According to the MacArthur-Bates CDI Words and Sentences Assessment, these are the foods and drinks (Q to Z) that your child should know and, more importantly, say or sign.
Here are printable vocabulary cards you can use with your child.
Animals your child should know, from P to Z, with videos of their corresponding sign:
Below is an excerpt from the Marcus Autism Center website. For more information, visit http://www.marcus.org.
“Marcus Autism Center is a not-for-profit organization and subsidiary of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta that treats more than 5,500 children with autism and related disorders a year.
As one of the largest autism centers in the U.S. and one of only three National Institutes of Health (NIH) Autism Centers of Excellence, Marcus Autism Center offers families access to the latest research, comprehensive evaluations and intensive behavior treatments. With the help of research grants, community support and government funding, Marcus Autism Center aims to maximize the potential of children with autism today and transform the nature of autism for future generations.
With a wide spectrum of services and evidence-based treatments, families can receive diagnosis, treatment and support in a single location. Treating patients across Georgia and the Southeast, Marcus Autism Center is the comprehensive resourcefor children with autism and related disorders.
Marcus Autism Center, in conjunction with Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and through collaborations with premier academic institutions nationwide, is bringing groundbreaking research and clinical services to children and families affected by autism.
With the appointment of Ami Klin, Ph.D., Director of Marcus Autism Center, we are pursuing an overarching research strategy, with two main areas of focus—early detection and early intervention. This will be accomplished, in part, by Dr. Klin’s eye-tracking software, which has been shown to diagnose children as young as 6 months old. We hope that this will help future generations of children get the care they need.”
Stephanie is 8 years old. She was identified at 1 ½ years old with a moderate hearing loss. She was diagnosed at 5 years old with autism. Her parents, Dan and Shelly, work full time and they just welcomed a newborn to their family. Stephanie attends school at the public school down the street from her house.
Dan is out of town on business, and Shelly is scrambling to get Stephanie out the door on time. Her bus arrives at 7:30 and Stephanie is just now getting dressed. Shelly tries to get Stephanie to move more quickly, but Shelly is also holding a crying newborn. Juggling two children has proved more difficult than Shelly imagined. In the hustle and bustle of the morning, she forgets to put new batteries in Stephanie’s hearing aids.
Lately, with things being more hectic around their home, Stephanie’s progress has waned and Dan and Shelly are concerned. Stephanie is not reading on grade level and the other children in her class are making age-appropriate academic gains. They are on the waiting list at the Marcus Autism Center’s Language and Learning Clinic, where Stephanie will receive services to help her improve her communication and social skills.
American Sign Language (ASL) is a visual language. With signing, the brain processes linguistic information through the eyes. The shape, placement, and movement of the hands, as well as facial expressions and body movements, all play important parts in conveying information.
Sign language is not a universal language — each country has its own sign language, and regions have dialects, much like the many languages spoken all over the world. Like any spoken language, ASL is a language with its own unique rules of grammar and syntax. Like all languages, ASL is a living language that grows and changes over time.
ASL is used predominantly in the United States and in many parts of Canada. ASL is accepted by many high schools, colleges, and universities in fulfillment of modern and “foreign” language academic degree requirements across the United States.
National Association of the Deaf
What does this language look like?
Check out AMP (Accessible Materials Project), which is based in Georgia. AMP provides video for those who use ASL or who are learning ASL. One of their many videos can be found here, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnQY1aKWrFE. This video presents sight words in written English and in ASL. Words are fingerspelled and signed.
Below is a list of sign language interpreter services in Georgia.
Communication Access Network, Inc.
Provides comprehensive communications services through a network of interpreters and independent consultants.
Georgia Interpreting Services Network
Contact: Marilyn Teague (Senior Assignment Coordinator), firstname.lastname@example.org
Non-profit organization providing certified sign language interpreting 24/7/365 for all of Georgia since 1987.
Georgia Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, Inc.
The Interpreting Connection, Inc.
1706 Tree Corners Parkway
Norcross, GA 30092-3129
Contact: Debbie Lesser (founder), email@example.com
Don Clark and Associates, Inc.
4651 Woodstock Road, Suite 208
Roswell, GA 30075
Sign language interpreting services. “Where words have meaning.”
Medley Interpreters, LLC
quality . communication . connections
National Alliance of Black Interpreters, Inc.
Sign Language Interpreting Specialists, Inc.
130C John Morrow Parkway
Gainesville, GA 30501-3569
770-531-0700 (voice), 770-287-9479 (TTY)}
Contact: Ruth Dubin, firstname.lastname@example.org
Sign language interpreting services available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for all settings (e.g. medical, legal, educational).
Deaf teachers use visual strategies for incorporating fingerspelling into classroom instruction. Studies on these visual strategies show that they are a natural part of classroom interaction and are used to promote greater understanding and retention of academic material.
Three such instructional strategies for using fingerspelling are as follows:
(1) Chaining, (2) Sandwiching, and (3) Lexicalized Fingerspelling.
Chaining is used for introducing new concepts or new vocabulary terms. Chaining creates associations by connecting signs, fingerspelling, and the printed/written word in a sequence, with one format reinforcing the previous one. Through chaining, the teacher provides multiple ways for the students to learn the word and concept. In addition, teachers may use objects, pictures, or multimedia to reinforce the concepts. For example, when teaching the word, tornado, a teacher might choose one of the following sequences:
1) Point to the word tornado written on the board;
2) fingerspell T-O-R-N-A-D-O; and
3) sign TORNADO.
1) Fingerspell T-O-R-N-A-D-O;
2) sign TORNADO; and
3) write tornado on the board.
The sandwiching technique alternates between fingerspelling and signing. This method also reinforces the equivalency of ASL and English.
1) Fingerspell T-O-R-N-A-D-O;
2) sign TORNADO; and
3) fingerspell T-O-R-N-A-D-O again.
1) Sign TORNADO;
2) fingerspell T-O-R-N-A-D-O; and
3) sign TORNADO again.
New signs are created through a process where fingerspelled words are altered or lexicalized to become more sign-like. Commonly referred to as loan signs, these signs sometimes omit letters (#JOB) while others blend the handshapes seamlessly (#BUS). Through this process, a loan sign is formed. Lexicalized fingerspelled signs include nouns, verbs, adjectives, conjunctions, interjections and wh-words. Lexicalized fingerspelling transforms the fingerspelled word into a sign-like visual image. Deaf teachers often use this technique; first, they produce a neutral version of a fingerspelled word, and then follow that with a lexicalized version. This process supports visual memory and facilitates retention.
Common Fingerspelled Loan Signs
#BANK #BACK #OFF #ON #IF
#SALE #EARLY #BUT #BUS #CAR
#WHAT #DO #SO #OK #JOB
#YES #NO #DOG #TOY #FIX
What does lexicalized fingerspelling look like?
Visual Language and Visual Learning Science of Learning Center. (2010, July). The Importance of Fingerspelling for Reading. (Research Brief No. 1). Washington, DC: Sharon Baker.
Franklin is just arriving home after a long 7 hour school day. He is hot and sweaty after his 45 minute bus commute from school to his house. He has homework to do – read a book and draw a picture of his favorite scene in the book. He can’t read yet, so he has to wait until his parents are able to read to him and help him with his homework.