SIGNING FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

1. SIGNING FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS Nicola Grove Department of Language & Communication Science City University Manual Sign System Conference Commission for Persons with Disability 23rd September 2006 Valletta, Malta grove 2006

2. SIGN SYSTEMS Devised Structure based on spoken language Used as a means of education Makaton, Signalong, Signed English, Paget Gorman SIGN LANGUAGES & SYSTEMS • SIGN LANGUAGES • Natural • Structure independent of spoken language • Primary means of communication • Maltese SL; ASL, FSL; BSL grove 2006

3. HISTORY OF SIGN SYSTEMS • Use with children and adults with intellectual disability began in early 1970's • Started with people who were deaf, then used with hearing people who had difficulties with speech perception and production • Groups • Intellectual disability; specific language impairment; ASD; cerebral palsy; dysarthria and dyspraxia; some adults after acquired brain injury grove 2006

4. USER GROUPS • Children who can speak, but need sign to help their speech perception and understanding • Children who need signs as a transitional stage in developing spoken language • Children who use sign as a “back up”to their use of speech • Children who are dependent on sign and gesture as their main means of communication grove 2006

5. Worries and concerns • Signing may stop speech development • Signing means professionals are giving up on speech • Signing makes children stand out as different and inferior • Learning to sign is an additional pressure on families Powell ( in press) grove 2006

6. DON'T BE WORRIED! SIGNING CAN HELP IF... • Children have problems articulating or producing speech sounds • Children have problems processing and understanding speech • Children have problems understanding information SO – WHAT'S THE EVIDENCE? grove 2006

7. SIGNS ARE EASIER THAN SPEECH……. • What are the reasons?

8. RATIONALEAdvantages of sign over speech • Signs are produced in time and space • More redundancy than speech • Taking longer to produce • Can be held static as model • More iconic (pictorial) representations • Require less control over fine motor production • Easier to perceive and discriminate grove 2006

9. Reasons to do with the nature of language delay and impairments • Language delays are usually associated with problems in processing and recalling the phonological patterns of speech; and with articulating finely co-ordinated oral movement Tallal, 2000 • Children with SENs often have hearing difficulties • Children with SENs often have relative strengths in the visual-motor system (eg Down syndrome) grove 2006

10. GESTURE AND SPEECH • Try this in pairs • Think of a place you really like to go • Sit on your hands • Now give directions to your partner about how to get there • And describe what it’s like

11. SIGN, GESTURE & SPEECH • Close relationship between 2 means of expression • Gesture and speech are intertwined as thoughts are realised in communication • Use of sign and gesture takes pressure off speech initiation • Use of sign and gesture appears to facilitate articulation of speech grove 2006

12. CORTICAL REPRESENTATION grove 2006

13. Gesture and signing help the development of speech Capone and McGregor, 2004; Goldin-Meadow and Morford 1990 Gestures and words complement each other Nicoladis, Mayberry and Genesee 1999. Late talkers naturally use gesture as a compensatory strategy Thal & Tobias, 1994 ; Iverson et. al, 1993 Signs help speech grove 2006

14. Signs help speech contd… • Signing helps to make speech more intelligible • Listeners understood the speech of adults with LD better when signs were used – even when they could not see the signs.This is perhaps because their speech rate slowed down and became more rhythmical Powell & Clibbens, 1994

15. Signs help speech contd…. • Most children with DS who are introduced to signing early on, progress to spoken language by the age of 5 Miller, 1992; Launonen, 1996 • Once a child becomes able to use speech, sign becomes used as a “back up system” Launonen & Grove, 2002

16. Signing does NOT stop speechLaunonen & Grove 2002 • The case of Eppu • Down Syndrome • Mute at 4 years • At 12 started to speak • By 16 only used sign as back up gesture- competent speaker • ??vocal cord apraxia, hormonal changes at puberty made adduction easier

17. Signs help language development • Better interaction between parents and children • Less passivity in children • Larger vocabularies • Improvements in cognition • Improvements in language development grove 2006

18. Results from longitudinal studies • Larger vocabularies in sign and speech • total 111 in research group; 14 in control at 3y (Launonen) • Advances in cognition, language and literacy • Intervention group significantly ahead of controls in language comprehension, interaction, reading and writing at 8 years. • Gains in syntax Buckley, Bird, and Byrne, 1996 • Allowed those children who did not develop speech to have a functional means of communication • 1/12 in research group no formal communication; 5/12 in control group Launonnen, 1996; 2002; Miller, 1992

19. Best practice in using signs • Start early • Neural plasticity – get the brain laying down pathways when it is most receptive • Ensure development of good reciprocal interactions • Help children to be active communicators • Forestall problems with hearing and capitalise on the child's strengths • Use signs yourself • Essential for the child to develop language naturally • To provide good models • To reduce isolation – why should she sign if you don't! grove 2006

20. GUIDELINES FOR TEACHING • Take the lead from parents of deaf children – use signs where children can see them • Use the sign language of your own country! • Follow principles of normal language development • Choose signs that are functional and motivating, not by ease of production or “iconicity level” • Use signs yourself in spontaneous contexts • Develop large vocabularies, including verbs, adjectives, question words as well as nouns • 50 words -> word combinations 400 words -> grammar grove 2006

21. JOINT ATTENTION & LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT • Children learn words when they are attending to the object their parent is naming • Children learn words to fill gaps in their use • Pointing plays a significant role in language development • Research has shown that a child who is just beginning to talk must hear a word about 500 times before it will become part of his active vocabulary. grove 2006

22. THE ATTENTION PROBLEM • Work with a partner • Take some objects out of your handbag and put them in front of you • Pick up and handle one of the objects • Your partner must tell you what it is • Now do this without talking, and try to teach the sign for the object

23. THE ATTENTION PROBLEM • Speech input to hearing child LOOK AT THE BOX

24. THE ATTENTION PROBLEM • Sign input to child with hearing/speech perception difficulties

25. DO Sign where the object is, in child’s visual focus Sign on child’s body Wait for child to look at you, hold object and sign DON’T Sign when child can’t see you Tap the child or move face to gain attention, then sign (because they lose the focus on the object) Mould children’s hands (can be done occasionally) TEACHING STRATEGIES THAT MAINTAIN ATTENTION

26. PROGRESS IN SIGN AND SPEECH • Vocalisations and gestures • Single words and single signs • Points plus: p + voc, p+p, p+sign, p+word • Sign + sign, sign + word, word + word grove 2006

27. The fight back! • Signing will stop my child speaking – • NO IT WON'T • Signing means that professionals have given up on my child speaking – • NO: SIGNING AND SPEECH GO TOGETHER • Signing will make my child inferior– • WHO SAYS??? grove 2006

28. TOTAL COMMUNICATION • The use of all forms of communication that are useful to a child in all potential contexts • Sign and speech are both face to face – best for faster, interpersonal direct interaction. Problems are memory and intelligibility • Sign and gesture – particularly good for dynamic actions (verbs) • Vocalisation & speech – good for calling attention, emotional expression, • Facial expression & body language – attitudes & emotion • Picture boards – involve 3 way interaction,slower, but • useful for names, specific places and people, narrative recall – compensates for memory difficulties grove 2006

29. The communication environment • Children will sign more when those around them sign (Grove & Mcdougall, 1990; Mellon unpublished). • Visual schedules and timetables, objects of reference help children to know what they are supposed to do, and predict and recall • Visual and tactile cues in the environment help children with SEN to develop independence and find their way around grove 2006

30. VALUING PEOPLEThe communication gap 'Valuing People' says that people with learning disabilities should have: Independence, Choice, Rights and Inclusion. • Many people with learning disabilities have difficulties with language and communication • It is hard to be independent, to make choices, know your rights and feel you belong when you cannot communicate easily. * • Many people with learning disabilities can learn to communicate in other ways. They can use objects, pictures, symbols and signing. • These means of communication must be valued Jones, 2001 grove 2006

31. Diversity of communication – a Human Rights Issue • Communication is a fundamental social process and the foundation of all social organization. It is more than the mere transmission of messages. Communication is human interaction among individuals and groups through which identities and meanings are shaped. Communication rights are based on a vision of the free flow of information and ideas which is interactive, egalitarian and non-discriminatory and driven by human needs, rather than commercial or political interests. These rights represent people’s claim to freedom, inclusiveness, diversity and participation in the communication process. grove 2006 www.communicationrights.org/statement_en.html

32. …continued • Communication diversity is crucial to democracy and political participation, to the right of all people to promote, protect and preserve their cultural identity and the free pursuit of their cultural development. • World forum on communication rights, December 11 2003 Geneva

33. UN CONVENTIONProtection and Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities ARTICLE 21 - FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND OPINION, AND ACCESS TO INFORMATION States and parties shall take all appropriate measures to ensure that persons with disabilities can exercise their right to freedom of expression and opinion, including the freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas on an equal basis with others and through sign languages, Braille, augmentative and alternative communication, and all other accessible means, modes and formats of communication of their choice, including by: grove 2006

34. Article 21 continued (a) Providing information intended for the general public to persons with disabilities in accessible formats and technologies appropriate to different kinds of disabilities in a timely manner and without additional cost (b) Accepting and facilitating the use of sign languages, Braille, augmentative and alternative communication, and all other accessible means, modes and formats of communication of their choice by persons with disabilities in official interactions; grove 2006

35. Article 21 continued Urging private entities that provide services to the general public, including through the Internet, to provide information and services in accessible and usable formats for persons with disabilities (d) Encouraging the mass media, including providers of information through the Internet, to make their services accessible to persons with disabilities (e) Recognizing and promoting the use of sign language August 2006

36. IN CONCLUSION • Access to Sign and other methods of AAC is a fundamental human right, as these are essential means of communication • Signing and gesture enhance speech, and will not prevent speech and vocalisation • We need to learn from the expertise of the Deaf community • Be proud of this beautiful language - and make your children proud to be signers and users of AAC!