Deaf Niche Who benefits from ASL? Necessity is the mother of invention; sign language is used by many people and even creatures!
1. It’s another process than spoken languages due to its visual and spatial nature and exercises a different part of the brain.
2. ASL was originally invented for deaf communication-80% of deaf babies are born to hearing parents
3. People with other disabilities use ASL
4. Aging seniors can benefit from ASL to keep a rich social life when their hearing goes
5. Families sometimes learn sign language for their member who depends on it
6. All infants benefit from learning ASL as it encourages early language acquisition
7. Animals can communicate using ASL; Koko the gorilla was the first to have human language
8. Dogs can be trained with ASL; it’s super handy for deaf dogs and owners!
9. It’s on its way to becoming international like English
How does sign language impact your life?
Sources:
Sign Language and the Brain: A Review – Oxford Academic
Signed Speech or Simultaneous Communication – Autism Research Institute
Apraxia of Speech and Muteness – Rainbow Kids Adoption & Welfare Advocacy
Hearing Loss Tied to Depression In Study – WebMD
Koko the Signing Gorilla – The Gorilla Foundation
Beginning Sign Training – Deaf Dogs Rock
I like that you mentioned that ASL can actually be used to help seniors who are losing hearing. I had never thought about that, but it makes sense it could be really effective for them! My new friend knows ASL, and I wanted to learn a little more about it. Thanks for the information!