Sign Language

I'm not sure how old I was when my interest in sign language began but I can recall numerous instances when I was exposed to it as a child.  One of my first encounters with sign language was watching a family at our church sign with their deaf daughter in the front row of the sanctuary.  The conversation they were having took place right as the service was getting started and I remember thinking that it would be so nice to know sign language because then I could talk during church! There was a married couple who took turns interpreting the church service and all of their kids knew a fair amount of sign language as well.  One Sunday we were sitting right behind the kids and the oldest daughter was singing along to all of the music we sang.  I was completely fascinated by the whole process and couldn't stop wondering how she could remember so many different signs.  At one point in elementary school I attended a class where I learned the manual alphabet and a few other basic signs.  Like anything that I didn't really practice, I quickly forgot most of it until I decided that I wanted to learn sign language in high school.

I was 16 years old and my parents encouraged me to enroll in an American Sign Language (ASL) 1 class at the local technical college.  I drove myself to and from class twice a week and I loved every minute of it.  Almost everyone in the class was just beginning their degree program in sign language interpreting but there was one other high schooler in the class.   Her name was Rachel and our age and shared of love of sign language made us fast friends.   Neither of us had cell phones so we were intentional about coordinating our schedules in person so that we could get together a couple of times a week to practice what we were learning.  We excelled in the class and enthusiastically signed up for ASL II together.  We gained even more momentum as we expanded our knowledge in the grammar and nuances of the language that second semester.  We were deeply disappointed when we couldn't sign up for any more classes without being enrolled in the interpreter program.   At that point college was on my horizon and I started looking into which schools I could take American Sign Language as my foreign language credits.  The University of Minnesota was the closet school to my home town that offered 4 semesters of American Sign Language which made it the most natural and obvious choice of college for me.

My love of sign language continued the more opportunities I had to learn it and I was determined to use it in my career someday.  I did get to use it in my career for 6 fantastic years and one of the questions I was asked the most frequently while I was pregnant with Nicole was "are you going to teach your baby sign language?"  To be honest, I wasn't completely sure how much or to what degree sign language would be present in our home.  As it turns out, our days together provide many natural opportunities for me to introduce a new sign or two or for Nicole to communicate with the ones she knows.  It's been an absolutely invaluable resource for us and I wanted to share a couple of resources that could help you sign with the baby or toddler in your life as well.

I love books and my own shelves happen to filled with ASL dictionaries and topical manuals, but I have to admit that the best way to learn a new sign is to keep the books on the shelf and use a video dictionary.  The internet is full of them but the one I am most familiar with is called ASLPRO.  Use it to look up any word you want to sign with your child and the video of the individual sign will equip you with the confidence you need to accurately communicate with your baby.  Here are a couple of signs that you can look up first to get you started.
1. more
2.please
3. all done
4. milk
5. water
6. help
7. shoes
8. different
9. outside
10. book

We have loved watching those little hands learn how to communicate her wants, needs and preferences.  If it's relevant for your life and family situation, I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

With love,
Erica