Does anyone know ASL?

[Breezy du Nord]

I just finished babysitting for the cutest little 3 year-old with Down's Syndrome who's hearing isn't as good as it could be. I actually know some from when my brother got interested in it (we have an uncle whose mentally retarded and deaf) and got a book on it, but I can't remember a lot from it.

As of now I know:

Mommy
Daddy
More
Juice
and, of course, nummies. (that's what she calls lunch)

Do any of you know it?

[1monster]

1. I know some... stepson is hearing impaired, but he prefers to use

spoken language. I prefer Signed English to ASL. ASL's grammar structure is more like French than English and I've never understood the logic in using a language structure that is so dissimilar to the prevailing language of the land. In my opinion, it makes it harder for the deaf to communicate with the hearing and harder for the hearing to learn to communicate with the deaf.

[Breezy du Nord]

2. That was another question I had

What makes ASL different from other signed languages and what are they called?

I'm actually kinda of intrigued now, I should go to the library to get a book about it...

[SheilaT]

4. ASL is a language in its

own right, as is French, Japanese, or English. It has its own grammar and syntax that differs from any spoken language because it is visual. Most ASL users can handle signed English, but hearing people who simply learn to sign English probably won't get a lot of ASL.

I believe there are other sign languages, that is a FSL (French), GSL (German) and so on.

The instinct to communicate is very powerful, which is why we have language and why deaf people will spontaneously invent sign languages. And why people from different language backgrounds when thrown together will within two generations develop a brand new language that is an amalgam of a sort of the languages involved.

[Ilsa]

3. Autistic children start learning to communicate

using ASL. Autistic children need visual cues, and the signs really help them learn and lower their frustration level.

I started learning some signs, but my autistic child started talking more frequently. I rarely use what few signs I know anymore.