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Building Language
Foundations in ASL and English
Debra Cushner, Parent- Infant TeacherJulie Mitchiner, Early Childhood TeacherDebra Nussbaum, Coordinator, Cochlear Implant Center
Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center, Gallaudet University, Washington, D.C.
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Faculty Disclosure Information
• In the past 12 months, I have not had a significant financial interest or other relationship with the manufacturer(s) of the product(s) or provider(s) of the service(s) that will be discussed in my presentation.
• This presentation will (not) include discussion of pharmaceuticals or devices that have not been approved by the FDA or if you will be discussing unapproved or “off-label” uses of pharmaceuticals or devices.
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Who We Are
Gallaudet University
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Clerc CenterEarly Childhood Programs…
meeting the needs of individual children and families
•Parent-Infant
•Nursery
•Pre-Kindergarten
•Kindergarten
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Other Clerc Center Supports
• Family educator
• Family sign language program
• Shared Reading program
• Other support services (OT, PT, Audiology, ASL, Auditory/Speech, Psychology, Counseling, Nursing)
• Coordination with local childcare services
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Agenda
• Beliefs about early language development
• Strategies to facilitate American Sign Language with young children
• Strategies to stimulate spoken language with young children
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It is important to initiate early language in the most accessible way
possible
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It is not always clear what role “listening” will play on the path to
learning language.
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Beliefs about early language development
• Early language acquisition and a shared language, (in any modality) is critical to timely development in all areas
• Communication should be comfortable, non-frustrating and accessible.
• Language is best learned in child centered, functional, language rich and meaningful contexts with strong language models
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• Children can benefit from exposure to both American Sign Language and English during the early stages of language development
• Early amplification and its role in learning spoken language should be closely monitored
• Language use may change over time based on changing child characteristics (i.e. obtaining cochlear implant, demonstrated competence/comfort in ASL and/or Spoken English)
Beliefs about early language development
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FullyVisual
Communicator
MostlyAuditory
Communicator
MostlyVisual
Communicator
FullyAuditory
Communicator
VV VVAA VAVA AAvv AA
Important to look at children on a continuum
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Where a child fits on the continuum depends on the coming together of many impacting factors
(and may change over time)
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Strategies to facilitate ASL development
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Building early visual communication
• Establish and maintain eye contact
• Incorporate attention-getting strategies such as touching, tapping, and waving.
• Position infants so they can see the communicator’s face as well as other objects or people of interest.
• Use positive and interesting facial expressions
• Expose signs through signing on a child’s body, book, or near an object. Incorporate a child’s peripheral view.
• Use frequent repetition of signs. Include strategies such as pointing to an object before and after a sign, and signing the name of the object
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Establish and maintain eye contact
Incorporate attention-getting strategies such as touching, tapping, and waving.
Position infants so they can see the communicator’s face as well as other objects or people of interest.
Video clip
![Page 16: Building Language Foundations in ASL and English Debra Cushner, Parent- Infant Teacher Julie Mitchiner, Early Childhood Teacher Debra Nussbaum, Coordinator,](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022062423/56649dfe5503460f94ae692f/html5/thumbnails/16.jpg)
Position infants so they can see the communicator’s face as well as other objects or people of interest.
Use positive and interesting facial expressions
Video clip
![Page 17: Building Language Foundations in ASL and English Debra Cushner, Parent- Infant Teacher Julie Mitchiner, Early Childhood Teacher Debra Nussbaum, Coordinator,](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022062423/56649dfe5503460f94ae692f/html5/thumbnails/17.jpg)
Expose signs through signing on a child’s body, book, or near an object.
Video clip
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Incorporate a child’s peripheral view.
Video clip
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Use frequent repetition of signs. Include strategies such as pointing to an object before and after a sign, and signing the
name of the object
Video clip
![Page 20: Building Language Foundations in ASL and English Debra Cushner, Parent- Infant Teacher Julie Mitchiner, Early Childhood Teacher Debra Nussbaum, Coordinator,](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022062423/56649dfe5503460f94ae692f/html5/thumbnails/20.jpg)
Ideas to support language development
• Invite strong language models to interact with children (i.e. parents, teachers, other professionals…)
• Use props to motivate language development such as puppets , art supplies, animals, pets, nature, and mirrors
• Facilitate positive language development by following a child’s interests
• Use books for Read Aloud with follow up activities
• Introduce to new concepts (cooking, sound and music, stars and lights, wind, color gradation, growing, babies)
![Page 21: Building Language Foundations in ASL and English Debra Cushner, Parent- Infant Teacher Julie Mitchiner, Early Childhood Teacher Debra Nussbaum, Coordinator,](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022062423/56649dfe5503460f94ae692f/html5/thumbnails/21.jpg)
Include strong language models to interact with children: (i.e. parents,
teachers, other professionals…)
Video clip
![Page 22: Building Language Foundations in ASL and English Debra Cushner, Parent- Infant Teacher Julie Mitchiner, Early Childhood Teacher Debra Nussbaum, Coordinator,](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022062423/56649dfe5503460f94ae692f/html5/thumbnails/22.jpg)
Use props to motivate language development such as puppets , art supplies, animals, pets, nature, and
mirrors
![Page 23: Building Language Foundations in ASL and English Debra Cushner, Parent- Infant Teacher Julie Mitchiner, Early Childhood Teacher Debra Nussbaum, Coordinator,](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022062423/56649dfe5503460f94ae692f/html5/thumbnails/23.jpg)
Facilitate positive language development by following child’s
interests
Video clip
![Page 24: Building Language Foundations in ASL and English Debra Cushner, Parent- Infant Teacher Julie Mitchiner, Early Childhood Teacher Debra Nussbaum, Coordinator,](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022062423/56649dfe5503460f94ae692f/html5/thumbnails/24.jpg)
Use books for ASL Read Aloud with follow up activities
Video clip
![Page 25: Building Language Foundations in ASL and English Debra Cushner, Parent- Infant Teacher Julie Mitchiner, Early Childhood Teacher Debra Nussbaum, Coordinator,](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022062423/56649dfe5503460f94ae692f/html5/thumbnails/25.jpg)
Introduce to new concepts (cooking, sound and music, stars and lights, wind, color
gradation, growing, babies)
Video clip
![Page 26: Building Language Foundations in ASL and English Debra Cushner, Parent- Infant Teacher Julie Mitchiner, Early Childhood Teacher Debra Nussbaum, Coordinator,](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022062423/56649dfe5503460f94ae692f/html5/thumbnails/26.jpg)
Strategies to facilitate spoken language
development
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A child must “learn to listen” before they can “listen to learn”
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About “Learning to Listen”
– Establishment of listening foundations is a process that follows a hierarchy of development
– Listening development takes place at different rates for each child
– Listening development involves both structured training and natural integration
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About “Listening to Learn”
• Children have varied potentials to access learning through their listening
• Spoken language potential may shift (hearing aid fitting, cochlear implantation, maturation of auditory skill development)
• A child’s “auditory functioning level” as well as other areas should be considered in determining when a child is ready to “listen to learn”
• Spoken language immersion may not be “enough”
• Guidelines are helpful in determining “if” and “when” a child is ready to transition to spoken language.
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Bring sound awareness in varied ways
Video clip
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Work with families to facilitate attention to sound
Video clip
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Help children to learn that their voice can cause something to happen
Video clip
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Work on conditioning a child to respond to sound
Video clip
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Structure activities to “imprint” and “imitate” new sounds
Video clip
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Help a child make sound-object associations
Video clip
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Integrate spoken language skill development into natural settings
(imprinting, repetition, sound object association)
Video clip
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Remember
The goal is for each child to become the best communicator possible… as early as possible.