Building Language
Foundations in ASL
and English
Debra Cushner, Parent- Infant Teacher
Julie Mitchiner, Early Childhood Teacher
Debra Nussbaum, Coordinator, Cochlear Implant Center
Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center,
Gallaudet University, Washington, D.C.
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.
Who We Are
Gallaudet University
Clerc Center
Early Childhood Programs…
meeting the needs of individual children
and families
•Parent-Infant
•Nursery
•Pre-Kindergarten
•Kindergarten
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
Agenda
• Beliefs about early language development
• Strategies to facilitate American Sign Language with
young children
• Strategies to stimulate spoken language with young
children
It is important to initiate early language
in the most accessible way possible
It is not always clear what role “listening”
will play on the path to learning language.
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
Beliefs about early language
development
• 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)
Important to look at children on a continuum
Fully
Visual
Communicator
V
Mostly
Visual
Communicator
Mostly
Auditory
Communicator
V VA A
A
v
Fully
Auditory
Communicator
A
Where a child fits on the
continuum depends on the
coming together of many
impacting factors
(and may change over time)
Strategies to facilitate
ASL development
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
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
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
Expose signs through signing on a child’s
body, book, or near an object.
Video clip
Incorporate a child’s peripheral view.
Video clip
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
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)
Include strong language models to
interact with children: (i.e. parents,
teachers, other professionals…)
Video clip
Use props to motivate language
development such as puppets , art
supplies, animals, pets, nature, and mirrors
Facilitate positive language development
by following child’s interests
Video clip
Use books for ASL Read Aloud
with follow up activities
Video clip
Introduce to new concepts (cooking, sound
and music, stars and lights, wind, color
gradation, growing, babies)
Video clip
Strategies to facilitate
spoken language
development
A child must “learn to listen”
before they can “listen to
learn”
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
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.
Bring sound awareness in varied ways
Video clip
Work with families to facilitate
attention to sound
Video clip
Help children to learn that their voice can
cause something to happen
Video clip
Work on conditioning a child to respond to
sound
Video clip
Structure activities to “imprint” and
“imitate” new sounds
Video clip
Help a child make sound-object
associations
Video clip
Integrate spoken language skill
development into natural settings
(imprinting, repetition, sound object association)
Video clip
Remember
The goal is for each child to
become the best communicator
possible… as early as possible.