babies acquire language and why one should sign with babies as early as possible. It’s never too early to start!
Eye gazing, why is it needed?
Research Briefs — VL2 Family Package has shown that this next strategy, eye gaze, is necessary for development of cognition, social-emotional and linguistic development. Making time to hold, love, and bond with the baby fosters eye contact into eye gaze.
6. First thing first, what is the first communication strategy for the family members to use?
The very first strategy is touch, which is done by holding and cuddling the baby. Next, lovingly look at the baby’s eyes to send a sense of “no-words-needed” mutual feelings of ‘we’re here together and we love each other.’ The power of eye contact and eye gaze is a tingling warm feeling.
7. What is the difference between Deaf and deaf?
With the rise of Deaf Studies in the 1970s, the usage of Deaf became commonly used in order to distinguish between those who identify as belonging to a cultural and linguistic minority, in contrast to "deaf" which refers to an audiological condition. Due to the complexities involved, some authors have opted to use “d/Deaf” as a more inclusive term. Students who enroll in our Deaf Studies online courses will have the opportunity to explore the cultural dynamics of labeling and representation in greater depth.
How many weeks are there in one cycle?
8 weeks: 45 minutes each lesson
4 cycles: Basic, Emerging, Intermediate, & Advanced
I need additional support while learning ASL, will there be accommodations?
Yes, each Connector is trained to adapt each lesson to best meet the family’s learning needs and pacing.
My schedule is quite hectic as a parent and working at a job, will there be flexibility of when?
Yes, each Connector is paired up with you according to your preferred schedule.
I would like to continue learning ASL after this cycle, where do I go?
You can check with your state’s Early Intervention system and inquire about ASL learning opportunities. Also, you can go to this Resources page to keep learning.
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