Manual Signs Research Articles

Effects of a Naturalistic Sign Intervention on Expressive Language of Toddlers With Down Syndrome

In this study, the authors evaluated the effects of Enhanced Milieu Teaching (EMT; Hancock & Kaiser, 2006) blended with Joint Attention, Symbolic Play, and Emotional Regulation (JASPER; Kasari, Freeman, & Paparella, 2006) to teach spoken words and manual signs (Words + Signs) to young children with Down syndrome (DS). Four toddlers (ages 23-29 months) with DS were enrolled in a study with a multiple-baseline, across-participants design. Following baseline, 20 play-based treatment sessions (20-30 min each) occurred twice weekly. Spoken words and manual signs were modeled and prompted by a therapist who used EMT/JASPER teaching strategies. The authors assessed generalization to interactions with parents at home. There was a functional relation between the therapist's implementation of EMT/JASPER Words + Signs and all 4 children's use of signs during the intervention. Gradual increases in children's use of spoken words occurred, but there was not a clear functional relation. All children generalized their use of signs to their parents at home. The infusion of manual signs with verbal models within a framework of play, joint attention, and naturalistic language teaching appears to facilitate development of expressive sign and word communication in young children with DS.

Evidence-Based Staff Training: A Guide for Practitioners

Behavior analysts in human service agencies are commonly expected to train support staff as one of their job duties. Traditional staff training is usually didactic in nature and generally has not proven particularly effective. We describe an alternative, evidence-based approach for training performance skills to human service staff. The description includes a specific means of conducting a behavioral skills training session with a group of staff followed by on-the-job training requirements. A brief case demonstration then illustrates application of the training approach and its apparent effectiveness for training staff in two distinct skill sets: use of most-to-least prompting within teaching procedures and use of manual signs. Practical issues associated with applying evidence-based behavioral training are presented with a focus on providing training that is effective, efficient, and acceptable to staff trainees.

The biological origin of linguistic diversity.

In contrast with animal communication systems, diversity is characteristic of almost every aspect of human language. Languages variously employ tones, clicks, or manual signs to signal differences in meaning; some languages lack the noun-verb distinction (e.g., Straits Salish), whereas others have a proliferation of fine-grained syntactic categories (e.g., Tzeltal); and some languages do without morphology (e.g., Mandarin), while others pack a whole sentence into a single word (e.g., Cayuga). A challenge for evolutionary biology is to reconcile the diversity of languages with the high degree of biological uniformity of their speakers. Here, we model processes of language change and geographical dispersion and find a consistent pressure for flexible learning, irrespective of the language being spoken. This pressure arises because flexible learners can best cope with the observed high rates of linguistic change associated with divergent cultural evolution following human migration. Thus, rather than genetic adaptations for specific aspects of language, such as recursion, the coevolution of genes and fast-changing linguistic structure provides the biological basis for linguistic diversity. Only biological adaptations for flexible learning combined with cultural evolution can explain how each child has the potential to learn any human language.

Videophone Technology and Students with Deaf-Blindness: A Method for Increasing Access and Communication

Introduction Seeing the Possibilities with Videophone Technology began as research project funded by the National Center for Technology Innovation. The project implemented a face-to-face social networking program for students with deaf-blindness to investigate the potential for increasing access and communication using videophone technology. Methods Ten students with deaf-blindness aged 16 to 20 in four southeastern states were recruited through the network of Deaf-Blind Project offices throughout the United States. Criteria for selection to participate in the study were that the participants needed to have enough functional visual acuity to access a 22-inch videophone monitor and use manual sign language as a mode of communication. After a videophone was installed in each participant's home and school, data were collected over six months, using three primary methods of collection. The data were analyzed through a qualitative design method. Results The primary outcomes were increased accessibility for interpersonal communication among the students with deaf-blindness, seen notably in subscales of the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI) and through the development of themes involving the cultivation and maintenance of friendships with peers through interaction using videophone technology. Discussion With the role of interactive technologies in our ever-increasing digital landscapes, timing is ripe for research that aids the advancement of accessibility to information and social interaction, particularly among populations that have historically been marginalized in traditional educational systems. Implications for practitioners Dissemination of the results of the project through the National Consortium on Deaf-Blindness and the American Association of the Deaf-Blind will encourage practitioners in the field to replicate the project's activities with videophone technology to benefit youths who are deaf-blind.

A further comparison of manual signing, picture exchange, and speech-generating devices as communication modes for children with autism spectrum disorders

We compared acquisition of, and preference for, manual signing (MS), picture exchange (PE), and speech-generating devices (SGDs) in four children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Intervention was introduced across participants in a non-concurrent multiple-baseline design and acquisition of the three communication modes was compared in an alternating treatments design. Children's preference for using MS, PE or the SGD was also assessed. With intervention, all four participants learned to make specific requests using at least one of the three communication modes. The children also showed a preference for one mode. These results extend previous studies by demonstrating (in four new children with ASD) differential acquisition of, and idiosyncratic preferences for, three commonly used alternative communication modes. The present results further suggest faster acquisition and better maintenance with the preferred mode. We conclude that children's preferences for MS, PE, and SGDs should be considered when designing and implementing augmentative and alternative communication interventions.

Comparing Three Augmentative and Alternative Communication Modes for Children with Developmental Disabilities

We compared acquisition, maintenance, and preference for three AAC modes in four children with developmental disabilities (DD). Children were taught to make general requests for preferred items (snacks or play) using a speech-generating device (SGD), picture-exchange (PE), and manual signs (MS). The effects of intervention were evaluated in a multiple-probe across participants and alternating-treatments design. Preference probes were also conducted to determine if children would choose one AAC mode more frequently than the others. During intervention, all four children learned to request using PE and the SGD, but only two also reached criteria with MS. For the AAC preference assessments, three participants chose the SGD most frequently, while the other participant chose PE most frequently. The results suggest that children’s preference for different AAC modes can be assessed during the early stages of intervention and that their preferences may influence acquisition and maintenance of AAC-based requesting responses.

Speech-generating devices versus manual signing for children with developmental disabilities

We compared speed of acquisition and preference for using a speech-generating device (SGD) versus manual signing (MS) as augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) options. Four children with developmental disabilities (DD), aged 5-10 years, were taught to request preferred objects using an iPod(®)-based SGD and MS. Intervention was introduced in a multiple-probe across participants design and SGD and MS conditions were compared in an alternating treatments design. A systematic choice-making paradigm was implemented to determine if the children showed a preference for using SGD or MS. All participants showed increased use of SGD when intervention was introduced, but only three learned under the MS condition. Three participants exhibited a preference for the SGD while the remaining participant demonstrated a preference for using MS. Results support previous studies showing that individuals with DD often show a preference for different AAC options and extend previous data by suggesting that acquisition and maintenance was better for the preferred option.

Language Policy and Planning for Sign Languages (review)

Reviewed by: Language Policy and Planning for Sign Languages Verena Krausneker (bio) Language Policy and Planning for Sign Languages, by Timothy Reagan (Washington, D.C.: Gallaudet University Press, 2010, 296 pp., hardcover, $85.00, ISBN 1-56368-462-4, 978-1-56368-462-3) The author of Language Policy and Planning for Sign Languages addresses two audiences: the educated newcomer to the world of signed languages and the member of the Deaf World who is unfamiliar with matters of language planning and policy studies. That is an ambitious goal and will certainly broaden many academic and nonacademic horizons. The academic sign-language person as a potentially interested reader might find the book with its six chapters useful as an introduction to the field. Chapter 1 presents the history, culture, and sociolinguistic characteristics of the world of signed languages, which Reagan calls a "special case." Since this chapter focuses primarily on the Deaf community of North America, most of the examples and in-depth descriptions refer to ASL. The second chapter, "Language Planning and Language Policy," shows the author's true strength: It is a concise yet rich and diverse introduction to the subject. The text integrates many approaches and offers theoretical and applied tools to help readers understand the subject. The chapter is cleverly enriched by an impressive collection of real-world examples from around the globe and since the Greek and Roman empires. The fewest cases, though, are from the Deaf World. Chapter 3 looks at ASL plannning and policy in depth. Reagan criticizes planning decisions that categorize ASL as a "foreign language" as being fundamentally based on deficit views. He also states that access to well-trained interpreters is more important but then [End Page 334] differentiates this claim with respect to the educational situation. Reagan's very short summary of the legal status of ASL in the individual states presents the situation as it was four years prior to the publication date (no source is disclosed) and does not explain which laws in what contexts and which exact formulations secure ASL rights. The author wraps up the chapter with observations on the risks the ASL community faces, mainly biotechnical and educational decisions based on biotechnical developments, but ends with a clear statement of trust in the language community's commitment to continue thriving. Chapter 4 describes the "creation and use of manual sign codes" as a form of language planning. Reagan-as many authors before him-takes a very critical position. Chapter 5, "International Perspectives," gives an overview of the status of various sign languages and a critical analysis of the contexts and discussions surrounding the legal recognitions. The author discusses a resolution passed by the European Parliament in the same paragraph and with the same care as resolutions passed at academic congresses. To the European reader this seems a dubious juxtaposition because there are numerous such academic and NGO-authored resolutions in European countries, and these differ significantly from resolutions passed by the European Parliament. The Official Journal of the European Union and an NGO's document (e.g., the "Brussels Declaration" by the European Union of the Deaf, which was issued just a few months after this book was published) carry completely different weight in the political arena. Reagan apparently decided to not include other supranational activities by the European Union, the Council of Europe, and, most important, the United Nations. In most countries of the world the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) presently receives a great deal of attention. The UNCRPD, with its several explicit paragraphs on sign languages and Deaf culture, is a source of optimism and, especially in the work of the World Federatiojn of the Deaf (WFD) and the European Union of the Deaf (EUD), triggers new planning of activities and readjustments of sign-language policy strategies. The chapter includes a brief discussion of the real threat that ASL poses to many of the world's smaller sign languages and then moves on to corpus planning. A list of all online sign [End Page 335] language dictionaries is provided. Both compounding and borrowing processes are discussed, followed by a description of the infamous unification project in...

The eyes have it: Technologies of automobility in sign language

Cars present an unusual environment for human interaction and communication. For deaf people using sign language, a visual language, the car is far from ideal for establishing and maintaining conversation. This is due to the visual pre-occupation of the driver with watching the road, manual preoccupation with maneuvering the car, and the layout of seats for passengers. This article describes and analyzes particular conversational interactions of signers to show how deaf signers innovatively and creatively manage to adapt their signing in the car for effective signed interaction. Signers manipulate particular aspects of the car environment, including mirrors and seats, they use the body in particular ways to accommodate to visual perception boundaries, and they shift distribution of meaning to both manual signs and to aspects of the immediate physical environment. They also distribute the work of attending to actions both within and outside the vehicle. Signers thus both adapt language to the context and adapt the context to language, showing important ways that technologies and mobility impact language practices.

Variation in mouth actions with manual signs in Sign Language of the Netherlands (NGT)

Mouthings and mouth gestures are omnipresent in Sign Language of the Netherlands (NGT). Mouthings in NGT commonly have their origin in spoken Dutch. We conducted a corpus study to explore how frequent mouthings in fact are in NGT, whether there is variation within and between signs in mouthings, and how frequent temporal reduction occurs in mouthings. Answers to these questions can help us classify mouthings as being specified in the sign lexicon or as being instances of code-blending. We investigated a sample of 20 frequently occurring signs. We found that each sign in the sample co-occurs frequently with a mouthing, usually that of a specific Dutch lexical item. On the other hand, signs show variation in the way they co-occur with mouthings and mouth gestures. By using a relatively large amount of natural data, we succeeded in gaining more insight into the way mouth actions are utilized in sign languages.

"Companheiros de infortúnio": a educação de "surdos-mudos" e o repetidor Flausino da Gama

Este trabalho tem como objetivo apresentar a trajetória educacional de Flausino José da Costa Gama, aluno do Imperial Instituto dos Surdos-Mudos do Rio de Janeiro no século XIX. Flausino, além de ter sido um aluno e "repetidor" exemplar, segundo registros da época, destacou-se também pela criação da primeira obra de língua de sinais de que se tem notícia no Brasil: a Iconographia dos Signaes dos Surdos-Mudos, em 1875. Por meio de uma pesquisa bibliográfica e documental, apresentamos a proposta pedagógica do Imperial Instituto dos Surdos-Mudos e seus objetivos educacionais à época em que o diretor era o Dr. Tobias Leite e evidenciamos o percurso educacional de Flausino, primeiramente trazendo a sua biografia e todo o seu desenvolvimento a partir do ingresso na referida instituição. Além disso, destacamos o contexto no qual se deu a criação da primeira obra de língua de sinais do Brasil, obra realizada por meio de litografia, formada por vinte estampas que apresentam 382 sinais, excetuando-se o alfabeto manual. Com este estudo pretendemos apresentar Flausino à comunidade acadêmica como um surdo que teve um percurso educacional diferenciado e que contribuiu de forma muito relevante para a origem da língua brasileira de sinais.

INFANT SIGN TRAINING AND FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS

We taught manual signs to typically developing infants using a reversal design and caregiver-nominated stimuli. We delivered the stimuli on a time-based schedule during baseline. During the intervention, we used progressive prompting and reinforcement, described by Thompson et al. (2004, 2007), to establish mands. Following sign training, we conducted functional analyses and verified that the signs functioned as mands. These results provide preliminary validation for the verbal behavior functional analysis methodology and further evidence of the functional independence of verbal operants.

Expressive vocabulary acquisition in children with intellectual disability: Speech or manual signs?

Background The aim of this study was to examine the degree to which children with intellectual disability (ID) depend on manual signs during their expressive vocabulary acquisition, in relation to child and social-environmental characteristics.Method Expressive vocabulary acquisition in speech and manual signs was monitored over a 2-year period in 23 children with ID using parent report. The children's cognitive, communicative, and vocabulary comprehension skills were measured at baseline. Speech-language pathologists' and parents' use of and attitudes towards manual signs were measured using self-report.Results Four distinct profiles of vocabulary acquisition were evident. Those children who initially demonstrated the most significant cognitive, communicative, and comprehension delays acquired the smallest expressive vocabularies during follow-up, yet these variables were not related to the children's degree of dependence on manual signs.Conclusions Specific cognitive, communicative, and comprehension skills relate to vocabulary acquisition. The same skills that allow for speech development seem to be fundamental to the acquisition of manual signs.

INCREASING THE VOCAL RESPONSES OF CHILDREN WITH AUTISM AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES USING MANUAL SIGN MAND TRAINING AND PROMPT DELAY

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of manual sign mand training combined with prompt delay and vocal prompting on the production of vocal responses in nonvocal children with developmental disabilities. A multiple baseline design across participants verified the effectiveness of this intervention. All participants showed increases in vocal responses following the implementation of the independent variables.

Movements and Holds in Fluent Sentence Production of American Sign Language: The Action-Based Approach

The importance of bodily movements in the production and perception of communicative actions has been shown for the spoken language modality and accounted for by a theory of communicative actions (Cogn. Process. 2010;11:187–205). In this study, the theory of communicative actions was adapted to the sign language modality; we tested the hypothesis that in the fluent production of short sign language sentences, strong-hand manual sign actions are continuously ongoing without holds, while co-manual oral expression actions (i.e. sign-related actions of the lips, jaw, and tip of the tongue) and co-manual facial expression actions (i.e. actions of the eyebrows, eyelids, etc.), as well as weak-hand actions, show considerable holds. An American Sign Language (ASL) corpus of 100 sentences was analyzed by visually inspecting each frame-to-frame difference (30 frames/s) for separating movement and hold phases for each manual, oral, and facial action. Excluding fingerspelling and signs in sentence-final position, no manual holds were found for the strong hand (0%; the weak hand is not considered), while oral holds occurred in 22% of all oral expression actions and facial holds occurred for all facial expression actions analyzed (100%). These results support the idea that in each language modality, the dominant articulatory system (vocal tract or manual system) determines the timing of actions. In signed languages, in which manual actions are dominant, holds occur mainly in co-manual oral and co-manual facial actions. Conversely, in spoken language, vocal tract actions (i.e. actions of the lips, tongue, jaw, velum, and vocal folds) are dominant; holds occur primarily in co-verbal manual and co-verbal facial actions.

A causal relationship between pre-treatment matching or motor imitation skills and later acquisition of manual signing or picture exchange communication in children with ASD remains to be established

ed from: Gregory, M. K., DeLeon, I. G., & Richman, D. M. (2009). The influence of matching and motor-imitation abilities on rapid acquisition of manual signs and exchange-based communication responses, Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 42, 399–404. Source of funding: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities and Augmentative and Alternative Communication: Analysis of Survey Data on Uptake of Aided AAC, and Loneliness Experiences

This study describes uptake of augmentative and alternative communication systems by adults with intellectual disabilities; their ability to self-report at interview; differences in self-reported loneliness experiences by communication mode; and predictors of loneliness. We analyzed National Core Indicators data from 26 US states involving over 13,000 service users grouped by primary means of expression: natural speech, gestures/body language, manual signs, or communication aid/device (aided AAC). Uptake of aided AAC was low; only 0.8% of participants used aided AAC as their primary means of expression. Valid interview responding was higher in turn for participants communicating with natural speech, aided AAC, and other modes. Almost half the participants were lonely, but loneliness did not differ by communication mode used; social contact and social climate variables predicted loneliness. Individuals who used aided AAC communicated more effectively than users of other non-speech modes, supporting more widespread use of aided AAC. Loneliness was prevalent but aided AAC users were not lonelier. Interventions to reduce loneliness are discussed.

Introduction to the Special Issue on Augmentative and Alternative Communication

This special issue of the Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities focuses on implementing Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) intervention for individuals with developmental and physical disabilities. AAC refers to a range of non-speech methods of communication, including gestures, manual signs, pictureor symbol-based communication systems, and computer-based speech-generating devices. AAC is used to augment unintelligible speech and provide an alternative when speech and language development is significantly delayed or severely impaired. AAC is a relevant topic for the Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities because many individuals with developmental and physical disabilities present with severe communication impairment and complex communication needs. The nature of their severe communication impairment ranges from highly unintelligible speech to the complete absence of speech. This range of impairment makes implementing communication assessment and intervention extremely difficult and often unsuccessful. New and more effective assessment and intervention strategies are needed because without good communication skills these individuals will be at a severe disadvantage. To reduce this disadvantage and improve their overall quality of life, individuals with developmental and physical disabilities must be enabled to communicate effectively and appropriately. For many such individuals, AAC is likely to be their only real option for enabling effective and appropriate communication. J Dev Phys Disabil (2010) 22:101–104 DOI 10.1007/s10882-010-9197-x

Brief report: an evaluation of total communication vs vocal alone for teaching tacts

Total Communication (TC) and Vocal Alone (VA) are two teaching approaches used to facilitate vocal responding with children with language delays and autism. TC involves the simultaneous use of the manual sign and the spoken word. VA involves the use of the spoken word only. This single subject study aimed to compare the two approaches using an alternating treatment design to find which condition produced the most effective acquisition rate of vocal tacts for an echolalic child with autism. We also examined the effect of condition on speech articulation on targeted items and the child’s listener behaviour (selection) following tact only (speaker) training. An in depth phonological assessment was carried out pre test and the subject’s vocal utterances phonetically transcribed over the course of the study by a speech and language therapist (SALT). Results indicated that the TC condition produced six times more vocal tacts than the VA condition; results from the listener behaviour tests showed the subject was able to respond appropriately when given both the vocal and sign, but not with the vocal stimulus alone. The phonetic transcription yielded inconclusive results but indicated ways that such information could be used more effectively in future research.

Med fokus på samspel

The field of special education is characterized by substantial complexity in learning as well as in interaction and communication. Video-observations are especially suitable for studies of interactions and especially interaction with students in communicative complex situations. Video analysis also makes it possible to uncover the "hidden agenda" and the subtle signals that shape relationships, emotional climate and learning in the classroom. In the article focus is on the potential video-observations offers in studies of students in special needs in general and students with disabilities as deafness and hearing loss in particular. Advantages and limitations of video technology are discussed as well as ethics in relation to special educational contexts. Different principles of transcription and analysis, when sign language and manual signs are used in communication, are described. Examples from our research are given as analysis of communication between mother and child, between teacher and student and between students. The discussion focuses on issues that video-recording may highlight, in ways another medium could not, knowledge to be acquired from the analysis and conclusions that can be drawn from the referred examples.