ERIC Number: EJ869062
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009
Pages: 11
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0002-726X
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Available Date: N/A
Bridge of Signs: Can Sign Language Empower Non-Deaf Children to Triumph over Their Communication Disabilities?
Toth, Anne
American Annals of the Deaf, v154 n2 p85-95 2009
This pilot research project examined the use of sign language as a communication bridge for non-Deaf children between the ages of 0-6 years who had been diagnosed with, or whose communication difficulties suggested, the presence of such disorders as Autism, Down Syndrome, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), and/or learning disabilities. Teaching staff, speech language therapists, and parents noted that hearing children who used the Bridge of Signs model experienced language development with sign language and, in some cases, went on to use that foundation as a bridge to speaking the oral language of their caretakers. Though deaf children who used the model were more likely to have been exposed to sign language and its use, they still showed improvement in vocabulary acquisition and production. Future development and application of this model will benefit from quantitative and longitudinal study.
Descriptors: Sign Language, Oral Language, Learning Disabilities, Down Syndrome, Autism, Communication Problems, Vocabulary Development, Language Acquisition, Hearing (Physiology), Clinical Diagnosis, Speech Therapy, Allied Health Personnel, Models, Teaching Methods, Video Technology, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Siblings, Birth Order, Parent Attitudes, Teacher Attitudes
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
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