Sign Language in a Mainstream Classroom

I have a student this year who has many problems with finding his place within the classroom community.  S is very bright and wants to learn about everything.  He is also a very caring kid who loves to give hugs and touch his classmates. These touches are intended to be what one of my colleagues calls a “kind touch”.  The problem is that S has a speech impediment that makes him nearly incomprehensible when he gets excited.  When emotions run high, he reverts to incoherent babbling and screeching.  When his classmates don’t respond the way he wants them to, he then starts to hit, kick or bite.  

The fourth week of school we studied the 5 senses as part of the science curriculum.  I gave the kids a sheet with the ASL finger spelling alphabet printed on it.  We talked about how people who are deaf communicate using their hands. 

Fast forward two weeks.  S’ Mom and I are having a conference to address his behavior and his lack of academic skills.  S has trouble focusing, understanding what he is reading and with the weekly spelling tests in addition to the communication issues.  I shared with Mom that the speech teacher is interested in adjusting the time that S spends with her.  Mom shared with a startling behavior: he has been using made up hand gestures at home to try to talk to his parents and his sister. 

He had taught his mom and sister the ASL fingerspelling alphabet and it was posted prominently on the refrigerator.  When he became frustrated at home and couldn’t force the sounds to come, he pointed to the letters on the paper and signed out words.  He was also creating one and two hand signs to try and communicate with the family.

There are moments in teaching when you just know that the next thing that comes out of your mouth is going to make or break the hope that the student or his parents have.  I was about to suggest something risky and something outside the box for a child with normal hearing who is part of a bilingual program.  

When Mom paused, I jumped in. “S is very smart and very intelligent.  He is trying anything he can to communicate with us and we need to give him every tool that we have to help him do so.”  I told her that we could use sign language here at school: for everything from spelling lessons to circle time.  I loaned her two books and showed her how to use them.

We outlined what I would expect from him: the use of basic signs for please and thank you, you’re welcome, hello.  These are basic signs that communicate the niceties that S often forgets to use.  I also wanted him to be able to finger spell all the spelling words each week.  I would ask him to sign the letters rather than writing the words in a paper and pencil test.

The next day, armed with a stack of books and the hope that this would work, we started the Community Circle with the news that S would be using these books to learn signs and that he would be using them to talk. The kids were very excited about this and wanted to learn them as well.   I think that for them, learning sign language is as normal as learning English while speaking Spanish.  It is just one more tool for communicating.

We have incorporated many signs into classroom routines and I am hoping that this continues.  The speech teacher is very supportive of this new tool and sees it as one more thing we can do to help him grow.

The main difference that I have seen is that S is more engaged during any kind of language arts lesson. He is excited to contribute to Making Words and to play the Word Wall Games.  He is excited to share with the signs what he saw during a science experiment.  When I sign, he pays attention.  When he signs, the other kids “listen” to him in ways that they never did before.

Maybe, just maybe, we’ll be able to help S find his niche.