A Positive Sign: An Overview of the Benefits of Signing in the Classroom
Author(s):
Mancini, Lynn S.
Format:
Book section
Publisher:
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers, Mahwah, NJ, 2005.
Language:
English
Abstract:
This chapter examines the use of ASL in classrooms. Exposure to sign language has been shown to provide benefits to a wide variety of students. The use of American Sign Language (ASL) in the classroom permits Deaf children to learn content information in their native language, and facilitates the learning of English as a second language. Research indicates that children with special needs ranging from autism to mental retardation can improve their communication abilities when they are taught to sign; for example, hearing ESL Hmong students who were exposed to ASL outperformed their nonsigning peers on a Language Assessment Survey for English, and preschool and kindergarten children who did not have special needs and who were taught to sign earned significantly higher scores on receptive English vocabulary tests than their nonsigning peers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: preface)