The Signing Family: What Every Parent Should Know about Sign Communication

The Signing Family shows parents how to create a set of goals for signing centered around the needs of their deaf child, then describes in even-handed terms the major signing options available: American Sign Language, Signed English, Signing Exact English, and Contact Sign. Parents will learn how each of these signing methods originated and, in the case of English signing systems, why they were created and what they are meant to impart to deaf children. Parents will also learn their legal rights in the education of their child and how to work with schools to provide their sign preference in the child's classroom. Armed with all of this thorough information, parents can determine how each type of signing maps onto their goals for themselves and their child, both within the family and in the educational system.