Sign Language is generally known as the form of communication used by those who are hearing impaired. However, there are other types of disorders that benefit from this type of non-verbal communication. It provided a means of communication for those whose attention spans are short and language comprehension is limited.
Aphasia is a common speech disorder which
occurs when one suffers a stroke or brain injury, leaving the person unable to
speak. Therefore sign language is vital
in helping people who have suffered these injuries communicate with people
around them.
For people with Autism, sign language is
frequently used as a communication tool because it helps to encourage speech
development.
Additionally, sign language is being used
in schools to help children learn and retain information. For example, French teachers are
incorporating sign language into their lesson plans in order to help children
pay attention and understand and retain information learned in the lesson.
When I was in Grade 1, my teacher was
suffering from hearing loss. As part of
her curriculum she taught us sign language, from the alphabet to different
phrases such as “May I use the washroom.”
Although I’ve been unable to retain phrases, I can still spell out the
alphabet as if I learned it yesterday. Signing
to babies is also a productive way to communicate non verbally to your child
who is unable to speak with you.
Some food for thought...
What do you think are some benefits of incorporating sign language into our every day lives?
Would you say it is beneficial to offer courses on sign language in schools, just as we would have the opportunity to register into any other language courses?
What do you think are some benefits of incorporating sign language into our every day lives?
Would you say it is beneficial to offer courses on sign language in schools, just as we would have the opportunity to register into any other language courses?
Log onto http://www.chs.ca/
, Canada’s hearing society website for further information.
Are you interested in learning more about sign language?
SOURCE:
Berke, Jamie. "Nonverbal Users of Sign
Language." Deafness and Hard of Hearing. Web. 24 May 2012.
<http://deafness.about.com/cs/signfeats1/a/nonverbal.htm>.
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