Event Title

The Facts and Fiction About the Use of Sign Language with Young Children

Presenter Information

Naomi Greenblat, Minnesota State University - Mankato

Location

CSU Ballroom

Start Date

21-4-2014 2:00 PM

End Date

21-4-2014 3:30 PM

Student's Major

Family Consumer Science

Student's College

Allied Health and Nursing

Mentor's Name

Heather Von Bank

Mentor's Email Address

heather.von-bank@mnsu.edu

Mentor's Department

Family Consumer Science

Mentor's College

Allied Health and Nursing

Description

In this study we sought to determine how parents and caregivers perceived the use of sign language with young children. We asked participants Likert scale questions concerning their agreement with various statements about sign language. The participants were asked questions about using sign language for communication, expressing emotion, advancing intelligence, and promoting pro-social behavior. We also asked participants open ended questions about what they had previously heard about sign language use, their thoughts about using sign language, and if they had every purchased or used materials to teach a child sign language. The responses show that on average most participants use sign language occasionally with young children. Almost all participants knew someone who used it with children and only a few participants had purchased materials while others used online materials. The data also reflect that many participants believe that sign language helps children and caregivers communicate however in expressing emotion, advancing intelligence, and promoting pro-social behavior participants are unsure if sign language is helpful.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.