American Sign Language has been around since 1817, but plenty of parents and concerned citizens are still back in the Dark Ages when it comes to realizing just how valuable ASL can be for kids. And that's all kids — deaf, hard of hearing and hearing.
According to the American Society for Deaf Children, "Children with strong language skills consistently outperform their peers on tests of intelligence and other measures of success. All this is true regardless of which language a child learns first, it can be English or another spoken language, or it can be sign language, and the research tells us the results will be the same. The earlier a child learns his first language, the greater his success will be in acquiring language skills and meeting other important developmental goals."
Sign language actually had an edge here, because children can express themselves with signs way ahead of vocalization, as early as 8 or 9 months and reliably by 11 months, according to a review of three decades of cognitive research conducted by Michigan State University psychologist Lisalee Egbert, PhD, a researcher who is also deaf.
"Signing children can communicate, while their peers are still frustrated over the inability to tell caregivers what they want or need," ASDC noted.
The best reason for your child to know ASL, of course, is to be able to enjoy deaf and hard of hearing culture and not be limited by an inability to communicate with people who don't speak and hear. With about four people in 1,000 functionally deaf after age 5, and many more after age 65, that's a lot of potential for friendships and cultural experiences.
Beyond being a fun way to chat silently, there are lots of auxiliary benefits of learning ASL. In Georgia, it will count as a way to meet a language requirement in high school or college, for example. And interpreters are needed everywhere, from the Georgia Court system to plays and speeches where an interpreter stands before the audience to perform.
Knowing ASL can also open doors to future jobs, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicting a far faster than average 19 percent growth rate in the interpreter field from 2018-2028.
But, that's getting too far ahead. If you want to get your kid, or both of you, started with learning ASL, here are some options:
American Sign Language Classes
Ike Owings Center, Hunter Memorial Park, 8830 Gurley Road, Douglasville.
Both beginner and intermediate classes are offered in five-week increments, with the next session beginning in late September. The cost is a quite reasonable $20, and interested people can register online.
Atlanta Area School for the Deaf
The school offers a Baby and Me Program to provide early language exposure and support for deaf and hard of hearing kids from birth to 18 months of age. It also offers ASL classes for adults for two hours on Saturdays at the AASD Campus (890 N Indian Creek Drive, Clarkston) or Mondays 6:15-7:45 p.m. at the McDonough Public Library (1001 Florence McGarity Blvd., McDonough). All classes are basic and designed to support families and friends of the school's students.
5825 Glenridge Drive, Building 2, Suite 118, Atlanta.
And if signing classes are out of reach for a family at the moment, Egbert recommended these resources to start learning and enjoying ASL in the meantime:
* A free library of ASL signs that includes an ASL/English dictionary: www.lifeprint.com
* A collection of children's stories presented in ASL: www.dawnsign.com
* A story app aimed at children and their parents who want to become bilingual in English and ASL: www.facebook.com/VL2StorybookApps/
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