Signed Stories can be found on YouTube. Be sure to view the videos first to ensure they are modeling proper use of the language.
Ask your child's Early Interventionist for age appropriate resources.
These are just a few of my favorites (and Baby Shark for the CODAs)!
Rocky Mountain Deaf School has a large selection of well-signed stories for a variety of age levels. They seem to be killin' it on the bilingual education front!
A Fall pick!
This video contains an interpreted story plus reviews vocabulary at the end!
Summer is here!
So here is a story about summer! Includes a brief vocabulary lesson for students at the end.
A Spring story with no captions: good luck!
This is a great story and even better in ASL!
I just truly enjoy the stories from Rocky Mountain Deaf School
Those sweet little CODAs (Children of Deaf Adults) need a language rich environment, too. Sign with your hearing baby ALL THE TIME. Provide videos and cartoons that feature signers! Your language is so dynamic and beautiful; I'm blessed to have had the opportunity to learn it! Share that blessing with your babies. And, shh...don't tell anyone, but this area ASL is BETTER than English because it is the language YOU use to communicate -and it's the language they won't be automatically exposed to!
If your child has a hearing loss, South Carolina School for the Deaf and the Blind (SCSDB) Early Intervention program can provide family-centered services and resources to help. Please don't wait. Get the support your family needs.
South Carolina Equipment Distribution Program
Foster your child's independence and inclusion by reaching out to the SCEDP to get FREE equipment like alarm clocks, doorbell flashers (lights to let your child know know when someone is at the door), iPads and much more.
Video Relay
In this age of communication your child needs access to, and familiarity with, the technology that lets him connect with others. The following are links to Video Relay Service (VRS) providers. VRS is a Federal Communication Commission (FCC) regulated industry which provides telecommunication access to those with hearing and speech challenges.
Using VRS appropriately is not innate. Like most new information and skills, it is best taught directly. The following is a presentation I created while working for the SC School for the Deaf and the Blind (used with permission: thank you Dr. Weber) to familiarize students with some basics for communicating through VRS.
ASL Classes
Hmm... we seem to have a dearth of resources. More to come! But for now, Google it! There are pleanty of on-line classes and resources to build vocabulary. I'll try to post some favorites soon.
Language Development, Delay and Deprivation:
The "To Sign or not to Sign..." discussion is best viewed from the perspective that parents LOVE their children and want the best for them. Parents want to provide the best opportunities for their children to thrive in a frequently unaccommodating, hearing world.
Often before or upon becoming pregnant, parents read up on what to expect as it relates to their new little person. In the womb, parents talk to, talk about and even sing to their growing baby. By the time baby finally arrives, hours have been spent assembling the crib, preparing the space and wrestling the car seat snugly into place (sometimes with the help of the local professionals)! The most comforting and stimulating toys have been sought or bought, maybe from the baby registry or simply the best hand-me-downs from those who have already lived this part.
I can't imagine the grief that comes with learning your child is deaf or has a hearing loss because I've never experienced it. The following article pertains to language acquisition and its impact on development and, inevitably, quality of life. Some of the information is challenging. Raising children is always challenging, so challenging is not a bad word. I hope to add more articles soon as well as some language acquisition resources.
In Bridging Language Gaps for Deaf Children you can read about how difficult it is to catch a child up when they haven't been exposed to any formal language during the critical language acquisition period. Though this article is a bit older (2015) the take away for me was that even children who have Cochlear Implants "generally are 18 months old or more before they begin to regularly hear and develop their first spoken words, because the device can take several months to fine-tune. " What a missed opportunity if we delay communicating with these sweet babies in a meaningful way for up to a year and a half.
Whether you are hearing of deaf, I would offer that the single most important thing you can do for your children who have a hearing loss is to sign with them: all the time, about everything. It is never too early to start. Hearing parents don't wait until they know their child is paying attention to speak to her. They do it all the time. Parents even talk to one another in ways that are accessible to their children. For example, "Mommy just got home from work! Hi Mommy! Did you have a good day?" All spoken at a pace meant to be more accessible to and engaging for little listeners. Let our love for our deaf/hard-of-hearing kiddos spur us on to providing that same constant communication and connection!