SIGN LANGUAGE
GIVING BABIES A HEAD START
62
28 MAR—2 APR
THE AUCKLAND ROYAL EASTER SHOW CELEBRATES THE 175TH A&P SHOW
Share in the sheep shearing, gaze at the prize winning bulls that are the size of small cars and interact with exhibits at the 175th A&P Show! The main entertainment stage will be jam-packed with all types of exciting FREE entertainment for the entire family. Transform into a super hero with the PJ Masks Live stage show or be wowed by Timber Tina and her world champion Lumberjack’s and Jill’s as they battle it out to find who will be crowned the toughest of them all! As night falls, the main stage will host some of New Zealand’s BEST musical talent. Mahons Amusements brings the exhilarating thrill rides to the Royal Easter Show; The Turbo Boost, Scream Machine, Gravitron and other favourites return to get the adrenaline pumping for the big kids, while the Cookie-Bear rides bring smiles to the faces of the little ones and their parents. An essential feature of the Royal Easter Show, the celebrated Zirka Circus returns with a brand new, never before seen in New Zealand act that will have the audience at the edge of their seats. Their death-defying feats of skill and strength has to been seen to be believed. And stick around for the FREE fireworks display, lighting up the sky above the ASB Showgrounds Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening’s blasting off at 9pm.
FREE EVENT, ASB SHOWGROUNDS, 217 GREEN LANE WEST, GREENLANE EASTERSHOW.CO.NZ
For deaf people, New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) is the form of communication predominantly used. It not only includes hand signals and gestures, but is also made up of extensive facial expressions, body movements, non-manual signals and direct eye contact. Unfortunately, NZSL as a language has had a difficult past. For the better part of 100 years, NZSL was banned in the education systems in our country. Oralism (use of spoken language) was the 'solution' to communication with deaf children. Of course, much time and research later, we now know that teaching New Zealand Sign Language to deaf children (or hearing for that matter!) improves English skills and understanding. So much so, that in 2006 NZSL was made one of New Zealand's official languages, followed one year later by the establishing of NZSL Week. In fact, some researchers and clinicians recommend that signing be taught to all children during their first two years of life (Acredolo & Goodwyn, 1996; Garcia, 1999). This recommendation is supported by studies showing that infants exposed to sign language acquired first signs at an earlier age than typical first spoken words. Bonvillian, Orlansky, and Novack (1983) studied 11 hearing children of deaf parents and reported that children produced their first recognisable sign at a mean age of just eight-and-a-half months, with the earliest first sign at five-and-a-half months. Results of a study by Goodwyn, Acredolo, and Brown (2000) suggest that sign training might facilitate rather than hinder the development of vocal language. Signing with your baby reduces frustration and enables early communication. If your planning on using some sign language with your baby, NZSL is readily available and better yet, it’s a second language.
MERGE NZ INFO@MERGENZ.CO.NZ MERGENZ.CO.NZ