[Crystal Williams]

I used the basic sign for “more” with my granddaughter when she about 7 or eight months old. She easily picked it up before her verbal communication began. I can that basic signing with infants could easily bridge that gap between nonverbal to verbal communication. I am sure it would be beneficial to introduce in the infant room.

[Trainer]

Great observation, Crystal! Introducing basic sign language early fosters essential communication skills and strengthens connections.

[Teiara]

Basic sign language can improve communication with young children by helping them express needs and emotions before they can fully speak, reducing frustration and building stronger connections between children and caregivers. It also supports inclusion for both hearing and death children. Nonverbal communication, like simple signs and gestures, can quickly help calm situations and make children feel understood, as seen when a child was able to settle down after using basic signs to communicate their needs.

[Trainer]

Great insights, Teiara! Your example beautifully illustrates the power of sign language in fostering understanding and connection.

[Roo]

Autonomy and self-determination are some of my most important guiding principles as a teacher. It can be overwhelming for an infant who is unable to consent to anything happening to them in their daily life. Giving children tools to communicate without the need for spoken language helps all children—including hearing, neurodivergent, Deaf, across the classroom, engaged in play, embarrassed, or shy children—to express their own desires to teachers better, which means the environment for learning will be better and kids will learn about themselves from an earlier age. We will also be able to connect with them and understand their personalities from an earlier age, and adapt curriculum to what interests the child.While working with an autistic student, it warmed my heart to see other students learn signs for different bugs they found around the classroom. ASL was the primary way this student communicated, and others in class were eager to show him bugs which he found delightful. Although we tried to teach the kids basic utility words, what interested them most were the works he was excited to share and speak with them. They wanted to connect!

[Sashel]

So i have a niece that is speaking impaired and she can communicate through sign. Her parents were afraid to let any of us know because they thought that we would treat her differently. As we were told this I remembered some of the signs that I was taught when taking a class and it made us have a different bond because I was able to communicate with her and she knew someone would be able to talk to her. I think that having this knowledge has helped with teaching as well in a preschool class because some dont understand or know how to communicate at this age and it has helped calm kids down when parents leave.

[Caity Monahan]

Communication is key to building relationships so being able to communicate with non-verbal students at any age. In my classroom, I have many students who are non-verbal or have a limited vocabulary. Teaching them sign language will help them to be able to communicate and build that trust relationship with me as their teacher in being able to clearly communicate their wants and needs.