guidelines for teaching language 23
• Talk and sign about what
you think your child is
seeing, doing, and feeling,
as if you were him.
Yuck!
Don’t like
spinach...
Jawad’s cousin is using
words and expressions on
the face to communicate.
• Follow the child’s
interests. Make
activities using
things your child
is interested in.
A pineapple!
What else do
we need?
Be realistic
• Try to be realistic about how much time you and others can spend
working with your child.
• Try to adapt activities so
they fit more easily into
your daily life and take
less time.
When I weave, I can talk
about colors, and Teresa
will learn the names of
colors when she gives me
the yarn.
• Try breaking large tasks into smaller, easier steps. This way you will
see progress and not get discouraged.
I want Ravi to learn
to say his name.
Why not start with
each separate
sound first — like
‘Ra’ and ‘vi’?
Helping Children Who Are Deaf (2004)