[sak9645]

I do not speak Chinese -- except for a few words like xie xie -- and I don't know sign language. However, I found that my Chinese daughter and I communicated very easily during our first few days in China. Becca (18.5 months) showed me what she needed by pointing, expressed negative opinions by sneering and crying, etc. I spoke in English and used gestures. She did not attempt to speak Chinese -- I never heard her utter one word of it.

Within the first week she was in my custody, Becca was saying "hi" and "bye-bye" in English. By the time we landed in DC, she had picked up "OK". And the words just kept coming. I had her tested about two months after we arrived home, and the psychologist was amazed that she tested ABOVE her age level in receptive language (understanding English!), and only slightly below her age level in speaking.

By age two, she was totally caught up. From then on, she was a real chatterbox. Today, language is one of her strongest areas in school. She has a huge vocabulary, writes beautifully, reads on an adult level, and never stops talking! She reads and speaks Hebrew, too, and will start French, along with her continued immersion Hebrew, in the Fall.

Sign language may be helpful with toddlers who don't learn language easily, or who become very frustrated with inability to communicate their needs. But it is not necessaray for all children. If Becca chooses to learn ASL, it will be because of a desire to communicate with hearing-impaired people.

Sharon