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Why Learn To Sign?
Throughout North America there is a growing interest in
sign language instruction for children of all ages. At Elizabeth
Buckley School, sign language has always been a vital component
of the program for hearing and hearing-impaired children.
Author Marilyn Daniels in her book, Dancing
With Words: Signing for Hearing Literacy1
highlights the benefits of sign language for all children.
Daniels writes:
- Sign language can improve hearing children's English
vocabulary, reading ability, speaking proficiency, self-esteem
and comfort expressing emotions.
- Sign language helps children build synapses in both
the left and right side of the brain. These synapses increase
overall learning ability.
- Brain cells literally live or die as language experiences
impinge upon them. Using sign language and English in
tandem provides a much richer language bases for brain
activity and brain growth and development.
- Students in a pre-kindergarten class who received sign
language instruction, tested significantly higher on the
Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test than students in pre-kindergarten
classes not receiving sign instruction.
- Sign language is also good for small children because
it is quiet and forces students to focus because they
have to watch.
- Sign language is also effective in managing the classroom
and for discipline.
- Sign language can be helpful for children with special
needs, such as attention deficit disorder, autism and
Down's Syndrome.
1 - Daniels, Marilyn.
Dancing With Words: Signing for Hearing Literacy.
Westport ,
 Connecticut
: Bergin & Garvey, 2001.
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