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Getting
Started with Early Intervention
Other
Parents and Support Organizations
ASDC
Snapshots: Increasing Literacy
Skills with Your Deaf Infant
 Communicating
with your child is the foundation of reading. It is
never too early to communicate with your child, especially
if she is deaf or hard of hearing. Very young infants may
not be able to use words, but they can communicate. Babies
communicate when they cry, babble, kick, wiggle and smile.
Wait for your child to pay attention
to you before you try to communicate with him. It can
be very hard to wait, but when you do wait, you can get
good results. An effective communicator is patient. Your
baby's attention cannot be forced, but it can be won!
Keep eye contact. Always respond
when you get your child's eye contact. Smile. Talk. Sign.
Use facial expressions to communicate.
Use your face as an extra voice. Facially express love,
concern, surprise and excitement. Try tasting foods. Make
faces. Frown if a food tastes bitter. Smile if you like
the food. Interesting facial expressions will keep your
baby's attention. Look in the mirror together and make faces.
Take turns with your child. Let
your child take the time he needs to babble. When your baby
makes sounds, wait your turn. Then, imitate his sounds
Be observant.
Look for your baby's response and build on it.
Follow your child's lead. You
don't have to teach language. Just talk to your baby about
her immediate interests.
 Be
sure your child can see what you say and sign. If your
baby is on the floor, get on the floor with him. If your
baby is in her carriage, bend over and look in the carriage.
Having fun together is a wonderful
way to share effective communication. Play games with interesting
body and facial expressions like: Pat-a-cake, Peek-a-boo,
and So-o Big. Your baby may not understand all your words,
but he will understand your smiles, laughs and playfulness.
Playing with toys provides an opportunity
to expand vocabulary. Give your baby words for different
concepts like big and small. If your infant is looking at
a crib toy, say and sign, "You see your bird. Your
bird is on your blanket. It will fly!" Sign and say
things again and again and again. Repetition is very important.
Make a scrapbook
of your baby's favorite people and things. Talk and sign
about the pictures that interest your infant. Be expressive.
Keep eye contact. Then, pause long enough for your child
to take a turn responding. Wait your turn to talk and sign.
Any place can be a place for effective
communication. Talk and sign in the bedroom, in the car,
at the supermarket, at the doctor's office and in the yard.
Most of all, have fun with books! Your baby's first experiences
with books, pictures and printed words will influence her
reading development later on.
Rosemary Garrity and Robert Anthony
Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf
The
information sheets on this web page come to our site courtesy
of the American Society for Deaf Children (ASDC). ASDC would
like to share this information with all parents of children
who are deaf or hard of hearing.
The
American Society for Deaf Children can be reached at:
P.O. Box 3355, Gettysburg, PA 17325
717/334-7922 v/tty Business
717/334-8808 Fax
800/942-ASDC v/tty Parent Information and Referral
 
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