October 22nd, 2017
Communication is sometimes difficult when your child has a developmental delay. Dave and I have just spent a couple of days doing a Key Word Sign course, so that we can use this in conjunction with other assistive communication techniques for the future. Often kids with a speech delay get really frustrated when you can’t understand them, so they either shut down or challenging behaviours escalate until someone works out what it is that they are trying to say.
We want Emma to talk, but we also want her to be understood by everyone. We’re in the process of getting her a PODD book - it’s a book that has pictures so that you can point your way to a sentence. It will be full of things she will usually encounter and once she’s learnt to use it she will be able to tell anyone anything.
The Key Word Sign is similar to Auslan - it uses much of the same signs BUT unlike Auslan we talk the whole sentence or phrase but only sign the key words. ‘Do you need to go to the toilet?’ will be spoken, but only the sign for toilet is used. This will encourage Emma to communicate with both signs and words. Signs are easier to produce than sounds, so while she’s working on the sounds we will use the signs so that we’re all on the same page.
Many educators use these signs, with typically developing kids as well as kids with additional needs. It just bridges that gap between being able to think and being able to articulate those thoughts. If you see us using signs with Emma and you’re interested in learning them I would definitely recommend the course. It’s not long and it’s not expensive. Communication is a massive part of being a human!
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