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From:
Don & Theresa G Date: Thu Feb 11, 1999 5:04 pm Subject: Re: Children Learning SignWriting | ||||||||||||
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Like someone said, it is hard to determine actually what babies do comprehend. However, my suspicion is that hearing and deaf babies (exposed to sign) comprehend at the same rate. It is the modality (and their physical abilities) that limits their verbal (I'm including signs as "verbal") and I should include, nonverbal, response. While signing babies can produce signs earlier, the hearing babies are, like you suggested "frustrated" in their ability to respond. I am basing this suspicion on observation. My Hearing niece does not talk (much) but she clearly shows comprehension. Even before she could start talking, she would respond appropriately to questions (looking around at her mother when grandmother asks "where's mommy?", etc.). I don't know of any research on comprehension offhand, but I would say the question really is not, "do they comprehend before they talk" but "how EARLY do they start comprehending before they talk?" --Don Grushkin -----Original Message----- >I am curious about research on comprehension...does this mean that the >signing babies and the speaking babies both have the same comprehension at >the same age, but the signing babies can express themselves sooner because >of motor skills, and the hearing babies are frustrated and have to wait >longer to express their understanding through speech? Is it only the >physical that is holding them back, or is comprehension of speech learned >later, and comprehension of signing learned sooner? > >I just wondered if comprehension of a signed language might be sooner >because of its visual nature? > >Valerie ':-) > >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >Valerie Sutton at the DAC >Deaf Action Committee for SW > >SignWriting > >https://www.SignWriting.org > >Center For Sutton Movement Writing >an educational nonprofit organization >Box 517, La Jolla, CA, 92038-0517, USA >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | ||||||||||||
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