Hearing Toddler Interprets for Deaf Dad Using American Sign Language

Young children often astound their parents whenever they achieve milestones in their lives, like from learning how to walk to potty training. For deaf father, Zachary Lotane of Laguna Beach, California, who communicates solely in American Sign Language (ASL), seeing his hearing 1-yr-old daughter interpret for him by signing was a huge one.

One day the little girl, who’s named Madison, was waddling down an aisle in a supermarket holding two packages of dish-washing sponges and suddenly dropped the packages. She then quickly showed her dad through ASL what she was concerned about, signing, “Baby crying.” She next pointed in the direction of the sound she heard, which her dad couldn’t hear. Zachary then repeated Madison’s gesture and asked her, “Baby crying?” as she crouched down to pick up the sponges she had dropped.

Zachary shared it on TikTok as @oursignedworld. Not only was it a "wow" moment for Zachary Latone, but it was also a heartwarming one for the many people who watched the video. TikTok users all over the world were blown away by the sweetness and uniqueness of young Madison's remarkable act.

Since first posting Madi’s amazing act of signing in the supermarket, the Lotane family has been extending their love of ASL and belief in tolerance and inclusivity to a wider audience.Their videos of Madi learning about the world around her are inspiring others to envision big things for their own Deaf or Hard of Hearing youngsters.

According to Zach, the family's social media posts have inspired many users to begin learning sign language. A growing number of their followers are enrolling in ASL classes at high schools, community colleges, and universities.

Potential Benefits of Using Sign Language with Toddlers

Possible benefits of very toddlers using sign language to communicate include the following:

1. Earlier aptitude at understanding speech, especially from ages one to two
2. Earlier use of speaking skills, mainly from one to two years of age
3. Earlier use of proper sentence structure when speaking
4. Less crying and whining to express desires or feelings
5. Improved parent-child bonding
6. Increase in IQ level

The good news is that utilizing sign language with your kid has no disadvantages and may have various advantages, according to educational researchers. Basically speaking, learning ASL at a young age may help your son or daughter to improve their communication skills while also advancing in other aspects such as language acquisition.

The post Hearing Toddler Interprets for Deaf Dad Using American Sign Language first appeared on Start ASL.