Impacts of Learning American Indian Sign Language on Mentally Retarded Children: A Preliminary Report

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Abstract
The impact of a 10-wk total communication program using AMERIND [American Indian sign language] with 32 moderately retarded children. Subjects [Ss] participated in 4 or 5 30-min. individual and group sessions/wk. Emphasis was on teaching AMERIND signs they could use in their school or home environments. The Ss classroom teachers reinforced their use of total communication throughout the day. The speech clinician and classroom teacher charted each child''s verbal and gestural communication daily. Of the 32 Ss, 27 were observed by the clinician and/or teacher using AMERIND spontaneously for communicative purposes. The number of signs learned by subjects during the 10-wk period ranged from 15-200, with a mean of 48. Ss (15) were reported by their teacher, clinician and/or parents to have increased their attempts to communicate by speech; none reduced their attempts to communicate in this manner. Ss (13) made noticeable changes in over-all behavior including reduced frustration behavior such as temper tantrums and increased willingness to participate in language activities. All of the children seemed to accept the use of AMERIND, and the families appeared to be supportive of their children''s participation in the program. AMERIND may be preferable to AMESLAN [American sign language] for mentally retarded children because of its concreteness and, moreimportantly, because of its high intelligibility to untrained observers.

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