Have any of you tried Sign Language?

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I had taken up sign language for a few years in school (I thought I was going to be an interpreter one day). After a year or so when I got good enough to carry on a conversation, I noticed something: When I used sign, I felt alot more comfortable than when I spoke. I guess I didn't realize it until then, but speaking stresses me out. Speaking sort of puts this weird pressure on me. I've grow so used to it because I had to live with it of course. When I used sign at school (in an interpreter program, quite a few classes are actually in sign) I just thought of this and started to wonder about it.

Anyone know enough sign to carry on a conversation and notice this as well? Or am I just crazy?

Funny you should say that! I can read faster in German than English! ENGLISH is my first language! WHY? Well, I tried to STOP "mind speak" when reading foreign languages. I never got rid of it really with English. With English, to spead read, I am like one of those people on TV plugging my ears and going "lalalalala...."

I don't PHYSICALLY do that, but mentally sort of. Anyway. I usually don't with English. With German, I can read almost like I read English prior to about 6. QUIETLY.

I THOUGHT about using sign, but really didn't have many friends that could understand. They were interpreters. NOW, I don't know any. 8-(

Steve

I can understand some sign language, ie yes, no. drink, toilet, TV. I would have difficulty trying to hold a conversation.
Quite a few of the people I work with choose to be non-verbal, but they are quite happy to sign.

I don’t know sign language. But I have always been fascinated by it. I think that it’s more essential and much less liable to be used for lying. I have often fantasized about abandoning spoken language to rely only on gestures, like Liv Ulmann in “Persona”. Same happens in most films by the Korean Kim Ki-duk, whose main characters never say a word. I like very much this “moviemaker of silence”.

I learned ASL (basic) to use it as a tool to help my youngest sone with language. I had read that children, in general, learn spoken language better when paired with a visual.

(background a bit...he was diagnosed with autism at age 3..though I first mentioned problems to his doc around 18 months, when he started to lose the language he already had.)

I really feel like the sign language made a *huge* difference. he went from non verbal to saying 7 and 8 word sentences, and still uses sign lagnuage to this day. I've noticed that when he is overstimulated, he falls back to the sign language.

That's pretty cool. I had alot of interest in the effects of teaching children sign language when I was going to school. One of the most interesting things I saw was a video tape of my instructors few month old infant. He was able to sign "want milk" at such a young age! Too young to even sit up and can communicate already! I wonder why all parents don't feel an urge to teach their children sign in some form. If I ever have a child, he/she will learn sign. I want to chat with them as soon as they are born. Otherwise, I'd have to wait a year or more? When do children start talking?

exactly. they can sign well before they can talk. I taught my twin niece and nephew to sign "more" when they were 6 months old...still cooing. but they could say they wanted more of something...anything. I thought it was fabulous to be able to understand what they wanted.

yeah, i've heard from a lot of places that children in general can learn to communicate via signs much earlier than when they can learn to speak verbally. i think it's kinda one of those fads (though a good one) that is just starting to pick up with childcare.


to the OP... i can't speak sign language though through my teaching experiences, I've seen several interpreters for various students in my classes... one thing i've noticed is that the people signing tend to use facial expressions A LOT while they sign... i wonder what that would do for someone with AS who is trying to interpret what is being signed. i dunno if it would complicate anything though... cause the signs themselves are pretty concrete. just something that comes to my mind.

At least for me, it wasn't too hard because it's more of "gauging" how much of something for a sign rather than "feeling" their mood. I've seen many deaf sign with very little expression as well... Having alot of expression isn't mandatory, but it helps. Since it's not always a expression of your mood I found it a little easier. I thought of the expressions made more of a act or mime than anything I was actually feeling. So, while not having a great deal of expression might limit you some, you could overcome difficulties by perhaps learning to act/perform the expressions... but that's just my opinion. I was relatively deadpan signing....lol

I really got into signing my freshman year of college-- the girl I was dating was studying to teach the deaf, and that was quite a motivation. Unfortunately, she left the college shortly after I started learning it, and I had nobody to practice with, so I never really finished it. But I was fascinated by it.

yes sign language is so easy though. when some one is annoying you, you stick up ya middle finger at them. lol. no i dont do much just the signs and some international sign language. no matter though. yo id love to know how though.

brother devil

I did some Auslan once, and can still remember a little. I like it very much, and true it can be more comfortable than actually talking. The trouble for me was that, being left handed, I tended to sign in mirror image. (!)

I taught myself and a few friends in forth grade,sign language using pics in our huge family dictionary.(I was also fascinated with Greek letters for some reason)I still remember the alphabet but never learned any other signs.I did buy a book and a tape but have been side tracked by other interests....can you say,WP Addiction....I love watching people doing sign....it's like dancing poetry.

I tend to use a lot of gestures/made-up signs, especially if I'm tired or overloaded. I've been thinking that I really should learn real sign language for those times when I can't speak/don't have the energy/can't spit it out etc.

Can anyone recommend a good online source for learning sign?

I have dictionaries and books and such...but this site really helps when I don't understand exactly how the sign is to be formed..it shows a video clip of a person signing the word.

http://commtechlab.msu.edu/Sites/aslweb/browser.htm

I'm not really familar with the online courses, but I do have tons of books I could recommend if you like. I'm a sign language "book collector" lol Actually I'm at work right now, so I won't be able to post any until I get home, but let me know if your interested and I will.

The best ones I've found are the books that tell you how to construct the sentences. For american sign language(I think British Sign is similar) there is actually a different word configuration than just regular english. You can sign regular english word order, but that's not considered "conversational" and is usually reserved for more like a direct english translation. But all I am familar with is the American Sign Language. British sign and French sign are supposed to have different signs, rules and etc.