2023 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference

March 5-7, 2023 • Cincinnati, OH

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4/16/2013  |   1:45 PM - 2:45 PM   |  The Family Signs Program: A Tele-Intervention Model for Providing Sign Language Instruction to Families   |  Solana D   |  4

The Family Signs Program: A Tele-Intervention Model for Providing Sign Language Instruction to Families

In 2004, the Educational Resource Center on Deafness conducted a 9-month pilot project providing in-home American Sign Language instruction via videophones to the family of an 18-month old deaf toddler. The pilot showed such promise that in the next year it was expanded to serve more families, some of whom had children in the early intervention years, and some with children who were older. At that time, it was called the Remote American Sign Language (ASL) Instruction Program. In recent years the project’s scope has broadened to include Signing Exact English, Signed English, and instruction for Spanish speaking families. It is now called simply, the Family Signs Program. Other recent changes include the increased use of Internet based applications such as Skype and Google+ and web based program management. In our quest for continuous improvement, in the last year we reviewed the Family Signs program vis-à-vis “A Practical Guide to the Use of Tele-Intervention in Providing Listening and Spoken Language Services to Infants and Toddlers Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing” that is posted on the NCHAM website. We found that apart from communication mode, our program mirrored many of the considerations and recommendations contained in the Guide. However, the Guide also gave us the impetus to fully commit to some recommended practices to which we had been transitioning. This presentation will describe the nuts and bolts of the Family Signs Program, highlight where program components can be found on the Family Signs website, and illustrate how the guide developed for tele-intervention for listening and spoken language services can be adapted for other modalities. It is anticipated that this information will assist those interested in setting up similar tele-intervention programs for family sign language instruction to support early language acquisition.

  • describe the components of the Family Signs Program
  • locate program components on the Family Signs website that can be used for program replication
  • use many aspects of “A Practical Guide to the Use of Tele-Intervention in Providing Listening and Spoken Language Services to Infants and Toddlers Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing” for development of a program to provide family sign language instruction.

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Presenters/Authors

Diana Poeppelmeyer (POC,Co-Presenter), Educational Resource Center on Deafness at Texas School for the Deaf, diana.poeppelmeyer@tsd.state.tx.us;
Director of the Educational Resource Center on Deafness at Texas School for the Deaf. Dr. Poeppelmeyer has worked in Deaf Education for over 30 years and has taught at the parent-infant, preschool, middle school, high school, and the university levels. Her greatest interest is in supporting families as equal partners in the education process.


ASHA DISCLOSURE:

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Lynn Reichert (Co-Presenter), Educational Resource Center on Deafness at Texas School for the Deaf, familysigns@tsd.state.tx.us;
Ms. Reichert is currently the Coordinator of the Family Signs Program. She brings to the position her experience as a Teacher of the Deaf in Oral/Aural and Total Communication programs. In those positions, she was proficient in the use of Cued Speech and Signing Exact English. Additionally she has been a Teacher of American Sign Language in public High Schools. Finally, she is a freelance certified interpreter.


ASHA DISCLOSURE:

Financial -

Nonfinancial -