The major components of the ExpressYourself! Communication program are American Sign Language (ASL) and socio-emotional activities, like dramatic play. As children learn to express themselves verbally, through sign, and with good facial and body language, they are practicing both expressive and receptive communication skills.

Using sign language with children from infancy through school age has many benefits, not the least of which being research that shows that hearing children who are taught sign language can have an IQ 10-12 points higher. Children are able to communicate with their hands before they can communicate vocally--this means children can sign to us what they want as soon as nine months of age which can help reduce the frustrations associated with early communication. Furthermore, research shows that hearing children who sign have a larger vocabulary at age two than children who have not. Older toddlers and preschool children continue the benefits of making language more tangible and visible. Early literacy is boosted by connecting the idea of symbolism to words, sounds, letters, and ideas. Skills like spelling and word association can benefit from this approach to reinforcing communication skills. This is also another way to gain meta knowledge about how we communicate by associating body language and facial gesture directly to what we are trying to "say".

Key Developmental Domains: Language, Cognitive, Social/Emotional