Language Resources

In addition to items on our website, here is a list of other resources which may be useful for learning more about language development.

Parent Tip Sheets

 

Below are eight different Parent Tip Sheets created for parents and caretakers of children who are deaf or hard of hearing (D/HH) to use with the support of an Early Intervention provider with experience working with children who are D/HH. Each Tip Sheet briefly describes the developmental process of infants and toddlers post-identified hearing condition for cognitive, social, emotional, language (semantics, syntax-morphology, pragmatics, phonology –auditory and visual), pre-literacy and literacy development. These Tip Sheets provide suggestions for parents and caretakers, for fun, everyday activities to enhance their baby’s development in these aspects! Hang these up on your refrigerator and pick an activity or two to include in your baby’s daily routine or when you are out and about exploring the world.

Visit the Tip Sheets Landing Page and Videos

Web Sites

Signit Logo

Sign IT! is an innovative online curriculum for learning American Sign Language (ASL). The instruction is done by professional actors (both deaf and hearing) who are fluent in ASL and is highly interactive, entertaining, and engaging.

ASDC logo

The American Society for Deaf Children (ASDC) is committed to empowering all families with deaf and hard-of-hearing children and youth by embracing full language and communication access in inclusive environments through mentoring, advocacy, resources, and collaborative networks. 

American Sign Language - ASL Stories Directory

Online ASL Classes

Cue College logo

Cued Speech combines simple hand cues with natural mouth movements of speech to make all sounds of spoken language visually clear. Click here to learn for free.

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CUESIGN

CueSign, Inc. believes in, supports, and promotes the importance of full, visual access to language for deaf and hard of hearing individuals through both cued languages and signed languages in all environments. Click here to learn more.

Gallaudet logo

Info to Go. This site is designed to share information and provide resources with professionals and families on a variety of topics related to children and young people under 21 years of age who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Language Learning Through the Eye and Ear Part 1 &2 (webcasts)

This webcast will give early interventionists a foundational knowledge to engage in dialogue with parents and professionals about the neurolinguistic benefits of early exposure to visual language for all babies.

Setting Language in Motion

7 modules sharing critical information for promoting early language acquisition for young children who are D/HH. Captioned, ASL and Spanish versions. 

Maine’s Collaborative Intervention Model:  You Can Do It Too!

This presentation shares Maine’s collaborative approach to statewide early intervention services which provide families an array of supports including the opportunity to learn about various communication opportunities, as well as opportunities to learn from other parents and deaf and hard of hearing adults.

VL2 Parent Information Package

An online information packet developed by the Visual Language and Visual Learning Center (VL2) at Gallaudet University provides a parent toolkit to help families and children learn ASL together, bilingual interactive storybook apps to encourage reading to children in ASL, and interviews with parents, researchers, and deaf adults on growing up bilingual, and/or learning sign language in life.

Hear to Learn logo

The Hear to Learn website was developed to house the resources of the Utah State University Listening and Spoken Language program, Sound Beginnings, as well as bring people together and foster a community of learning. Hear to Learn offers a free monthly webinar series on a variety of topics related to the listening and spoken language development of children with hearing loss for parents and professionals.

Hearing First Logo

The Hearing First Website is a multimedia digital experience and connection point designed to link families who have chosen listening and spoken language (LSL) for their children with hearing loss, and the professionals who work with them, with the resources, information, tools, community and learning experiences they need to ensure the children in their lives succeed. 

NW School logo

SEE (Signing Exact English) Resources

Northwest School for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children

Educational programming focused on language acquisition using both signed and spoken language for children birth to age three who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, free for families in King, Pierce, and Snohomish Counties in Washington State.  The school also provides preschool through 8th grade instruction. 

“Signing Exact English: A Simultaneously Spoken and Signed Communication Option in Deaf Education,” appearing in 2018 JEHDI (Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention)
This article describes Signing Exact English (S.E.E.), a system designed and demonstrated to encode grammatically accurate English, to support the development of speech, listening, English language, and literacy in children who are deaf and hard of hearing.

"Education, Employment, and Independent Living of Young Adults who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing” 2012 American Annals of the Deaf
An article about the postsecondary outcomes of 46 young adults who had attended for at least 4 years a non-public agency school in the northwestern United States specializing in deaf education based on a curriculum incorporating a grammatically accurate signing system.

ASHA logo

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Identify the Signs Campaign. 

Strong speech and language skills are key to kindergarten readiness and reading, writing, and social success.  This site has some key communication skills for children ages 3–5 and suggestions for how parents can help their preschoolers.

CDC logo

CDC Resources

Developmental Milestones Checklists/Free Milestone Tracker App/

Skills such as taking a first step, smiling for the first time, and waving “bye-bye” are called developmental milestones. Children reach milestones in how they play, learn, speak, act, and move (crawling, walking, etc.). 

Click on the age of your child to see the milestones via this webpage or download a free app in English or Spanish.

Giving Every Child the Gift of Words:  Vocabulary of Children with Hearing Loss 

CDC funded research showing that early identification and intervention for children who are deaf and hard of hearing helps them develop communication skills and this site provides links to more information.