Bridge of Signs:
Toth©2001
Can Sign Language Empower Non-Deaf Children
to
Triumph over their Communication
Disabilities?
Dr. Anne Toth, R.S.W., Project Director
ABSTRACT
The Canadian Association of the Deaf is currently in the process of completing Bridge of Signs, a 27 month research project funded by the Social Development Partnership Program. The purpose of this research is to examine the use of sign language as a communication tool for non-Deaf children between the ages of 0-6 who have been diagnosed with Autism, Down Syndrome, FASD, and learning disabilities. With the assistance of professionals in the field, and control groups of children who are Deaf, Bridge of Signs is developing programs that will teach children, as well as those who work with them, sign language—both ASL and LSQ. In addition, DVD kits are being developed that will encourage and assist caregivers, professionals, organizations, and parents in utilizing the lessons learned in this project. These kits will be available in English, French, ASL and LSQ. In the absence of research that speaks specifically to the use of sign language as a communication bridge for children with such disorders, we believe that what we learn from this project will be ground-breaking.
Objectives
The participants will: 1. understand fundamental concepts in the education of children, Deaf or non-Deaf, who have communication disabilities as posed by Autism, Down Syndrome, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, and Learning Disabilities; 2. view a model program that teaches children and assists parents, caregivers, and professionals to learn sign language as a means of overcoming communication barriers; and 3. be challenged to collaborate in the use of the model program for non-Deaf disabled children 0-6 years of age.
OVERVIEW
This research project examined the use of sign language as a communication tool for non-Deaf children between the ages of 0-6 who had been diagnosed with such disorders as Autism, Downs Syndrome, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), and learning disabilities. With the assistance of professionals in the field, and control groups of children who are Deaf, Bridge of Signs served to develop model programs that taught children, as well as those who work with them, sign language—both ASL and LSQ. In addition, DVD kits were developed that encouraged and assisted caregivers, professionals, organizations and parents in utilizing the lessons learned in this project. Benefitting from modern technology, the manual, teaching tools, and the video of the vocabulary in English/ASL and French/LSQ were organized and produced on DVD.
In the absence of research that speaks specifically to the use of sign language as a communication bridge for children with such disorders, what was learned from this project was ground-breaking. Using a pre-test/post-test design, children who are hearing and diagnosed with Autism, Down Syndrome, FASD, and learning disabilities were formed into groups as to their hearing and age status. In contrast with these experimental groups, control groups of children of the same age who met the audiological standards of being clinically Deaf and eligible for admission into pre-school and elementary programs for the Deaf were used for comparison.
Based on needs identified in pre-proposal and pre-implementation literature reviews, an implementation plan was developed using the resources of the school, parents, and community. Aimed at increasing the ability of the child to communicate effectively, Bridge of Signs taught ASL (if the child was from an English-speaking home) and LSQ, (if the child was from a French-speaking home). Awareness of how disability had interfered with communication was brought into focus as the Bridge of Signs model engaged children and those who teach and parent them in building a bridge of signs to meaningful communication, including that produced by speech.
Along with the cooperation of the children, support has been received by parents, school teachers and resource assistants, Deaf field assistants and CAD Board of Directors. Video taken and performance journals compiled throughout the twelve months of implementation witness the improvement in communication effectiveness of hearing children who have been taught ASL or LSQ and gone on to continue their language development through sign language and increased verbalization.