Overview

Spelling ages raised over six months in six weeks

"Signs for Success has produced compelling evidence about ways in which the language, literacy skills and behaviour in children can be improved through the simultaneous use of signing and speech"
   -- The Esmee Fairbairn Foundation

Signs for Success is an essential part of the early years curriculum bringing depth and meaning to every day activities and practice with greater results than expected for all concerned. See for yourself and be amazed!

Our programmes inspire, excite and transform every day practice whether this is in the home with one child or in the setting with several. We are a fully inclusive methodology which complements and brings value to other programmes such as the government's "Letters and Sounds" initiative.

" ´Photo´ sounds like ´foto´.  But the children can SEE it’s a ‘ph’ and not a ‘f’ with fingerspelling.  They can SEE that a ‘ch’ sound is not a ‘sh’ sound."           
      -- Signs for Success teacher 

Spelling Research

Trudy Fletcher’s Year One research project at Turves Green Primary School found that signing brought unexpected benefits’- Read more in the PDF (297 kb) Published spelling research

Case Studies

• Sandra Valmary uses French, English and sign with her daughter Celeste
• Alicia Cottrell & Jason´s progress to success
• Susana Azevedo uses Portuguese, English and sign with her children 
• Cheryl Davies became addicted to learning more and more signs
• Erica, mother of Isaac who was found to have a serious hearing loss
• Alison Archibald on embedding the Signs for Success™ programme

Sandra Valmary

Sandra Valmary is the mother of 12 month-old Celeste. She uses French and sign with Celeste and her husband Neil, English and sign. The signs are a bridge to both languages as they are consistently the same, providing a kinaesthetic clue to the meaning of spoken French and English.

"Celeste made her first conscious sign yesterday. We were sitting on the floor in Neil's study and I pointed to him and said to her: "Look, this is Papa" while signing "Daddy". She looked at me and did the exact sign for “Daddy”. I was so pleased I clapped and cheered!.I had noticed she moved her fingers a lot when she talked (sign babbling) but nothing had made sense so far. I am so glad! When I started the “Signing with Babies and Young Children” course, the first thing I did was watch the “Transforming Lives” DVD – and a whole new world opened to me.

I was very aware that the first three years in a child's life are crucially important and this may be why the whole programme appealed to me: it gave me directions and food for thought about child development, child/parent relationships and behaviour management. Through the activities and assignments, I came to realise that each and every one of the activities I do with Celeste has learning outcome not only for her but for me as well. I don't think I am the same mother I would have been.

I had already subscribed to the Natural Child Project website and read the Dr Sears books on attachment parenting and it seemed to me that the “Signing with Babies and Young Children” programme was supporting this whole idea of building a strong bond from birth, developing a lifetime relationship based on respect and trust, giving your child a strong self esteem, tuning into your baby so that you know each other so well everything will run smoothly later on.

The Signs for Success™ programme doesn’t teach sign language as such (though there are hundreds of signs to learn), it shows how signing with babies and children can help you to achieve specific goals such as expanding a child’s spoken language or building a strong positive relationship. There are numerous tips and clues and paths to follow.

And all the behaviour management signs together with the philosophy espoused in the course helps me raise my child in a positive way, avoiding punishment, bribery and time out. Here is an example of how “Signing with Babies and Young Children” course made a big difference to the whole relationship between me, Celeste and the world …

Before the programme, Celeste and I would walk in the park and she would point towards things. I name the objects and we go home, and that's it. With the programme, we go for the same walk. Celeste points towards things and I give her their names. We talk about the things she seems very interested in and I bring her attention to other things she might be interested in to show her too. Then when we go home I look for the signs for those words on the DVD’s (mainly “dogs, sun, birds” and “planes”) so I can use them during the day.

When we next go to the park we look for the same things but this time I sign as I say the word. Finally, we go to the park with Neil and he says the words in English as he signs. The programme has helped build our relationship and Celeste’s understanding of spoken language. It has also widened her and my knowledge and perception of the world in its smallest detail. Now I am very aware of how important I am to Celeste and that she learns through me!

When I talk to people about signing now, I emphasize the fact that I did the programme to help build a great parent/child relationship. “Signing with Babies and Young Children” is the greatest support for parents and children alike, as it restores babies and children to where they should be, the most important people in our society. What Celeste and I have learned and will continue to learn, is going to last a lifetime."

 

Alicia Cottrell & Jason

Signing Success for Jason*

Alicia Cottrell is a Childminder who studied the “Signing with Babies and Young Children” long distance learning course supported by Lewisham Early Years Service. The child development course from award-winning Signs for Success uses sign language as a memory tool to accelerate children’s learning in every day curricula activities. Alicia tells us how Jason moved from a child heading for specialist intervention to one who was top of the class!

A year ago I had serious concerns about 3-year old Jason’s play and learning ability. He was disengaged and reluctant to emerge from his comfort zone and face new challenges. In fact, his insecurity and fear would often lead to tears and yet I knew that Jason was an intelligent child with lots to offer. I felt that I was failing him by not being able to find the key that would unlock his learning potential and was on the verge of seeking professional help.

Signs for Success™ (SFS) could not have come at a better time for me and Jason. The SFS programme has not only been the key to Jason’s development in all six areas of learning, it has also given everyone the opportunity to see Jason actively learn, participate and lead the way in furthering his learning ability. I would not have believed the complete about-turn in a such a short space of time if I had not witnessed the change first-hand.

Signs for Success has helped Jason by:

• boosting his confidence and developing his independence
• nurturing his disposition to learn - Jason is more focused and attentive
• supporting his journey through the Early Years Foundation Stage
• removing the need for assessment and specialist intervention - our perception and expectations of Jason have changed for the better
• creating a closer, trusting relationship between us

The SFS™ programme has also been beneficial to me as an educator. I feel that I am more able to tune in to the individual needs of the children and can provide a more active, visual and fun way of teaching under-fives. I must confess to coming out of my own comfort zone while using the SFS programme as it has given me the confidence and self-belief to teach children ‘outside the box’.

Professionally, Signs for Success has helped me to reassess my childminding practice and I have seen how SFS can benefit all the children in my care (aged 18-months to 8-years old) supporting inclusion and creating an enabling environment. Both parents and children noted the difference it made in communicating more effectively and supporting the foundations for language, reading and writing.

The benefits are immediate: words, conversations, songs and stories come to life. Negative behaviour is at a minimum as the children are more attentive. Signing has slowed down the teaching process ( verbally, I am more concise) while accelerating the rate of learning. The children are retaining more information over shorter periods of time. How great is that?!

Signing = active learning = sustained involvement = fun learning for all

Thank you Kathy and the entire SFS team!

* name has been changed to maintain confidentiality

 

Suzana Azevedo

Suzana Azevedo has been studying the distance learning course “Signing with Babies and Young Children” as part of her masters degree in Psychopathology of Language and at Instituto Superior da Maia, Portugal. I am a mother of a six-year old boy and a fifteen-month baby girl who signed up for the distance learning course “Signing with Babies and Young Children”. As I progressed, I was amazed by the potential it not only had for interaction and communication with all small children, but for the teaching of a foreign language.

Signs make a link between the spoken word and object. This gives babies and young children clues to what we are saying. For example, the sentence “Would you like some cheese?” (Sign “cheese” as you say the word) If used on a regular basis, the child comes to recognize that the sign means the object (cheese) which leads to recognition of the spoken word.

By using signs with a baby or with a young child we are giving meaning to the spoken words. They can “see” what the words mean! I realized that this is also true when we use signs to learn a foreign language. Knowing this helped me to develop games and other activities with my son to improve his English.

It was fun for my son to guess the meaning of spoken English words as I made the signs or to guess what was written in Portuguese and English on flash cards with the support of signing clues. We sang and signed well-known songs in English too and it was easy for my son to understand their meaning and to memorize them.

For my baby girl this was fun too, as she could understand when we were singing even though it was in English. With “Old Mc Donald” for instance, she knew that we are talking about a ‘cow’, a ‘duck’ and a ‘chicken’ because she recognized the signs.

Fingerspelling the alphabet was also very helpful when we spelled words or wrote words in Portuguese and in English. It also helped to identify differences between sounds, “b” and “d” for example. A “b” and a “d” look very different when fingerspelled.

Signing helps children to understand new words in an easy way and little ones become very enthusiastic to learn more. I found it easy to introduce new words / signs into my little girl’s activities. We sang songs and rhymes, told stories, and carried out make-believe games. Signs helped improve her vocabulary.

The same was also true for my son in learning a foreign language! When children feel confident their behavior improves naturally. We praise their successes and they feel secure and happy. These feelings are why they want to discover more and more words in order to express themselves. These good feelings help improve their language. They are the ones who want to learn more and more! Fantastic!

Even when a child is not able to speak due to a physical or language disability, it is still possible to express her or himself through signs. This transforms signing into an even more powerful tool. From my experience, signing with babies along with speech makes them happier. They can express themselves long before they can talk, they are understood, feel confident and looking forward to learning more and more.From my experience using signs with children to learn a foreign language, improves their vocabulary and encourages them to learn. And the good news is that you get all this with lots of fun!

Cheryl Davies

Since introducing the "Signing with Babies and Young Children’s" programme to the children, I have been amazed by their interaction. It has given the children the opportunity to learn something new and exciting. I found myself becoming very addicted to learning more and more signs each day and wanting to share my new knowledge with the staff and children at work.

I found it easy to introduce new words/signs within the children’s activities. In particular one child ‘Evie’ has clearly taken to sign language and has even taken what she has learnt in nursery home with her to show her family. She has developed a strong bond with the WOW puppet and is even taking him home (along with the books) to practice. I strongly praise her successes and she seems very happy and secure.

I have recently been approached to take my study further and teach the foundation stage group the basics of sign language. I feel very strongly about this course and would definitely advise people to try it. It has brought a lot of enjoyment to our nursery and we feel a whole lot closer as a family unit. I am very interested in doing more courses like this.

Thank you
Cheryl Davies – Tiny Turners Day Nursery, Wilton

Evie’s Mum, is concerned that Signs for Success will not be continued after nursery when Evie moves into another class.

Evie started learning sign language a few months ago with Cheryl, one of the nursery nurses. At first I don’t think we realised what Evie was doing, her hands and fingers moved as she was talking - “it’s a blue car. It’s a yellow flower,” for example. Since then, Cheryl has involved us in all that Evie is learning. Sessions have taught Evie to sign colours and animals and we now understand what she is doing.

Wow, the soft toy that helps children learn sign, along with the other books, have become a favourite for Evie to bring home on an evening. Wow has also had lots of trips away from the nursery on a weekend with Evie, to Whitby and the Danby Moors Centre to name a few! Evie has taken to sign language well and is always keen to demonstrate her new skills. Her Grandma and Auntie are both deaf and have been particularly impressed. At times, Evie openly signs colours and other words as she is talking.

The only shame for us is that when Evie moves into another class or leaves nursery all the hard work Cheryl has put in, will not be carried on and further developed, not just with Evie but the other children as well. Cheryl does need to be congratulated however, for the progress that Evie and the other children nursery children have made in learning this new skill with her. I’m pleased that Evie has learned and enjoyed learning this with her and Wow!

Erica, Megan and Isaac

I decided before Meg was born that I wanted to sign with her. The school where I teach had been carrying out the Signs for Success programme, a programme which uses sign language alongside speech to advance children’s development and learning, and we had seen great results. The children were enthusiastic about signing, they were motivated and had gained excellent phonic skills. When the Reception children reached Year 1, they had a far greater grasp of phonics than had any other group previously.

My husband and I began signing to Meg when she was about seven months old. I felt frustrated when I saw her grabbing things and I insisted that she look me in the eye when I gave her something as I signed "thank you" to her. Quickly she learned to look at us when we gave her something, and ‘thank you’ was her first consistent spoken word—even though she never signed it! It was clear that she understood the "thank you" sign—as soon as we signed because she always said “thank-you”. By nine months, Meg began to respond to our signing. If she was crying she would stop when we signed what she wanted. “Please” was her first sign—at 11 months. By 14 months, Meg was making up her own signs, confident that she could communicate her needs to us. For example, she could signal that she needed her nappy changed. She is now 18-months old and can create upward of 20 signs. She understands approximately 40 signs. What has struck me is that the first signs she has used are of abstract concepts: “Please” and “Sorry”. She knows exactly the right time to use them. She is also able to choose food without it being in front of her. As she finishes her lunch, I will sign some possible choices for pudding and she can tell me which one she wants. I have seen amazing role play from her. I believe I see even more because through sign I am trained in watching her actions.

She now enjoys books more than ever and is interacting with them as she signs animals she finds in the books. She scours the pages for other things she knows the signs for. It has made sharing books such a pleasurable experience far earlier than I expected. She’s headstrong and feels frustrated, yet I know that many potential tantrums have been avoided by her ability to communicate her needs to us. I believe that as a result of the signing we communicate so much better and that I have been allowed into her world much sooner. In fact I see how empowered she feels because she shares so much with me.

When Megan was two and a half she had a new baby brother named Isaac. Isaac was a beautiful younger brother for Megan and signs proved useful in reminding her to be gentle with the new baby. The house was a noisy one with a lively toddler in it, so when Isaac didn’t startle or wake at loud noises I put it down to the fact he was used to living with a human whirlwind. A little after his six-week check I asked the health visitor when the startle reflex would occur. She said it was usually present at birth and after some crude tests referred us to Birmingham Children’s Hospital for further tests.

I went to our first appointment with my eight-week old baby and two and a half year old daughter along for the ride. I was not prepared for what they told me – Isaac could not hear anything. They were unable to get any reading from his ears at all and would need to bring him back into hospital to be sedated for a more extensive test measuring brainstem response.

The four weeks between that first appointment and his test seemed like eternity and so much went through my mind. He had been named Isaac as it meant “laughter” –something we wished for him and now I feared he may never hear it. In those weeks I spent a lot of time thinking about what he might never do – say “Mummy”, listen to music, attend mainstream school – and then I began to realise that the only way to survive this time in limbo was to focus on the positives – what he would be able to do and what I and my husband would do to support him. It was my sister who said to me “how lucky for Isaac, he’s been born in a family that already know how to sign – we can all learn – I’ll teach my children and they can sign to him”. All of a sudden signing took on new meaning for me. At first it had been a way in to our young daughter’s life, a tool to reduce tantrums and increase bonding, now it was a necessity.

Isaac was twelve weeks old when he had his brainstem test. I held him as he fell asleep and my husband carried him down for his test. After the first period of testing the audiologist came in with a very serious face and moved the probes. “Let’s see if we have some more luck here,” she said – confirming that the first tests had been right and there was little or no sound reaching his brain. After what seemed like an eternity she came back into the room and said she had good news! Isaac was currently unable to hear as he had a serious air conduction loss. This meant that sound could not pass through his eardrum into the brain due to the space behind it being filled with a glue-like substance, but the bone conduction results were much better so the future prognosis was good.

We were elated but it then transpired that Isaac’s glue ear was not insignificant and he would be seen every twelve weeks to check on progress. At each test the consultant would tell us how low his levels were and that his ear drums were not responding. He did not babble as Meg had and his cry had a flat tone, however as he grew older he was showing signs of developing some spoken language.

As time went on the consultant was amazed that Isaac began to catch up with this peers in his speech, even though his test results continued to be very poor. The only thing he could attribute to this excellent development was the use of sign language together with spoken word. We spoke close to his ear, we faced him when we spoke, we reduced background noise from radio and television and we signed at the same time. Isaac developed exceptionally good coping strategies and these allowed him to blossom into a happy, contented, talking baby.

At age two and a half it was decided that as the glue had never once eased during all Isaac’s tests it was time to fit grommets. There was an amazing improvement immediately and we made the most of the language window. Sure enough, after a few short months the benefits had dwindled and Isaac was struggling once again - missing that he had even been spoken to, not hearing when we warned him of cars coming. Once again sign became his mainstay.

Isaac has since had a second set of grommets fitted and generally copes well. In noisy situations such as parties we go back to signing to let him know what’s going on as it is tricky with so much background noise for him to decipher what is being said. He copes well in school and is using fingerspelling as a way of determining the difference between sounds that are similar (for example ‘f’ and ‘s’). What is interesting to note is that even with the reliance he has had on sign, Isaac does not usually sign to us, but uses it as a means of gaining information. He joins in signing with books, songs and rhymes and loves his special signing books, but makes his needs known through spoken language. I don’t think there can be more conclusive proof that signing aids spoken language – I have seen it with my own eyes!

Alison Archibald on embedding the Signs for Success™ programme

Alison Archibald is Workforce Development Officer in the London Borough of Richmond Upon Thames. Here she explains how she is embedding the Signs for Success programme both in the home and in settings across the borough through the training of early years professionals, practitioners and parents.

As Workforce Development Manager in London Borough of Richmond I want to offer our more experienced early years practitioners professional development opportunities that differ from the standard CPD offer.

I am aware that one of the barriers to true equality between Early Years Professional Status and Qualified Teacher Status is that teachers have a programme of professional development to follow in their first year. It is therefore extremely important that Early Years Professionals follow a programme in a similar way if they are ever to be seen as having equivalent status. This programme needs to be interesting, stimulating and challenging.

Any course that they follow or training they receive must enable them to demonstrate that they are, indeed, the Agents of Change for their setting. The easiest way to demonstrate this is to undertake a course that would enable them to put into practice a set of skills previously not seen in their setting. The Early Years Professional would then be able to compare outcomes for children prior to putting these skills into practice with outcomes after introducing the new practice.

I knew that there was very little, if any, programmes that used British Sign Language (BSL) in Richmond’s settings and was interested to see if the Signs for Success programme, both the “Signing with Babies and Young Children” course and the “Sign-a-Day” Kit, was something that would engage the practitioners and the children in their care.

One of the key requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage is working with parents and I was certain that a signing programme would be a great way of engaging parents. It wouldn’t require a high level of English in order to use signs in the home learning environment so it would be ideal for parents with English as an additional language. Early Years staff teaching parents to sign with their children could be inclusive and non threatening and have the added benefit of giving parents a skill they may not otherwise have. To this end, we supported Signs for Success in developing the new parent programme “Sign-a-Story” linked to Letters and Sounds. This programme is mapped to the Adult Literacy Curriculum in order for it to be eligible for Family Learning Funding from the Learning Skills Council.

I also saw the use of “Sign-a-Story” as an opportunity to introduce some additional Family Learning provision in our Children’s Centres. The Adult College in Richmond already ran BSL certificated courses and I negotiated with them to run a shorter, introductory course for early years practitioners who could then be trained to deliver a signing course to their parents. Practitioners and parents may decide to progress to the full accredited “Signing with Babies and Young Children” course themselves.

In Richmond we now have several Early Years Professionals and settings about to start the accredited programme. We are also piloting a six week “Sign-a-Story” course for parents in one of our settings. I hope that more Early Years Professionals will choose to run workshops for their parents and they will have the opportunity to take qualifications to teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector.

We will look carefully at the evaluations by practitioners and ultimately see if there is a difference in EYFS Transfer summaries and EYFS profile results. I hope the evaluations will show:

• improved outcomes for the children in their settings
• improved practitioners own skills and knowledge
• additional professional qualifications as adult tutors
• settings engaging more effectively with parents, particularly those hard to reach parents such as EAL families
• parents having tools to take learning back into the home environment and thus improve outcomes for children
• parents themselves may choose to go on to the accredited programme supported by Family Learning.

I am confident that we will see the kind of outcomes described by the students above and continue to promote sign supported speech in Richmond.

 

Reviews

• Course review by A. Cottrell
• Course review by Geraldine Hill
• Course review by Sarah Watson
• Early Years Update article by Angela Youngman

Signing with Babies and Young Children - A child development course
Review by Alicia Cottrell

Early Years Educator
May 2009

"Signing with Babies and Young Children" uses British Sign Language to promote early communication, spoken language skills and to improve behaviour. It is a signing programme that supports the four basic principles of the Early Years Foundation Stage: a unique child, positive relationships, enabling environments and learning and development.

The six-months distance learning course is available to everyone: parents, carers, childcare practitioners, teachers, speech therapists, in fact, anyone caring for babies and young children and/or children with additional learning or behavioural needs. You will receive course materials that include 3 DVDs, a sign-the-alphabet poster, a fingerspelling phonics pack, three signing books, puppet and all the information you need to successfully complete the programmme. For those of you worried about completing this course outside of a classroom – don’t be! The information is clear and concise and the activities are practical and easily carried out within your daily routine.

Does it really work and how can it benefit all children? I put the theory into practice and the positive impact on my childcare setting was immediate. I found learning the signs very addictive and couldn’t wait to share my new knowledge with the parents and children. My enthusiasm was quickly conveyed to the children in my care and they loved the new method as much I did. Sixteen month- old Baby M signs ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ and sees his efforts acknowledged and valued. Children with emotional and behavioural problems were given a tool to help them understand and manage their feelings. In one particular case, the improvement in behaviour led to one child’s first real opportunity to show their true intelligence and abilities. Activities were enhanced by seeing and doing and the children’s physical involvement kept them focused for longer periods of time. Signing brought stories and songs to life, making them memorable and enjoyable.

I have been using the Signs for Success™ programme for 9 months and
I can honestly say Yes, it does work and the benefits are endless. Try it!

 

 

Geraldine Hill
Milkshake Montessori
Nursery School

In April 2009, Milkshake Montessori Nursery School introduced the Signs for Success™ methodology and practice into the setting through the “Signing with Babies and Young Children” accredited CPD course. The achievements made by children, parents/carers & early years practitioners have been impressive, rewarding & inspiring.

Signs for Success™ is concurrent with the principals of the Montessori philosophy of education. It reaffirms a child’s innate desire to learn & notes that a child’s learning capacity is enhanced when provided with a prepared environment under the guidance of a trained early years practitioner. Indeed, Signs for Success™ emphasises how a child’s development can be transformed through the simultaneous use of signed & spoken language. This benefits hearing, hearing-impaired & non-hearing children. It offers a combination of theory & practical activities which are differentiated for babies & young children & diverse schemas of learning. The programme is varied & stimulating through the use of puppets, signing books, posters, supporting DVDs & ideas for supplementary activities.

Central to the benefits of the programme is the social & emotional, language & cognitive development of the child.

Social & Emotional Development

Infants are born with an instinctive desire to be acknowledged & feel safe & secure (Erickson, 1950). A child’s emotional development reflects their feelings in response to changes in their close environment & their needs being met. Signs for Success™ allows infants, young children & their parents/carers/early years practitioners to communicate & respond to these issues from an early age. Notably, a baby’s motor skills develop before speech. From approximately seven months a baby is able to make gestures through hand signals (e.g. for ‘drink’) whereas the spoken word occurs much later at approximately eighteen months. Signing gives a window into the infant’s mind & personality as they can communicate outside of the here & now.

As a result, the simultaneous use of spoken & sign language can strengthen the bond & sense of trust between the child & its carers. Notably, Bowlby (1969) emphasised the importance of attachment theory & its integral role for a child’s emotional development. Spoken & sign language activities can be done with the child’ primary attachment (mother) or secondary attachment (carer/practitioner). Signing promotes positive interaction strategies such as following the child’s focus of interest, making eye contact, speaking slowly & using simple key words. As a result, the child’s feelings of belonging, being close, acknowledged & accepted are strengthened as it receives audible & visual interaction & praise. Signing can be learnt quickly & thus is very empowering for the child – especially for children with English as foreign/additional language (EFL/EAL) & children with special educational needs (SEN).

Concurrently, a child’s social development is also supported by the programme. Signs for Success™ offers a range of stimulating activities (songs/rhymes/stories/imaginative role-play) that promote one-to one & small group activities with the scope of them being child initiated/led. Notably, Vygotsky & Cole (1978) emphasised that how a child learns to live with others is a process of socialisation. Social exchanges through spoken & sign language can be beneficial for a child in learning the rules of social behaviour through turn-taking in play activities. A minimum of two individuals interact by looking, listening & responding. This can help lower levels of frustration of being misunderstood & can also be used for positive behaviour management techniques. An adult can ‘turn-off’ their voice & through concise sign language a child clearly understands what is being communicated

Language Development

Closely linked to a child’s emotional & social development is the child’s need to communicate (Chomsky, 1972). However, there are various forms of communication of which only 20% is verbal. Indeed, ‘language’ is composed of sounds, grammar, semantics, pragmatics, written code & visual signs.

From an early age children seek to find their own ‘voice’. Notably, babies innately communicate by rooting with their mouths, making eye contact, facial expressions, hand gestures & pre-speech vocalisations (Skinner, 1953). Signs for Success™ supports these natural forms of communication. By using universal signs (British Sign Language) alongside verbal language, meaning & value is given to invisible spoken words. A child will try to simultaneously imitate spoken & sign language. As a result language acquisition, embedded with understanding, may occur at a faster rate (Acredolo and Goodwyn, 2002).

Indeed, Piaget (1959) & Vygotsky (1978) note the importance of adults scaffolding language acquirement. Children exposed to sign language not only have earlier speech development but additionally broader vocabularies & use of grammar. They are often more confident in questioning & problem-solving. Similarly, Signs for Success™ introduces early phonics through finger-spelt letters & words. This picturesque language aids the child’s comprehension of the association between sounds & letters. The range of activities also helps promote literacy development through the range of written text materials (books, posters etc). These simple & levelling activities can be invaluable for children & parents/carers with EAL/EFL as they are learning together. It can also aid children with SEN & be useful in the early detection of possible language delays/disorders.

Cognitive Development

A child’s cognitive development is the acquisition of conceptual knowledge & understanding. It is a product of reasoning & making sense of the world – inclusive of memory, logic, problem-solving & intelligence (Shayer & Adey, 2002). Signs for Success™ emphasises that as a child concurrently uses spoken & sign language this can have a positive impact on brain development. As the child looks, listens & responds, new neuron connections in the brain are made & reinforced. The brain is intellectually stimulated through a range of sensory stimuli offered by the programme’s varied activities. This aids cognitive acceleration & many children can understand & sign a word before they can say it.

Similarly, Signs for Success™ supports a variety of schemas of learning. Indeed, Gardner (1983) highlights ‘multiple intelligences’: kinaesthetic; visual & auditory. The programme is inclusive of these forms of learning. Clues are given from all directions, as the child hears the spoken word, sees the visual sign & responds through physical signs (fine motor skills) & the spoken word. This is of particular benefit for children with EAL/EFL & SEN as it aids focus & concentration & gives meaning to communication.

In addition, Vygotsky (1978) noted that at this stage of learning a child’s ‘zone of proximal development’ can be extended. Through high-quality adult interactions development can be broadened beyond that which could be achieved alone. Signs for Success™ offers activities where children can engage in sustained shared thinking through in-depth one-to-one or small group discussions with their peers & adults to further their understanding. As a result, children often become more confident, self-assured & often have higher IQs. They become more engaged & motivated in independent learning.

Summary

An evaluation of the Sign for Success™ programme has confirmed its benefits to early childhood development. Children at Milkshake Montessori are more self-confident, self-disciplined & energised in their learning. Furthermore, the programme works in harmony with the Montessori ethos of education. Children are enjoying learning through their senses & having the freedom to develop as spontaneous & creative individuals. The programme allows the individual child to guide their own development & enjoy both the process & result of learning.

The programme addresses the holistic development of the child, inclusive of their social & emotional, language & cognitive development. It is an inclusive programme which encompasses all schemas of learning & children with EAL/EFL & SEN. Signs for Success™ strengthens the triadic partnership between the individual child, parent/carer & early years setting. It provides a firm foundation for future learning & development.

Signing with Babies and Young Children

Review by Sarah Watson, Deputy Headmistress, borough of Kensington and Chelsea

"Signing with Babies and Young Children" is an EDEXCEL accredited distance learning course with strong links to the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum. The programme uses signs alongside speech to accelerate the learning and development of children aged 0 – 5 years.

A colleague and I decided to give it a go as it would be another string to our bow despite not having children in our setting with hearing impairments or indeed any other form of special educational need. So, one rainy day in Chelsea, London, my pack arrived. This comprised of a very easy-to-follow core curriculum with dozens of activities to implement or adapt to one’s own needs and circumstances. There were also several DVD’s to enable me to learn signs to put into practice, WOW - a cuddly signing puppet, red and yellow gloves, beautifully illustrated signing books and three assignments to be delivered to my distance tutor within six months.

So I set to work… The children sat on the mat facing me and waited with anticipation wondering why on earth I was wearing red and yellow gloves and had a cuddly puppet on my lap (also with red and yellow gloves!) ... As I began to tell the story I included the sign “happy” which I repeated with the puppet making the sign for “happy” too. The response was incredible. All the children wanted to take part signing and speaking: “Look Miss Sarah. I’m happy’. I noticed that when they made the sign for “happy” they all had beaming smiles on their faces. Likewise their mouths were turned down when we moved on and they signed/said the word “sad.”

I knew immediately this form of learning was a hit. It was different to anything we had done before, a form of learning that even the quietest of children could take part in. It felt inclusive and we were having fun.

Parents and colleagues have welcomed this new method of teaching and learning and through our understanding of the Unique Child and Positive Relationships we have embraced and adapted the “Signing with Babies and Young Children” methodology and practice to suit our setting.

As a practitioner, I feel that the course has helped me reach out to every child and recognise their individuality. This has motivated me to delve deeper into the Learning forum. I have recently become the SENCO in my setting and have just embarked upon a Portage course which specifically caters for early years , hence signing is a vital mechanism for communication. Whilst attending the Portage course I met a couple of fellow practitioners who had also completed the 'Signing with Babies and Young Children' programme and like me, they were thrilled with this new way of learning and completely agree with my conclusive comments:

Signing with Babies and Young Children accredited programme is achievable, fun and progressive. The methodology develops children’s personalities, their co-ordination and communication. Advancing children’s language and literacy skills just couldn't be made easier. "

Early Years Update article

Angela Youngman finds out about a scheme to improve communication in early years settings through the use of sign language

Why do children of deaf parents often have advanced English skills? The reason is believed to lie in the use of sign language. By having to watch and concentrate on understanding signs, children become more focused; their ability concentrate is increased, thus leading to a better understanding of English.

As a result, a new sign language programme has been developed to raise language and literacy skills among hearing children. It is suitable for use at all ages including nursery and infant. Creator of the programme is Kathy Robinson, who herself had two deaf daughters and had noticed how quickly they picked up English skills after being taught sign language. 'Signing works because you are physically performing language and this helps retention and understanding,' comments Kathy. She developed the programme with the aid of five primary schools in Nechells, Birmingham following a successful pilot project in a Cleveland primary school.

It is claimed that the programme has immense benefits for all concerned. It helps behaviour control; encourages children to look, listen and learn. Children enjoy participating, and it instils self-discipline. Classroom noise levels are reduced, as the children have to switch off their voices and sign. It also improves self-esteen, as children feel empowered to make signs and communicate; especially if English is not their first language or they have some other form of communication difficulties. Children learn faster and retain the knowledge much longer. Professor Tim Brighouse, commissioner of London schools, says: 'It capitalises on recent research showing the significant benefits of sign language if used in the early stages of a child's life. As a multi-sensory tool, sign language has immense appeal.'

So how does the programme work? Signs for Success comprises of a manual and a DVD, as well as training schemes for teachers and staff. This focuses on learning British Sign Language, which can then be taught to children. Even just learning one sign a day soon mounts up. Often signs are taught during the daily assembly the whole school tries to use the sign during the day. The first signs taught are usually commands like 'quiet please', 'listen', and this immediately gets children's attention. Linked in to this is a large WOW poster showing the signs for every letter of the alphabet and there are distinctive pink and yellow gloves to encourage children to follow demonstrations and practise signing the letters.

Children learn to finger spell quickly, often before they can read written words. It also provides a common language for children whose first language is not English. They can more quickly understand signs than the spoken word. According to Kathy, learning the finger-spelling alphabet can be done in less than an hour. Children enjoy writing in the air. It helps their memory skills because they are physically doing an action, while learning. Quite often, parents see their children signing at home and ask for some tuition themselves. If can help non-English speaking parents communicate with teachers about their children or gain confidence from basic social communication with staff.

Introducing signing into the classroom helps behaviour management as Kathy explains: 'When teachers switch off their voice and start signing children have to concentrate more. Many teachers use the signs for "sit down and quiet please"' at transition times. One school, which introduced this system, found that children became disciplined and quiet, ready to learn, whereas before they had been noisy and unsettled. Children have to look at the teacher to see what the signs say. It is something that strikes a chord which children respond to.'

Helping with communication difficulties

Teachers who have used the system are extremely impressed and speak enthusiastically about it. Julie Bryant, assistant head teacher of Allenscroft Children's Centre in Birmingham, uses signing with children from two to four and a half years old. 'It is an integral part of what we do. It enables us to have a universal communication system with all children whatever their ages. Many of the children attending the centre have communication difficulties and have English as their second language. We have used signing since September and it has inspired staff and parents. It helps us get quieter times – switch off your voice and sign. Very young ones are able to communicate their needs. There was one little girl who could only say "I can't do it": we taught her to use the sign for "please help" and it helped her develop and move on. Some children find it hard to say "sorry"; but find they can sign it more easily. We often sign and speak at the same time; it does help the children learn.'

Joanne Raybould, head teacher of Mere Green Combined School, said: 'We have found that it has to be a whole-school effort. We do it from nursery to Year 6 and have been signing for two years now. Even dinner ladies and the school secretary learn some basic signs so they can communicate too. Children pick it up very quickly, usually quicker than adults. Signing is part of our normal school day, helping with writing during curriculum time. We have brought it into our nativity and Mother's Day activities.'

"It has helped those with communication difficulties and has been particularly important with early years and transition years. Signing has worked because children have grown up with it, especially in phonics work, reading and writing.”

Research

• Behaviour Research
• Spelling Research
• Spelling and Reading research
• Vocabulary Research
• Sign in Education Research Report by Kathy Robinson
• Prof Valsha - Brunel University
• International Research on Sign Language & Language Development
• "Gesture effect" points to head start for toddlers

Behaviour Research

Behaviour Research PDF (3 MB)
Action for Inclusion Magazine with Behaviour Research

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spelling Research

Spelling Research PDF (297 KB)
Action for Inclusion Magazine with Spelling Research

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Children with Additional Needs commissioned by Birmingham L.A.

Aim

The aim of this study is to evaluate whether the “Signs for Success” programme impacts children’s literacy development in a calculable way. The focus is on the reading and spelling of high frequency words.

Method

For the purpose of this three-week study we will choose two groups of three children aged eight and nine years, who have been identified as having special educational needs.

• Group A will receive fifteen minutes additional support daily through standard SEN provision together with signing and fingerspelling intervention.
• Group B will receive fifteen minutes additional support daily through standard SEN provision without signing and fingerspelling intervention.

Both groups have previously been exposed to the Signs for Success programme in Reception class. In the ensuing years, such exposure has not been consistent.

Key variables under scrutiny will be children’s ability to read and spell ten high frequency words with and without the Signs for Success support programme.

1. Before the study begins, children will be assessed as to whether they can read and spell the ten high frequency words.
2. They will be assessed again at the end of the 3-week programme as to whether they can read and spell the same ten high frequency words.

The test will be conducted on a one-to-one basis with both groups by a practitioner familiar to the children. Both groups of children will be reminded at the beginning of the assessment to use signing and fingerspelling if they wish but no other support will be provided.

For the READING assessment, individual children will be asked to read the high frequency words presented to them in random order. The SPELLING assessment will be conducted in a manner familiar to the children i.e., words will be called out in random order for children to spell i.e. write the words.

Aggregated scores

• Sight word scores for Group A on initial assessment =15
• Sight word scores for Group A after assessment =29
• Sight word scores for Group B on initial assessment =23
• Sight word scores for Group B after assessment =28

Group A performed less well in the initial assessment. However, following the “Signs for Success” programme intervention, they achieved similar or better results in the final assessment than the comparison Group B children.

Both Figure 3 and Figure 4 charts demonstrate that the Group A children who participated in the “Signs for Success” programme made significantly more progress than those who did not participate in the “Signs for Success” programme.

Aggregated Scores

• Spelling scores for Group A on initial assessment =7
• Spelling scores for Group A after assessment =21
• Spelling scores for Group B on initial assessment =14
• Spelling scores for Group B after assessment =21

Conclusion

The findings show there is a strong correlation between the introduction of the “Signs for Success” programme and children’s progress in reading and spelling high frequency words. The children in Group A who participated in the “Signs for Success” programme made significantly more progress during a short period of time than the comparison Group B children.

The most startling finding was that the Group A children who participated in the “Signs for Success” programme performed less well in the initial assessment but achieved similar or better results in the final assessment than the comparison Group B children.

Research Report Vocabulary Evaluation Anne Tucker (2002)

Introduction

The purpose of this investigation is to ascertain whether hearing children benefit from the introduction of the “Signs for Success” programme. It intends to consider the impact of using sign language on young children’s vocabulary development, which is crucial to their future language acquisition. Furthermore it proposes to discover its effect on age, gender, ethnicity and additional needs.

It is intended that the study will be implemented using two groups of children for a period of ten weeks. One group will receive sign intervention and the other group for comparison will experience no sign. During teaching sessions with the signing group signs will be introduced simultaneously with spoken English. To determine the effect of the sign intervention both groups will be assessed at the beginning and the end of the project. Finally, it is proposed to ascertain the views of teachers and parents on the benefits of using sign with hearing children.
Read more... (167 kb)

Sign in Education Research Report
by Kathy Robinson

This pioneering scheme explored the benefits of using sign language with young hearing children in a mainstream school where deaf children integrated. The BSL tutor worked alongside the hearing mainstream teacher in the classroom promoting the National curriculum through BSL. Sign in Education was the pilot for the Signs for Success programme and the results are very revealing.

"Any school seeing what's going on here would want it for themselves."
-- Celia Whittingham, headteacher, St Thomas More School, Cleveland

The Sign in Education Research is avaliable to buy in our shop.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Professor Valsha Koshy, Brunel University

"We have a programme with a high potential for use with gifted and talented young children. Signs for Success™ could be very useful in enabling teachers and other early years practitioners to support the gifted and talented who may not have the communication skills to either demonstrate their potential or to have their voices heard. Brunel University's Research Centre for the Gifted and Talented is interested in working with strategic government organisations and L.A's to ensure that Signs for Success™ impacts gifted and talented children on a national basis. Examples of children whose gifts and talents may otherwise not be identified and fulfilled include non English speaking children, partially/deaf children, dyslexic children, autistic children, those with speech and language disorders, children with behaviour problems, and those children who lack confidence and self esteem."

The Brunel University team, led by Professor Valsa Koshy is happy to set up a research project to develop, evaluate and disseminate the ideas in collaboration with Signs for Success, if funding can be found. Professor Koshy is happy to discuss the project with potential funders.

Sign Language & Language Development

Signing with babies & young children is based upon more than 20 years of research by internationally respected academics

Acredolo, L., Goodwyn, S., & Moore, B. (2001). Symbolic gesturing and joint attention: Partners in facilitating verbal development.

Paper presented at the Biennial Meetings of the Society for Research in Child Development

Abstract: Longitudinal study which researched whether the Baby Signing experience stimulates development of the ability to actively direct an adult's attention to something in which the baby is interested. Called, "joint attention," this ability is known to be an important contributor to learning to talk. Baby Signing babies were indeed found to engage in more joint attention episodes with their mothers than did non-Baby Signers during laboratory play sessions at 19 and 24 months. Moreover, the effect held independently of linguistic skill, indicating that Baby Signing itself was a unique contributor to the jointattention scores. This data is important because it help explain why Baby Signing babies tend to learn to talk earlier than non-Baby Signers. The study may also help explain why the Baby Signing experience has been found to have a positive effect on IQ at age 8.

Acredolo, L., Goodwyn, S., & Brown, C. (2000), ‘Impact of symbolic gesturing on early language development’, Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 24 (2), pp. 81-103.

www.mybabycantalk.com/content/information/research/Impact%20of%20Symbolic%20Gesturing.pdf

Abstract: The study evaluates the effect on verbal language development of purposefully encouraging hearing infants to use simple gestures as symbols for objects, requests, and conditions. The results provide strong evidence that symbolic gesturing does not hamper verbal development and may even facilitate it. Standardized tests of both receptive and expressive language development had been administered at 11, 15, 19, 24, 30, and 36 months to both an experimental group of babies(Baby Signers) and two control groups. Results demonstrated a clear advantage for the Baby Signers, thereby laying to rest the most frequently voiced concern of parents – that Baby Signing might hamper learning to talk. In fact, Baby Signing actually facilitates verbal language development.

Acredolo, L., Emmons, S. & Goodwyn, S. (1999). ‘The signs and sounds of early language development’, in L. Balter & C. Tamis-LeMonda (Eds.), Child Psychology: A Handbook of Contemporary Issues ( New York: Psychology Press, pp. 116 – 139.

Abstract: The chapter demonstrates how the results from studies of symbolic gesturing shed light on important and still unresolved questions in language development: Why does comprehension of language generally precede production? Why is vocabulary growth so slow in the months following the first word? What accounts for the frequently observed phenomenon called the "vocabulary spurt?" What developments underlie the beginning of the "two word" stage? The final section of the chapter challenges researchers to begin using symbolic gesturing as a tool to explore other important developmental issues, issues that have traditionally had to await the onset of verbal language (e.g., longterm memory for events, concept development, abstract thinking, emotional knowledge).

Acredolo, L. & Goodwyn, S. (1997). ‘Furthering our understanding of what humans understand’, Human Development, 40, pp. 25-31.

Acredolo, L. & Goodwyn, S. (1993) ‘Symbolic gesture versus word: Is there a modality advantage for onset of symbol use?’ Child Development, 64, pp. 688-701.

Abstract: The results in this article represent some of the earliest findings from a longitudinal study of the impact of purposefully encouraging babies to use symbolic gestures. The goal was to shed light on a hotly debated topic:the degree to which gestural symbols represent an easier entrÈe into symbolic communication.

Acredolo, L. & Goodwyn, S. (1988). ‘Symbolic gesturing in normal infants’. Child Development, 59, 450-466.

Abstract: The article describes the spontaneous development of symbolic gestures by infants through exploring (a) relations with verbal development, (b) the sources of the gestures in the babies’ everyday lives, (c) and gender and birth order differences.

Acredolo, L. & Goodwyn, S. (1985). ‘Symbolic gesturing in language development: A case study’, Human Development, 28, 40-49.

Abstract: This article presents the story of Acredolo & Goodwyn’s first "Baby Signer," Linda’s daughter Kate who began to spontaneously create symbolic gestures when she was about 12 months old. These were "sensible" gestures (like sniffing for "flower" and arms-up for "big"). The child’s progress is described in terms of both gestural and verbal development.

Daniels, M. (2003). ‘Using A Signed Language as a Second Language for Kindergarten Students’, Child Study Journal, 33:1, pp. 53-70.

Daniels, M. (1996). ‘Seeing Language: The Effect Over Time of Sign Language on Vocabulary Development in Early Childhood Education’, Child Study Journal, 26, pp. 193-208.

Daniels, M. (1994). ‘The Effects of Sign Language on Hearing Children's Language Development’, Communication Education, 43.4, p291

Daniels, M. (1993). ‘ASL as a Possible Factor in the Acquisition of English for Hearing Children’,€ Sign Language Studies, 78, pp. 23-29.

R. Wilbur, R. and M. Jones, (1974), ‘Some aspects of the acquisition of American Sign Language and English by three hearing children of deaf parents’ in La Galy, Fox & Bruck (Eds), Papers from the Tenth Regional Meeting of the Chicago Linguistic Society.

Sign Language & Literacy

Daniels, M. (2004), ‘Happy Hands: The Effect of ASL on Hearing Children's Literacy’, Reading Research and Instruction, 44:1, pp.86-100.

Daniels, M (1996), ‘Seeing Language: The Effect Over Time of Sign Language on Vocabulary Development in Early Childhood Education’, Child Study Journal, 26, pp. 193-208.

Daniels, M (1194), ‘The effects of sign language on hearing children’s language development’, Communication Education, 43, pp. 291-298.

Felzer, L. (2000), ‘ Research on how signing helps hearing children learn to read’ www.csupomona.edu/~apfelzer/mbr/research.html

Abstract: This report summarises various research findings that have demonstrated how hearing children successfully learned to read or improve their reading skills with the use of signing & fingerspelling.

Felzer, L, (1998), ‘A Multisensory Reading Program That Really Works’, Teaching and Change, 5, pp. 169-183.

Hafer, J., (1986) Signing for Reading Success (Washington D.C.: Clerc Books, Gallaudet University Press, 1986)

Koehler, L., & Loyd, L. (1986), ‘Using Fingerspelling/Manual Signs to Facilitate Reading and Spelling’.

Biennial Conference of the International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication. (Cardiff, Wales).

Abstract: A comprehensive report that reviews many studies that shows the effectiveness of using fingerspelling and signs to teach reading. They cite studies conducted in Belgium, Portugal, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States. These studies showed how fingerspelling can help dyslexic children and illiterate adults in non-English speaking countries as well as English speaking countries. They also cite studies that showed how deficiencies in phonemic segmentation skills (isolating speech sounds) is a primary problem for children and adults experiencing reading and spelling difficulties. Of all approaches tried in teaching this skill, fingerspelling appears to be the most effective method. Fingerspelling can also help with writing problems such as “b” and “d” reversals.

Wilson, R., Teague, J., & Teague, M. (1985), ‘The Use of Signing and Fingerspelling to Improve Spelling Performance with Hearing Children’, Reading Psychology, 4, pp. 267-273.

Sign Language & IQ

Acredolo, L., & Goodwyn, S. (2000). The long-term impact of symbolic gesturing during infancy on IQ at age 8.

Paper presented at the meetings of the International Society for Infant Studies, Brighton, UK.

Abstract: Results from Baby Signing indicate a significant 12 point advantage for children who have been encouraged to use Baby Signs during their second year of life (Mean IQ = 114) over the children who had been in the Non-Intervention Control Group (Mean IQ= 102). The advantage held for both the Verbal and Performance Sub-scales.

Bavelier, D., Corina, D. & Neville, H. (1998) ‘Brain and Language: a Perspective from Sign Language’, Neuron, 21, pp. 275-278.

Sign Language & Special Educational needs

Blackburn, D., Vonvillian, J. & Ashby, R. (1984) ‘Manual Communication as an Alternative Mode of Language Instruction for Children with Severe Reading Disabilities’, Language, Speech and Hearing Services in Schools, 15, pp. 22-31.

Carney, J., Cioffi, G. & Raymond, W. (1985) ‘Using Sign Language for Teaching Sight Words’, Teaching Exceptional Children, pp. 214-217.

Donovan, C. (1998), ‘Teaching Sign Language’, Disability Solutions, 2.5.

Edelson, S., PhD Centre for the Study of Autism, Salem, Oregon articles are available online at: www.autism.org/sign.html

Gertz, S. ‘Using Sign Language with Children Who Have Apraxia of Speech’ available at: www.apraxia-kids.org/topics/sign.html.

Gibbs, E., Springer, A., Cooley, S. & Aloisio, S. (1991) ‘Early use of total communication: Patterns across eleven children with Down Syndrome’. Paper presented at the meeting of the International Early Childhood Conference on Children with Special Needs (St. Louis, MO).

Hopmann, M. (1993), ‘The Use of Signs by Children with Downs Syndrome’, Down Syndrome Today, 2.2, pp. 22-3.

Miller, J., Sedey, A., Miolo, G., Rosin, M. & Murray-Branch, J. (1992), ‘Vocabulary acquisition in young children with Down Syndrome: Speech and sign’. Paper presented at the 9 th World Congress of the International Association for the Scientific Study of Mental Deficiency (Queensland, Australia).

Sensenig, L., Topf, B. & Mazeika, E. (1989) ‘Sign Language Facilitation of Reading with Students Classified as Trainable Mentally Handicapped’, Education and Training of the Mentally Retarded, pp. 121-125.

Square, P. (1994) ‘Treatment Approaches For Developmental Apraxia Of Speech’, Clinical Communication Disorders, 4.3, pp: 151-61.

Vernon, M., Coley, J., Hafer, J. & Dubois J (1980) ‘Using Sign Language to Remediate Severe Reading Problems’, Journal of Learning Disabilities, 13, pp. 215-218.

 

 

Parents who use gestures give their children a head-start "Gesture effect" points to head start for toddlers

Article taken from The Times February 13, 2009 Written by Times Science Editor, Mark Henderson

Parents who point and use other gestures with their toddlers can give them a head start with learning language, scientists have discovered.

New research in the United States has revealed that young children who pick up gestures from their parents at 14 months have larger and more complex vocabularies when they start school. As well-educated parents from higher income brackets use more gestures with their babies, the findings help to explain why children from these families develop speech more quickly than those born into lower socio-economic groups.

The gesture effect may also have a lasting influence on children’s intellectual development, because a child’s vocabularly at the start of school is a strong predictor of later academic success. Meredith Rowe, of the University of Chicago, who conducted the research with her colleague Susan Goldin-Meadow, said the results suggested that parents should be encouraged to point and use their hands when interacting with their children.

“If there is any way to encourage children to gesture to things more before they can speak, that could be useful,” she said. “Talk to your children more, gesture more.” Details of the research were presented yesterday at the American Association for the Advancement of Science conference in Chicago, and are published in the journal Science.

While it was already known that children whose parents talk to them more as toddlers develop language more quickly, the new research is the first to suggest that parental gestures are also important. The reason may be that by learning to point at things, children become better at connecting words to objects. “Child gesture could play an indirect role in word learning by eliciting timely speech from parents,” the scientists wrote in their paper. “For example, in response to her child’s point at the doll, mother might say, ’yes, that’s a doll,’ thus providing a word for the object that is the focus of the child’s attention.” In the study, the Chicago team videotaped 50 families from different socio-economic groups for 90-minute sessions, all of whom had a toddler aged 14 months. They recorded details of how often both children and their parents spoke and used gestures.

Children from higher income families used gestures to convey an average of 24 different meanings over 90 minutes, while those from less privileged socio-economic groups conveyed only 13 meanings. This was attributable to greater parental use of gesture.

All the children were then assessed again at the age of four and a half (54 months), when they were starting school.The children who had gestured more at the age of 14 months had significantly bigger vocabularies.

Differences between children’s gestures were obvious at 14 months, even though children at that age showed no clear differences in vocabulary or speech. “At 14 months of age, children are in the very early stages of productive language, they are saying very few words,” Dr Rowe said. “We didn’t see any differences in their spoken language but we did see difference in their gestures.

“It is striking that, in the initial stages of language learning when social economic status differences in children’s spoken vocabulary are not yet evident, we see social economic status differences in child gesture use.

“Children typically do not begin gesturing until around 10 months. Thus, social economic status differences are evident a mere four months, and possibly even sooner, after the onset of child gesture production.” Dr Goldin-Meadow said the gesture effect could have a long-lasting effect on children’s development. “Vocabulary is a key predictor of school success and is a primary reason why children from low-income families enter school at a greater risk of failure than their peers from advantaged families,” she said.

Reports

• Allenscroft Report
• Chuckles Day Nursery report
• St George´s Nursery report
• Old Rectory Nursery School report
• ABC Playgroup report

Allenscroft Children's Centre - Feedback on 'Signs for Success”

We had an hour and a half training from Kathy Robinson with suggestions on how signing could be implemented in our setting. We decided as a whole staff team that we wanted to use signing throughout the centre and generally in conversations with children in free flow and with parents.

We had originally thought that we would learn one sign each day but this proved to be time consuming, making sure all staff had the sign etc…We then decided it would be better to learn five signs on one day and use them throughout the week.

WEEK ONE

WOW!! Our first week was fantastic! We began with signs for “Hello, Stop, Good Girl/Boy” and “Thank You”. But this wasn't enough! Staff wanted more! So we added “Good Morning” and “Fantastic” to our list. We also displayed some of the resources for parents to see. We set up a feedback book to write in comments and note down children seen signing. By the end of the first week, staff were already realising the potential and power of signing! Staff were very eager and could, even at this early stage, see children beginning to use some signs e.g., “Fantastic!”

WEEK TWO

We learned signs for “Walk, Listen, Look, Sorry, Please, Clever” and “Good Afternoon”. Staff can be seen signing in general and it seems a very natural way of communicating. One staff member was amazed it went completely quiet at lunchtime after a staff member had signed to the children to “Switch off their voices”.

WEEK THREE

After discussions with staff it was felt that we now needed a week without any new signs so that we could practice and reinforce the previous signs. So this is what we did in week three. During this week we saw many children attempting to sign and general feedback was very positive from parents that children were signing at home too! Parents have also asked for a parents workshop about signing and how we are using it in the centre. We have seen an improvement in all our children but particularly one child who shows challenging behaviour. Staff can be seen signing in group times and general free flow. It’s Magic!

WEEK FOUR

By week four staff were eagerly waiting for the new signs “toilet, drink, eat, careful, wait, water, see”. A parent has also signed a whole sentence to us (and we understood it!)

Some quotes from staff:

• "It's inspiring!"
• "It's just magic!"
• "A simple effect that's working"
• "It's simple, spontaneous and so easy to use!"
• "Something that children seem to want to use whatever their need. It's reaching all!"
• "It's providing a “voice” for children who otherwise may not be heard!"

Chuckles Day Nursery - Feedback on the "Signs for Success" programme

We were introduced to Signs for Success on Friday 6th October 2006. David Cassandro introduced us to signing with the under fives with an hour and a half training session which showed us how signing could be implemented in our setting. We loved the training session and were eager beavers to get to grips with signing to be able to teach the children effectively. We wanted to use signing generally in conversations with the children throughout the day and also to encourage the parents to take part. We as a team agreed that we would learn one sign a day. I appointed a co-ordinator who learns the sign in advance and makes sure that all staff know the signs for that day.

WEEK ONE

Our first week was fantastic! We got stuck in straight away finding the best ways that work with the setting to help promote signing with the children. We began with signs for "Good morning, Good Afternoon, Hello/Goodbye, Please and Thank you" from the signing DVD. We created a WOW display board with all the relevant information about signing for parents to see. Children were introduced to signing throughout the day, small group times and registration. By the end of the week children were beginning to sign please and thank you at snack times and could sign good morning at registration time.

WEEK TWO

We learned signs for "Well done, Good boy, Good girl, lovely and Wow". Staff members are learning the signs quickly and the attitude to signing is very positive. Signing is becoming a natural way of communication. We have designed signing posters around the nursery that name areas e.g. Creative area; this allows children to see the signs for the different letters. We have also introduced a comments book to allow staff and parents to comment on our signing progress and to make any suggestions.

WEEK THREE

We learned signs for "Sorry, No, Sad, Stop and Share nicely". Children were beginning to start to show a real interest in the signing. One child was seen trying to copy the sign for the letter "N" from a poster, while other children had included pointing at the signs as part of their game.

WEEK FOUR

After discussions with staff we decided to have a week without signs as it was felt that we needed more practice with the signs we have learnt over the 3 weeks.

Staff were seen implementing the signs in as many exciting ways and situations as they could think of. We began writing the sign for the day in the child daybook. We were trying to encourage parents to take interest. We also spent time teaching the parents the signs that we had learnt to try and encourage them to carry on signing in the home environment. We are also in the process of making letter cards and their signs to help aid children´s learning how to spell their name and learn phonics.

Old Rectory Nursery School

Some quotes from parents and staff:

"It´s amazing "

"It´s just really breath taking when the children teach us the signs they have learnt in the nursery"

"I´m astonished at how they remember the signs"

"It´s a wonderful way of communicating with the children"

 

 

Tracey Monk - St George’s Day Nursery

After being introduced to the Signs for Success programme at a conference, I decided to involve my staff as a whole with staff training and since that time Signs for Success has become part of our every day routine and programme . In the past 6 months, seven of my staff have taken the programme further by enrolling on the “Signing with Babies and Young Children” course.

The programme has benefited every one in many ways, not only at developing relationships and offering new lines of communication among staff and peers but has also developed a confidence and communication with those children who have trouble with language or speaking out.

The reception from parents over the past year has been nothing but praise and has always been received with great interest which we have welcomed by extending this into parents information and demonstrations at parents evenings.

I believe that the reason this programme works is because it is delivered in such an easy positive way that has captured my staff’s interest and the rewards speak for themselves.

On a personal note I would also like to say how the programme has made a difference in my home environment. I have a hearing impaired daughter who never wanted to sign because it made her feel different and now her brother is teaching her what he has learnt at nursery and she suddenly feels it is cool.

ABC Playgroup Report

We hold daily morning sessions for children aged 2 - 3 years. There are 21 children on roll.I am the registered provider and manager of the setting and the Signing Fun Programme co-ordinator. Here is the promised progress report.I was already hooked to the power of sign as a tool for communication and language development of the very young after attending Kathy’s workshops.

I had started using sign in an unstructured way and by the time of David’s presentation, was already signing hello, goodbye, the days of the week, apple, drink, milk, water, biscuit, please, thank you and switching off voice. It is remarkable how quickly the children learnt the signs and were using them. I just hoped that the grown ups could lose their inhibitions and join the fun. That is why I was pleased to invite David to the setting to present the programme and maybe motivate my team. The presentation was good fun and was enjoyed by the ladies and the children. Thank you David.

We decided to start the programme after half term to give everyone a chance to watch the DVDs. Well, we started off with good intentions.

Unfortunately Step 1 of the programme (5 signs a week) has not really taken off. The main reason for this is that we are an “organic” playgroup and everything has to evolve naturally. A structured programme just felt very unnatural to us. However we have not abandoned our resolve to embed sign into practice and we use sign whenever it feels natural. One or other of us introduce a new sign ad hoc and we have a nice repertoire of signs. See list above as well as, happy, sad, sit down, good boy/girl, quiet, play, clever, hungry, no shouting.

We use these signs at arrival/departures times, snack time and during play. At circle time we have introduced signs for the days of the week, we have a repertoire of signed songs with signs for doctor, dolly, teddy, hat, bag, look, sick, pill, lion, tiger, cat, dog, mouse, horse, sheep, elephant, crocodile (we like that one) zebra and monkey. We also know star, sky, colours, blue, red and have introduced the children to finger spelling the initial letter of their names. I have to say that “switching off the voice” is nothing short of MAGIC!

The power of sign is amazing, our children are very young and many do not use their voice. Sign somehow unlocks their speech, they recognise the signs almost instantly and somehow are able to say the word.One child, who has been attending since the start of term and has been very silent, now knows all the signs and relates them. I was signing "happy" and she showed me the sign for “sad” and said the word. Now that she has found her voice, I have discovered her well-developed use of language and a huge pool of knowledge. Today we had a lengthy conversation about animals that live in trees (this started from me signing “tree”) and went on to talk about creatures that live in shells, she informed me that turtles live in the sea. This conversation was instigated by her and she is just 3 years old. WOW!

One of our twin boys (30 months) who is not at all speech dependent, does not join in at circle time and generally does his own thing, completely amazed us at circle time … I asked the children to tell me what day it was, he signed “Tuesday and then said it. This was the first time I had heard him speak and indeed, it was Tuesday. WOW! Yesterday, one of our more vocal chaps, when asked what day it was said “Monday”. I silently prompted by signing “Tuesday” and he immediately said “Tuesday”. I silently signed the rest of the days just to check that this was not a fluke, guess what? It wasn’t. Today, this same chap had to correct me when I was saying Wednesday and signing Monday. WOW! Some of the children already know the fingerspelling initial letter of their name and this is after being shown maybe 2 or 3 times. WOW!

These are some of the memorable instances. I could go on to give examples of when children either recognise or use the signs and even make up their own! It really is a way of “getting into” the children.

The next stage for the programme will be;
• SPRING TERM - involve parents and increase repertoire of songs and rhymes.
• SUMMER TERM - expand on phonics and fingerspelling.

WATCH THIS SPACE!

Evaluations

Student feedback

"By nine months, Megan was signing "sleep, eat, drink". It´s been phenomenal. I have been allowed into her world so much earlier."

"Jason has moved from being a candidate for specialist intervention to top of the class! On behalf of Jason, his mum and myself, Thank you."

"The power of sign is amazing, our children are very young and many do not use their voice.  Sign somehow unlocks their speech, they recognise the signs almost instantly and somehow are able to say the word."

"This method of communication has been fantastic - it is fun, colourful - definitely age appropriate, easy to work with and a real motivation mechanism for both myself and the children ."

"All children [benefit], especially useful for children with ESL - early stages of language development and children with reduced attention span, ..The benefits if using sign language together with the spoken word have to be seen to be believed."