Effects of American Sign Language ~ More than Just a Language Boost
The team at Sprouting New Beginnings focuses on fun and interactive ways to support the development of healthy minds and healthy children through play, music, and communication to promote school readiness.
ASL is not just a language boost for our children it is also a brain boost. A child that has the opportunity to learn ASL benefits by increased brain development. Research has vastly expanded our knowledge of early brain development. We now understand how early experiences are influential to the wiring of the brain. Early childhood is a crucial time for brain development, in the first three years of life 90% of the brain is developed. American Sign Language supports early brain development in the areas of: communication, attention, bonding, and visual.
This gift from the deaf community is a hearing child’s blessing.
Children who sign tend to have higher self-esteems, stronger problem solving skills, stronger leaders and are more empathetic and accept diversity. American Sign Language has also been known to decrease behavior challenges and minimize those terrible two’s. What a wonderful gift to give to a child.
All children learn to gesture, it is natural. However, now there is a way to make that gesturing meaningful…learn American Sign Language. Sprouting New Beginnings supports the use of American Sign Language because it is not just a language for the first 18 months of life. Why stop there? ASL is a powerful intervention that facilitates learning in early education by meeting the needs of all learning styles, as well as bridges the gap for bilingual students. Educators that use ASL in their classroom with bilingual students help those students learn English much more efficiently and quicker. ASL also supports early literacy and school readiness. A non-signing child by 18 months understands simple phrases, says 20 – 50 words and uses 2 word phrases. A signing child by 18 months says 30 – 70 words, uses 2 – 5 word phrases, and is growing their love and enjoyment of reading. By 3 – 5 years a non-singing child says 1000 – 2000 words and knows 10 letters. A signing child says 1000 – 2000 words, reads a picture book with a little help, and knows all the letters of the alphabet, therefore truly being “school ready.”
Testimonials from educators and families who use American Sign Language:
Excellent! This is one of the best trainings I’ve ever attended!
I am looking forward to integrating ASL into my classroom.
Wonderful, concrete examples to use in my class. Great hands-on learning!
Thank you all so much, this session was really interesting and I plan to further my knowledge in ASL.
Using ASL with my daughter has been wonderful; it gives me a glimpse of her needs and interests. It has been much easier to raise her than it was with my first daughter, who we didn’t use ASL with.
I’ve used sign language with both of my children and it has been fun, easy, and a great “tool” for my “parenting toolbox.”
I choose to use ASL with my son because I wanted a way to communicate with him before he could speak; I never realized all the other benefits that would come with it. We have a great bond and he is a wonderful listener, speaker, problem solver, he is empathetic and has a very high self-esteem. It was such a simple thing to add to our daily routines that made a huge difference in our lives.
Sprouting New Beginnings workshops are based upon the award-winning American Sign Language program from Dr. Joseph Garcia’s SIGN with your BABY and align with the Arizona early literacy initiative and the Governor’s plan for school readiness.
Sprouting New Beginnings is devoted to the physical, emotional, cognitive, and social development of children. Jennifer Matthews and Jenning Prevatte are available for speaking engagements, family and educator workshops, and interviews.
Contact us at info@sproutingnewbeginnings.com or 480.575.1770 for more information.