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12 Comments

  1. it’s not easy and nobody can learn it off the internet it is too confusing get someone to teach you

  2. You can get books or take classes at a local college. It is moderately difficult language to learn..

  3. There are multiple online resources for learning ASL, but keep in mind that someone with deaf autism is going to use that language in the same way that someone with hearing autism uses spoken language. Even if you managed to achieve perfect fluency in ASL, her usage will be affected by her disability. I recommend learning the few signs that are most important to her, from her or her family. That’s what worked best for me when I worked as an aide for a deaf autistic child.

  4. Sign language is easy to learn if you were communicating with someone regularly to practice. I learned sign language by a book, but picked up fluency by a neighbor friend when I was younger being deaf.

    You can learn sign language a lot of places. I know my son’s high school offers sign language as one of the “foreign language” classes. If you are no longer school age, contact local organizations for the deaf and they will certainly be able to point you into a cheap, if not free, class you can take.

    I think you will find signing very rewarding. Don’t expect proficiency that most deaf people have, but don’t be surprised how quick you pick it up.

    Good Luck

  5. it is as hard as learning a spoken language-not easy
    it seems to me like you really want to communicate with this person so maybe you could have a person that already knows sign language as a “translater” until you know a few basic words
    anyways good luck!

  6. well the best way to learn may be from her. i learned ASL in high school and in my first year, no one was allowed to speak or make any noises in the class. the teacher would write down words and show us the sign for it. we all had to communicate with signs from day one. my second year, my teacher was deaf so talking to her was, once again, not an option. it takes patience but if your friend is willing to teach you, that is the best way to go.

    you can buy a sign dictionary but i don’t think they are useful. an online tool may be helpful but unlike any other language, visual is key so person-to-person works best. try taking a class at a local school.

  7. A lot of community colleges (and 4-year universities) offer courses. Or, you can contact local organizations for the hearing-impaired who can put you in touch with the right people.

    As for how hard–like anything else, that depends on how far you want to go. Learning the basics–the signs for letters plus a few words is easy. But sign is a full-fledged language; to become fluent you can expect to put in the same level of time and effort required to learn any foreign language.

    In this particular case, however, be aware that communicating with a non-verbal autistic person may still be very limited and difficult–you may find your patience tested. 🙂

  8. Learning it is easy. Remembering it all is difficult if you don’t use it regularily. I took two semesters of ASL because I will be working with kids in schools who are autistic. While I am waiting for a position to open, I really have to keep practicing. I have taught my kids some so they can talk to me across a crowded room or store. It helps!

  9. u cab try to find our some institutions nearby or buy books, & its difficult job but if u really want to learn that slowly slowly u will learn. Good Luck! God Bless U!

  10. You can find a interactive DVD on American Sign Language and learn from that…we have one…

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