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Reading with Deaf Children
How do parents of Deaf read books to and with their children?
TOn Friday, January 3, 2025 at 07:55:12 PM PST, ████ █████ wrote:
Hi Dr. Bill,
I have 4 total children. My youngest is 5 months old and was diagnosed hard of hearing at one month old. We got our baby hearing-aids but I am also trying to learn as much ASL as I can and a friend of mine recommended your site.
One thing that is hard for me is trying to sign while I am doing other things with my hands. For example, I am having trouble reading books to my baby. How do you hold the book in one hand, the baby in the other arm, and still sign? Also, all the picture books I have are written in English. A lot of English books for young children rhyme when read aloud. Is there an equivalent to rhyme in ASL? Also, when I do manage to sign a book, usually putting the baby on the floor and holding the book with my feet, the baby is looking at the pictures in the book and not my hands. Do you have any recommendations?
...
Thank you!
████
Dear ████,
Hello and thank you for your dedication to learning ASL for your baby!
Your questions are excellent and very common among parents learning to sign with their little ones.
For reading books, here are some approaches that many Deaf parents use:
• Sit with your baby in your lap, with them facing the same direction as you. This way, both of you can see the book when you prop it up on a pillow or table in front of you, leaving your hands free to sign.
• It's perfectly fine to sign the story first, then show the pictures, alternating between the two. Young children are quite adaptable to this rhythm.
• For babies who are more mobile, story time can happen on the floor with both of you facing each other and the book propped up to the side.
• Check to see if there is a print or copy shop still functioning in your area and you may be able to get your children's books converted to spiral binding. Do an online search for "spiral binding near me."
• Use e-books. They are flat.
Regarding rhyming - while ASL doesn't have sound-based rhymes exactly like English does, it has its own beautiful patterns! ASL stories often use repetition or patterns of handshapes, movements, or locations (and even facial expressions) to create rhythm and poetry. When signing stories, focus on bringing the characters and actions to life through expressive signing rather than trying to translate English rhymes directly.
Don't worry if your baby isn't always watching your hands - they're absorbing language even when glancing between you, the book, and their surroundings. This is natural! Over time, they'll learn to coordinate their attention between visual inputs.
Remember that what is important is providing a massive amount of interactive communication, experiences, and exposure to language, ideas, and concepts! Building up your child's cognitive resources now helps ensure that as they grow they will be able to continue developing their ability to succeed in the world as an adult.
You've referred to your child as having been diagnosed as "hard of hearing" (HOH). If your child is primarily a visual communicator and has a moderate to significant amount of hearing loss do not hesitate to adopt and use the term Deaf. It is okay to be Deaf and still straddle both worlds. Most Deaf people have some amount of residual hearing. Many Deaf speak. The range of hearing loss among Deaf individuals varies widely, with only 20.2% reported to have profound hearing loss. Other levels of hearing loss include moderate (18.5%), moderately severe (15.3%), mild (13.3%), and severe (10.2%). (Source: National Center on Deafblindness, 2019 National Deaf-Blind Child Count Report, Documented Hearing and Vision Loss, on the web at: https://www.nationaldb.org/products/national-child-count/report-2019/hearing-vision-loss/ ).
Every family develops their own strategies over time. The key is consistency and making signing a natural part of your daily interactions.
Warm regards,
Dr. Bill
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