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Post by char on Oct 21, 2006 15:56:27 GMT -5
I can't imagine that anyone failed to recognize signing as a form of language with the HEARING impaired! It's hard to believe such ignorance. My niece teaches the hearing impaired. In 1986 she went to the Phillipines and spent three years with the Peach Corp building a school and teaching....the hearing impaired by signing. She had to sign in several dialects. Today she is a thesis away from her doctorate in special ed, and is a wonderful, caring and warm teacher.
My great niece has been signing to her 2 1/2 year old since forever.
If a child can communicate by signing, and if it helps that child be less frustrated, then sign away.
Not allowing a child to sign reminds me of what they used to do to kids who were left handed when I was in grade school. Those poor kids were NOT going to ever be right handed, and we had penmanship class where we actually were given a GRADE, and they always got bad penmanship grades because they were not able to write well right handed.
If my granddaughter has a goal with regard to speach, I certainly hope more emphasis is placed on something useful like her name or her parent's name, and not that an apple is red. All I care with regard to apples is that she gets enough of them to eat!
Char
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