Excellent post!
Yep, we signed to all our kids before they could speak(voice). It is a win, win, win.
You forgot "poop" or "dirty diaper". That is a great one. It is a good one for practicing facial expressions(a super key component of ASL). I have seen it as two fingers pinching the nose and making a scrunched up face(from the bad smell).
ASL (American Sign Language) is a fascinating language. It is much more rich than just "English by hands". And a great skill for life.(though, unless there is a deaf person nearby, it is hard to really progress)
Very cool that you did your own photo illustrations....bravo!!
Swing by my blog when you get a chance. I just celebrated 1 year! :-P
Peace
That's awesome that you signed with your kids too! Wow, I didn't even think to try "poop" or "dirty diaper" but those make so much sense and I think I'll start incorporating them. With twins, routine is crucial to maintaining my sanity and staying on schedule. They get bum changes so regularly that I never thought to just ask them.
Truthfully, I knew there were other sign dialects but I hadn't heard of "English by hands". My mom and I took a beginner ASL course years ago because we're both hard of hearing. I really wish I had continued. Our teacher was deaf and, you're right, you learn so much more in that setting. The emoting is really important and I forgot to mention that in my post. Thanks for the reminder.
Congrats on 1 year! I will be sure to stop by!
-Aimee
Awesome that you had a deaf teacher! So, are you really h-o-h? Using hearing aides? Getting progressively worse? Sorry...too nosey!
"English by hands" is just my way of saying: some people think that sign language is just spoken language...but with gestures. But it is not. It is so much different and so much more.
Yes! Our teacher was amazing and we spoke with her through TTY a few times. I wish we had kept in touch. I we are truly hard h-o-h! My mom has Meniere's disease and my left ear has significant hearing loss. I actually tilt my head to the side as a result. If you look at my photos you can see it but I do try to correct my head position if a camera is pointed at me. I also have a lazy eye on the same side of my head which I had to work really hard to control. Both are a mystery but I have my hunches.
My parents used to take me to a hearing clinic on a regular basis where I would be put in a soundproof room for hearing tests, like the beep test. They recommended a hearing aid but I could sense that money was tight so I told them I was fine without one. Since grade 3, I would strategically pick my school desks so I could hear the teacher.
Thanks for this, sometimes conveying idea through type can be hard. I completely understand what you're saying. I am an extremely expressive personality. Someone once told me that if they could hit mute on me they'd probably still understand what I was saying. LOL! This is probably one reason why I enjoyed learning sign language so much. -Aimee
So interesting... I believe @goldendawn also has Meniere's disease. And my wife, may have it...but with some different symptoms than typical/average.
Haha....if only my great aunt had had a good reason to learn ASL. The 'joke' said about her was, she was so expressive with her hands and body, if you held her still then she wouldnt have been able to continue talking. Her hands were moving constantly while she spoke!!
Peace