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THIS PAGEA Parent's Guide to Hearing Loss
Produced by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Program
Finger Spelling
Finger spelling is a building block in which you or your child uses hands and fingers to spell out words. Hand shapes represent the letters in the alphabet. Finger spelling is used with many other building blocks; it is almost never used by itself. It is most often used with American Sign Language (ASL), Conceptually Accurate Signed English (CASE), and Manually Coded English (MCE) to spell out words that don't have a sign — such as the names of places or people.
Like all building blocks, you can start using finger spelling when your baby is very young. He or she can learn finger spelling naturally — the baby doesn't need to know how to spell. He or she will just learn that the movements of the hand mean something. For instance:
Glossary
Building Block(s): "Building Blocks" refers to the different skills that parents can use to help their child learn language. There are many types of building blocks, and a family can pick and choose the building block (or blocks) that work best for their child and family. The following is a list of many commonly used building blocks.
American Sign Language (ASL): ASL is a visual language. It is a complete language. It is much more than making gestures or "pictures in the air." ASL has its own vocabulary and grammar that is different from English. Signs and sentences in ASL are made using handshapes (for example, a pointing handshape, or the fingers spread out to show the number 5), moving the hands and arms (for example, in a straight line, or bouncing), and different facial expressions (for example, frowning or raising your eyebrows). You can share feelings, abstract ideas, and make jokes using ASL. You can take ASL classes and start teaching your baby even while you are still learning it yourself.
Conceptually Accurate Signed English (CASE): Conceptually Accurate Signed English (CASE) is a building block that people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing and people who are hearing use together to communicate. Sometimes it's called PSE or Pidgin Signed English. CASE is a building block that people who use American Sign Language (ASL) and English in the form of Manually Coded English (MCE) mix together. CASE can change based on the skills of the people using it.
Manually Coded English (MCE): Manually Coded English (MCE) is made up of signs that are a visual code that stand for the words of the English language. Many of the signs (hand shapes and hand motions) in MCE are borrowed from American Sign Language (ASL). But unlike ASL, the grammar, word order, and sentence structure of MCE are similar to the English language.
For more information or to order additional copies of "A Parent's Guide to Hearing Loss" visit CDC's website at www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/ehdi.