Signing for Infants & Toddlers

It is always a joy for new parents to hear their baby’s first words, which are usually either “Mama” or “Dada”. Unfortunately, a baby doesn’t begin to start speaking until they are almost or around a year old. What is fascinating is the fact that parents and caregivers can communicate with their child before the child reaches a year old with sign language. Signing with babies is an amazing way for parents and their children to communicate. Sign language helps bridge the communication gap between the parent and the child which aids in reduced frustration from the parents and less tantrums from the child. The benefits of teaching sign language to babies are significant and abundant.

According to the article, “Baby, Sign to Me! Benefits of Teaching Sign Language to Hearing Infants” by Rena Blumberg, she states that, “infants are able to communicate long before they can manipulate their tongues, lips and vocal cords” (Blumberg, 1). By communicating through signs, children can learn to sign physical and emotional needs and curiosities. In the article titled, “Why Teach Babies Sign Language?” by Armin Brott, he states that, “signing improves babies’ motor skills, builds vocabulary and language abilities, reduces tantrums and frustration and has even been linked with an increase in IQ” (Brott, 1). It is amazing that signing with your baby before he or she can even speak can have so many advantages in the long run. With all these wonderful benefits, it seems that every parent should teach their child to sign.

Parents who already know American Sign Language can just begin to choose a sign. If the parents don’t know ASL, or any sign language for that matter, parents can choose a great internet source or sign up and take classes in their local community. In an article titled, “Babies Taught to Use Sign Language” by Lea Blevins, she writes about an upcoming class called Baby Sign Language which is being offered in Amador Valley Adult and Community Education. She states that the class “…will guide parents, grandparents, and caretakers and their babies through a course on fostering early communication between parents and children” (Blevins, 1).

In order to get started with the child, the parents and caregivers must choose signs that are need based and they should also have a highly motivated attitude. Signs involving eating such as eat, drink, more, or milk are good signs to begin with. Also, it is always important to teach them how to sign Mommy and Daddy. It will take time and effort to get a baby to start signing so parents and caregivers should remember to be consistent and open to interpretation since they are just infants. Parents should be expressive and most of all, to be patient. Parents and caregivers should remember to make the learning experience fun for their baby and should give praise for the baby’s efforts at communicating.

Parents who sign with their baby may experience deeper bonding with their baby because they have greater insight into their baby’s wants and needs. Parents will also achieve a higher level or trust with their baby because they will be able to understand what the child is trying to tell them. Signing with babies will also give parents and caregivers a great feeling of satisfaction because they can communicate efficiently with the child before he or she can even speak. In the end, these rewards are great for the parents and the child, but the best reward is the deeper bond between the parents and their child thanks to communication via sign language.


www.lifeprint.com A great source for anyone interested in ASL


Works Cited


Blevins, Lea. (2005, Apr. 26). Babies Taught to Use Sign Language. Oakland Tribune. ANG Newspapers. Retrieved 2 Apr. 2009:
.

Blumberg, Rena Morningstar. (2005, Fall). Baby, Sign to Me! Benefits of Teaching Sign Language to Hearing Infants. Special Delivery. Association of Labor Assistants & Childbirth Educators. Retrieved 2 Apr. 2009:
.

Brott, Armin. (2003, Dec. 28). Why Teach Babies Sign Language. Oakland Tribune. ANG Newspapers. Retrieved 2 Apr. 2009:
.

Cochlear Implant

What is a cochlear implant?

A cochlear implant is a surgically implanted electronic device that provides a sense of sound to a person who is deaf or hard of hearing. The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders says that, "it is estimated that at the end of 2006, more than 112,000 people worldwide had received implants. In the United States about 23,000 adults and 15,500 children have received them" (NIDCD, 2007). The cochlear implant is also referred to as a bionic ear. There are several parts that make up the cochlear implant. The implant consists of an external portion that sits behind the ear and a second portion that is surgically placed under the skin.

According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, there are several parts that constitute a cochlear implant. There is a microphone which picks up sound from the environment as well as a speech processor which selects and arranges sounds picked up by the microphone. There is a transmitter and a receiver/stimulator, which receives signals from the speech processor and converts them into electric impulses and lastly, an electrode ray which collects the impulses from the stimulator and sends them to different regions of the auditory nerve. (NIDCD, 2007).

Unlike hearing aids, cochlear implants do not amplify sound. Instead, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration states that, "they are designed to produce useful hearing sensations to a person with severe to profound nerve deafness by electrically stimulating nerves inside the inner ear" (FDA, 2004). An implant does not restore normal hearing but it can give a deaf person a useful representation of sounds in the environment and help him or her understand speech. Hearing through a cochlear implant is different from normal hearing and it takes time to learn, or relearn.

There are benefits as well as risks for those who chose to get a cochlear implant. According to the Food and Drug Administration, "the hearing ranges with cochlear implants can range from near normal ability to understand speech or no benefit at all." Adults usually benefit right away and continue to improve for about 3 months after the initial tuning sessions. Even though performance continues to improve, improvements are slower. For children, they may improve at a slower pace. They need a lot of training after implantation so that the child can use the new ‘hearing’ he or she now experiences. (FDA, 2004).

Most people with cochlear implants can perceive loud, medium, and soft sounds. People report that they can perceive different types of sounds such as footsteps, slamming of doors, sounds of engines, ringing of the telephone, barking of dogs, and so on. The cochlear implant helps many people make telephone calls and understand familiar voices over the telephone. However, not all people how have implants are able to use the phone. Another benefit of the cochlear implant is that many can watch TV more easily because of the speaker’s face and the visual cues. Music is also another benefit from the cochlear implant and many people can enjoy music.

The Food and Drug Administration also mentions that there are risks that can come from a cochlear implant and some of those risks stem from the surgery. "During the implant procedure, injury to the facial nerve can occur. Since the facial nerve lies close to where the surgeon needs to place the implant, it can be injured during the surgery"(FDA,2004). Other risks individuals can get from the surgical implant procedure is cerebrospinal fluid leakage, perilymph fluid leakage, or an infection. The FDA also mentions that, "some individuals may have Tinnitus, whichis a ringing or buzzing sound in the ear, numbness around the ear, and even Reparative granuloma" (FDA,2004.) Reparative granuloma is the result of localized inflammation that can occur if the body rejects the implant.

So, what constitutes someone as a prospective user for a cochlear implant? The National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders states that, "children and adults who are deaf or severely hard-of-hearing can be fitted for cochlear implants" (NIDCD, 2007). The range of how well people can hear and comprehend spoken word with their cochlear implant varies. Some people can understand speech well, however, many people still rely on speech reading, gestures, and sign language in order to fully comprehend what other people say.

Even after a person receives a cochlear implant, the person is still deaf. Many people with cochlear implants still need visual cues in order to help them understand what others are saying. When the external portion of the cochlear implant is removed at night, the individual is essentially deaf. In a sense, the cochlear implant device does not change the fact that the person is deaf.

Before, cochlear implants were seen as a big controversy which went against the deaf culture. Now, for an individual to get a cochlear implant, it is seen as more of a personal choice. According to the National Association of the Deaf, they state that ,” Cochlear implants are not appropriate for all deaf and hard of hearing children and adults. Cochlear implantation is a technology that represents a tool to be used in some forms of communication, and not a cure for deafness” (NAD,2000).

A cochlear implant will not cure deafness or hearing impairment, but is a prosthetic substitute for hearing. Some recipients find them very effective, others somewhat effective and some feel overall worse off with the implant than without. For people already functional in spoken language who lose their hearing, cochlear implants can be a great help in restoring functional comprehension of speech, especially if they have only lost their hearing for a short time. Results greatly vary in terms of how well people ‘hear’ after the cochlear implant. Some people become able to hear and understand on the phone, while some cannot attain that ability. Some people still rely on speech reading and sign language.

According to the National Association of the Deaf,they forsee that with,"further improvements to cochlear implant technology and greatest experience with educating and supporting pre-lingually deafened children and adults may later result in better outcomes for both of these populations than are achieved at present" (NAD, 2006). The efficacy of cochlear implants will varies from individual to individual. So, if a person receives a cochlear implant and either gets their hearing back or fails to do so, the individual will still remain a functional person in the hearing and deaf world.

If you would like to know more, you can find more information which is available on the internet. Simply by typing in “cochlear implant” in search engines such as Google or Yahoo, you will get many hits.

Lifeprint.com is a great source for anyone who is interested in ASL.

Works Cited

FDA. (2004, Oct. 26) What Is A Cochlear Implant? Cochlear Implants. US. Food and Drug Administration. Retrieved 13, Nov. 2008: < http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/cochlear/whatare.html>

NAD. (2000, Oct. 6) Cochlear Implants NAD Position Statement. National Association of the Deaf. Retrieved 13, Nov. 2008: < http://www.nad.org/ciposition>

NIDCD. (2007, May.) Cochlear Implants. National Institute on Deafness and Other CommunicationDisorders. Retrieved 13, Nov. 2008:
< http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing/coch.asp>