Why Teach Sign Language To Hearing Kids?
Sign Language is very effective for developing expressive and receptive language skills in children with apraxia. During the language-rich years of birth to age 7, language skills develop at a rapid rate. The skills that children develop during this time set the stage for future learning, and a delay in language at this time may have far-reaching repercussions. Without sign language, a child with apraxia will often suffer more severe language delay. However, the apraxic child who learns sign language has a better opportunity to develop their expressive language, particularly in the case of a severe disability and delay in oral speech production. The earlier a child is introduced to sign language, the better opportunity there is for that child to develop expressive language with a minimum of delay. Some of the benefits of sign language:
Emotionally, sign language helps the child with apraxia to express their basic needs and reduces frustration such children normally experience.
Academically, sign language removes the pressure to produce speech, allowing the apraxic child to concentrate on learning.
Socially, sign language gives the child an opportunity to develop social skills by entering into relationships and communication with peers and adults.
Sign language also offers visual cues that help with the processing of language. Children with apraxia need multi-sensory input. Using both voice and sign can help the child with apraxia to remember the motor plan necessary to produce a word, sound, or sound sequence. The combination of voice and sign can also help the apraxic child process and order information they are taking in. Using a hand sign by the mouth provides a visual cue for the child to make appropriate sounds for speech production of that letter sound. There is even more mention in the literature on apraxia that sign language provides kinesthetic reinforcement of volitional movements and sequencing when it accompanies a verbal attempt.
Benefits of an Apraxic Sign 'n Say Language Program Whitepaper
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