How We're Teaching Our Deaf Kids

Posted by Traci at 3:02 PM

Two years ago we began the process of adopting our two youngest gremlins, both deaf. I had NO idea what I was doing, zero experience in deaf education, and was scared to death my kids wouldn't learn anything from me. About that time a friend came to our church and told me about another family who had adopted deaf children. Of course, I Internet stalked her and found her blog. It was a lifesaver, a road map, a you-can-do-this moment for me. Since then she's become a friend but I'm still in awe of her and her kids. Anyone interested in helping their deaf kids learn would do best to hop over to her blog The Brownie Chonicles. Start from the beginning and keep reading. Thanks Sarah.

Here's a little peak at what we've been doing and quick guide to the materials we use:
ASL-Alphabet Flash Cards
Melissa and Doug Alphabet Puzzle
Melissa and Doug Number Puzzle
My Stories in ASL Pinterest Board - please let me know if you know of any other ASL story websites

Princess Chats
Lots of people suggest using puppets with your kids to role play scenarios. Obviously that doesn't work for us since we kinda need our hands to talk. So we started doing "princess chats". I'll sit the Princess in a chair and take turns having conversations with her. Rosalee will watch me and then she'll imitate my conversation, then switch places with Cinderella and I'll chat with her, etc. My main goal is to help Rosalee & Trey answer questions they get asked when we're in the deaf community - how are you, how old are you, do you go to school, etc.

Letter Jump
Got these giant ASL/letter flashcards at Knowledge store and I love them. Don't know what I would do without them, I use them in a million ways! For this, the kids stand on the slide and wait for me to sign a letter. When they find the one I sign they jump to it and hold it up. Keeps them moving and they love it.

Letter Matchup

Right after we got home with Trey and Rosalee their Dad bought them a Melissa and Doug wooden alphabet puzzle. Every night for what seemed like infinity we would sign each letter. Now we use it with the flashcards and have them match the wooden letters with the correct sign. Sometimes I cover the actual letter up on the flashcard so only the handshape is showing.

Sign the Letters

Of course, sometimes we just sit and sign the letters. I try to do this no matter what else we've done that day. I usually run through it once with the whole card showing then again with the handshapes covered up. We don't do the whole alphabet at one time, we usually do 10 or so letters a day.

Letter Princess
For this I'll either sign a letter and have Rosalee point to it with her wand or I will point to a letter (with the handshape covered up) and have Rosalee sign it. The boys don't like to do this one.

Letter Copy

The kids love to write so I'll put these on the whiteboard and have them try to write each letter. Usually I will write it first, then erase it and let them try. 

Family Name Sight Words

Doing a lot of work getting familiar with the names of important people in their lives. For this I will point to the name and ask them for the sign name. Thankfully, most names start with the letter of that name so it's a pretty easy connection from "Trey" to his name sign, parents and grandparents being the exception of course.

Number Line Copy

Dad bought the Melissa and Doug number puzzle at the same time he got the alphabet puzzle. Again, for what seemed like forever we would just sit and sign the numbers. Now I put them in order (using an older number puzzle I found) and have them repeat the order. This is mainly for Trey, our youngest.

Number Scramble

Trying to teach number sequence to Rosalee. I would scramble the numbers up and ask her to put them in order and she would always get it wrong, but if I sign the numbers to her she gets them right every time. I was trying to figure out how to make the leap to just putting them in order without needing the sign but then I thought who cares, she'll sign them to herself if she needs them signed.

ASL Stories

Just starting down this path, but I'm trying to find good stories in ASL for the kids to watch. Rosalee and I watched this Three Little Pigs song the other week and she loved it and signed it for her Dad when he got home. I've started a Pinterest board to collect these so if you know of any websites for ASL stories, please let me know and I'll add them. http://www.pinterest.com/tpsaves/asl-stories/

READ, READ, READ!!!

I am not the best signer in the world. Wish I was, just not. I am trying to get better but I don't think I'll ever be Deaf/CODA smooth. BUT I do slog through books with my kids and every night when we put them to bed we let them get as many books as they want to sit and "read" (look at the pictures and words). I try to rotate the books in their room so they don't get bored. When the new batch of books comes in it's like Christmas, they get so excited. 

The kids watching Dad sign a story:

The kids watching me sign a story:

Okay that's not really true but you get the point. Even if you're not a storytelling/book reading Master-ASL-super-creative-signer-guy like my husband and you're just some hack like me, keep doing it! As my husband told me, I don't love my parents because of their good grammar, I love them because they love me.

So that's where we're at right now. I'm writing this post in hopes that you'll share with me what you're doing because I'm kinda get tired of the same old material. Thankful for God's provision in everything.