www.oraldeaf.org http://www.oraldeaf.org Sat, 10 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000 en hourly 1 The Pro And Cons Of Sign Language http://www.oraldeaf.org/2011/09/10/the-pro-and-cons-of-sign-language/ http://www.oraldeaf.org/2011/09/10/the-pro-and-cons-of-sign-language/#comments Sat, 10 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000 admin http://www.oraldeaf.org/&p=9 This is a question that many parents have found themselves pondering themselves. The issue is not whether sign language is good or bad in of itself, but more or less is it going to be good for my child and family. As with anything you may want to think if sign language would even be able to be integrated into your lifestyle. If you expect your child to learn sign language but do not plan to learn it yourself, then you may be wasting your time debating back and forth between sign language and your other options.Never heard of this before? Get up to speed here. That is another thing that you are going to want to consider is what really are your options if you do not choose sign language.

Pros:
Easy to learn
Fun for the whole family
Very visual and natural language for deaf or hearing impaired
Lots of resources online
Almost a secret language that others around you will not know
Entitled to an interpreter for meetings and apts.

Cons:
Easiest to learn it from native users
Hard to talk with your hands full
Will take time to learn (but isn’t this true for all languages)
Will be reliant on another person, an interpreter, if not able to communicate by other means as well

]]> http://www.oraldeaf.org/2011/09/10/the-pro-and-cons-of-sign-language/feed/ 0 Deciding Between Sign Language And Lip Reading http://www.oraldeaf.org/2011/09/09/deciding-between-sign-language-and-lip-reading/ http://www.oraldeaf.org/2011/09/09/deciding-between-sign-language-and-lip-reading/#comments Fri, 09 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000 admin http://www.oraldeaf.org/&p=8 There are very few options when it comes to methods of communication for a child with a hearing impairment. Parents need to think long and hard and do a ton of research both on the internet and with actual individuals that are on both sides of the spectrum. They need to make a decision that is going to impact how their child interacts with the world around them. This decision is one that is going to change how they learn about the world around them.

When a decision of such high caliber is needed to be made don’t make it on past impressions or uninformed opinions. You will be wise to spend time talking with people who were raised as lip readers and vise versa. You will begin to notice that no one answer is right for everyone. You may want to take into consideration the child as a whole before you make this decision for them. Once they are older they may choose to go another route, but it is important for you as the parent to feel confident that you made the decision that was best for you child and your family at that point in their life.

]]> http://www.oraldeaf.org/2011/09/09/deciding-between-sign-language-and-lip-reading/feed/ 0 At What Age To Start Sign Language http://www.oraldeaf.org/2011/09/08/at-what-age-to-start-sign-language/ http://www.oraldeaf.org/2011/09/08/at-what-age-to-start-sign-language/#comments Thu, 08 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000 admin http://www.oraldeaf.org/&p=7 Sign language is very important in any child-s life. This is especially true for children who are hearing impaired or have difficulties communicating in other ways. This gives them a way to share what they are feeling, what they need, and what they are wanting day to day. But at what age can you begin to teach a child how to sign?

Teaching a child to sign can be done with pictures and much repetition. Children as young as five months old can learn to sign. By learning how to sign at such a young age, it helps to increase their intelligence. This is due to the fact that they are able to express what they want at such a young age. If you begin with basic signs like mommy, daddy, more, milk, diaper, happy and book, your child will be able to communicate better with you as the parent.

The earlier you introduce sign language to a child, the happier your whole family will be. A whole new world of communication will open up. Instead of screaming and crying for what your child wants, they will be able to tell you what they want by using gestures and signs.More info here: Fair access to Family Sign Language Classes

]]> http://www.oraldeaf.org/2011/09/08/at-what-age-to-start-sign-language/feed/ 0 Why The Parents Should Both Learn Sign Language http://www.oraldeaf.org/2011/09/06/why-the-parents-should-both-learn-sign-language/ http://www.oraldeaf.org/2011/09/06/why-the-parents-should-both-learn-sign-language/#comments Tue, 06 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000 admin http://www.oraldeaf.org/&p=6 If you have decided to use sign language as a method for communicating with your child then it is imperative that both mom and dad learn sign language. Along with siblings and preferably anyone else in the family that interacts with the child in focus.

If just one parent learns sign language then that parent is always going to be the interpreter. This can be very frustrating for both the parent who knows sign language and the child. Language is a barrier between nations why would you allow a barrier to come between your child and yourself. Spending a little time each day working at learning sign language will make easy work of a beautiful language.

Put yourself in their shoes, how would you feel if you were not able to communicate directly with one of your parents. This is a sad reality that often the dads “Don’t have time to learn sign language.” While this is sad just because it tells the child how important they are when they see their dad sitting on the couch watching TV, but not making any effort to learn their language. A family can be truly unified when they all speak the same language.The information doesn-t stop now. Keep looking: Fair access to Family Sign Language Classes

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