Developing intelligible signs with learning-disabled students: a review of the literature and an assessment procedure

The use of sign language as an augmentative medium of communication is a well-established approach in working with client groups who are handicapped in their effective use of verbal language. However, students with physical and learning disabilities may continue to experience problems in making themselves understood, because of inaccuracies in sign production which may be considered as analogous to phonological errors in speech. It is suggested in this paper that the evaluation and remediation of sign production errors is most usefully approached through an understanding of the phonological structure of sign language. The paper presents a review of the literature concerning the development of (1) motor patterns involved in sign production, and (2) the four major parameters of handshape, location, movement and orientation, in hearing-impaired and hearing children whose first language is sign, and in students with mental handicaps. A framework for assessing and monitoring sign production is suggested, and possible approaches to the development of intelligible signing are discussed. It is argued that the analysis and remediation of sign errors should always be related to the communication needs of the individual, rather than developed in isolation.