(SAVANNAH, GA) Sign Language Promotes Effective Communication in Children with Down syndrome

Jan. 1, 2010 - PRLog -- (SAVANNAH, GA) The amount of information that children with Down syndrome understand
 far exceeds what they are able to communicate in their early years.
 Most kids with Down syndrome have speech delays, and quite often their
 expressive language is slower to develop than their receptive
 language. This can cause a lot of frustration for children and their
 parents, as the kids cannot communicate as effectively as they'd like.


http://www.ldssga.org.


 As a tool, speech therapists actively encourage the use of sign
 language in the early years, along with traditional speech therapies,
 to help to bridge the gap between a child's receptive and expressive
 language abilities. This keeps a positive line of communication open
 between the child and parent despite challenges.

 “I would say that teaching signs to your baby with Down syndrome
 is a must,” says Candy Bogardus of Lowcountry Down Syndrome
 Society. Candy has been using sign language with her five year old
 daughter Lainey who has Down syndrome since she was just seven months
 old.

 “It is difficult to decipher the needs of any child at times,
 but when a child has no words to tell you her needs it can be
 extremely frustrating,” says Candy. “Lainey’s quick
 learning of sign language helped eliminate this frustration.”

 According to Candy, Lainey did not speak with words until she was four
 years old however was using over 75 signs by the time she started
 talking. Lainey learned signs so quickly in fact that it was a
 challenge for her twin older brothers and other family and friends to
 keep up at times.

 Cognitive development and confidence are facilitated and enhanced in
 children by the use of signing. This is done through the process of
 affirming that what the child is thinking and expressing through signs
 is indeed correct. For example, if the child signs "hear train" to his
 mother, his mother is able to then respond by saying and signing "yes,
 mommy hears the train" or "no, mommy hears a truck."

 In the past there has been some debate on the topic of signing and
 Down syndrome. Some have suggested that the use of signing may
 discourage the child’s continued development and improvement of
 speech due to fears that they may lean on this form of communication
 too heavily.

 Recent data however has shown that these fears are unfounded. In fact,
 the opposite is actually true. It seems that signing may in fact help
 to promote speech.

 A case study by Theresa Kouri of the School of Speech Pathology and
 Audiology at Kent State University in Ohio actually found that signing
 has a positive influence on the development of spoken language in
 babies and children with Down syndrome.

 In the published article “How Manual Sign Acquisition Relates to
 the Development of Spoken Language: A Case Study” the
 relationship between signed and spoken word was observed in a young
 girl with Down syndrome during a treatment regimen using simultaneous
 input.

 During the course of the study all of the child’s words were
 recorded over an 8-month period and classified according to the manner
 of speech and communication production (such as spontaneous/imitated
 and signed and/or spoken). It was revealed that most of the words that
 the young girl initially signed were later spontaneously spoken.

 The study demonstrated that over time most of the young girl’s
 signs actually evolved into spontaneous speech. Thus it was concluded
 that the use of simultaneous signs does indeed support the formation
 of spoken language.

 As for Lainey, she is a now a chatterbox. “She still signs
 words while she is speaking,” Candy says, “she
 definitely figured out the relationship between the spoken word and
 the signed word.”

 According to Candy the use of sign language has been a huge confidence
 and self-esteem builder for Lainey. “Without signs she would
 have been left out of playing with her friends and unable to
 participate in her daily activities.”

 Lainey participates in a program at their church called Cubbies that
 involves learning and reciting bible versus each week to her teachers
 and peers. Before she was able to speak her mother Candy would teach
 her how to sign each verse. “She was able to keep up with her
 peers and receive awards for her memorization,” Candy points
 out. “Without signs she would have been unable to participate
 in this program.”


 All parents can agree that there is no greater joy than the feeling
 experienced when their child begins to communicate with them. Signing,
 used as an initial method of expressive communication, can give the
 child the opportunity to achieve the cognitive growth that speech
 promotes before the child has the ability to speak. This creates a
 clear channel for bonding with people and relating to the world around
 them—and is enriching for both the child and parent alike.

 Lowcountry Down Syndrome Society promotes the use of sign language.
 They have several volumes of DVD’s within their library called
 “Signing Times” which can assist children and parents in
 learning sign language. They also recommend that children work with
 trained speech therapists as well to ensure success.

 LDSS is a family support group for those touched by Down syndrome and
 their families. LDSS is active in raising awareness within the
 community through local leadership, support, outreach, education and
 advocacy. (912) 728-8505 http://www.ldssga.org.

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