learning to use a sign language 101
How to help your child follow 2-step requests
When your child understands more signs, he can begin to follow more
difficult requests. You can start by expanding the simple requests your
child already understands, by turning them into requests with 2 steps.
First, make a request
about something your
child can see.
Carlos, wash your hands
and then come eat.
wash hands
Then slowly
make the
requests more
difficult.
Carlos, after you eat,
please bring some
firewood from outside.
eat
Help your child notice that how a sign is made
is part of its meaning
A person adds meaning to her
signs by making them larger or
smaller, by making some signs
slower or faster than others, and by
changing the way her face looks.
Help your child pay attention to
these different ways of signing so
he will understand more of the
message being sent.
If you want to say
something is bad,
you can make a
sign like this:
If you want to say
it is very bad, you
would make the
same sign (‘bad’)
larger and faster:
bad
very bad
Helping Children Who Are Deaf (2004)