Sign Language

Liana Valentin-Scott

All elementary and middle school students participate in sign language class once a week and may perform an interpreted song at special events.

Sign Language is beneficial in a number of ways:

• Develops visual perceptual skills - interpreting and remembering hand shapes
• Develops fine-motor and visual-motor skills – forming hand shapes based on a model
• Develops expressive and receptive language – utilizes some of the same areas of the brain as spoken language
• Communication - Pairing speech with signs facilitates comprehension
• Sensory integration – allows the brain to process from multiple sensory modalities
• Sense of community – receive a basic understanding of Deaf culture
• ASL-American Sign Language – recognized (in some states) as a Foreign Language