The Signing SLP

04/25/2026

I’m currently at a cabin in the woods for the weekend with one goal: Unplug. I’m not even supposed to be on social media right now, much less thinking about work... 🤪🌲📵

But I brought Will Fertman's book, "The Deaf Baby Instruction Manual," with me. I wanted to review it so I could be sure I knew exactly what I was recommending when I passed it along to families. I figured it would be a quick professional check-in since a "manual" isn't typically written for someone with my experience level.

I was so wrong. I picked it up this morning and just finished the entire thing because I literally could not put it down! 👏

Even with a decade in the field, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the read. Often, when I'm reviewing resources aimed at families, it’s easy to just stay in "work mode" because the information is so familiar. But the way this is phrased is so fresh and unique that it kept me completely engaged the whole time! It felt like having a long, hilarious conversation with Will. His tongue-in-cheek style had me laughing out loud on the porch! 😂

Will has always been one of the first people I recommend parents reach out to when they have questions. I always tell them to look out for his name when he contributes to posts in various parent groups for DHH children because his insight is so valuable. I was lucky enough to see early drafts of some chapters, but having this complete book to share now is a total game-changer! 🙋‍♂️🏆

If you’re a parent, or even a fellow pro looking for a fresh and brilliant resource, grab a copy. Now I’m actually putting my phone away and heading back to the trees! 🤟📚🌲🐿️

04/16/2026

Another great year at the conference! So happy for all the folks I got to meet, see again, and interact with (most of whom I forgot to get a selfie with!). See you next year!

04/16/2026

Presented today at the conference on supporting families in resource deserts and shared more about new program Play to Learn

We also tried something new with our presentation that felt really aligned with our values ✨ We presented simultaneously in ASL and spoken English 🤟🗣️

Cecily delivered the content in ASL while I presented in spoken English at the same time. Not direct translations, but fully aligned in meaning.

That meant our entire audience had original access to the message, not filtered through interpretation 🙌

02/06/2026

“Wear devices all waking hours” has long been the goal, but goals shape what we notice, what we measure, and what we prioritize.

What if the goal was different?

Not: Are they wearing their devices
But: Are they truly accessing communication all day 🧠

A student can be wearing their devices and still miss pieces of language, conversation, and meaning throughout the day. Access is not simply the presence of sound 🔊 it is the presence of understanding, participation, and connection.

When we center access, we begin asking different questions 🔍
• Can the student understand what is happening around them?
• Can they follow conversation without guessing?
• Can they learn new language clearly across environments?
• Can they stay connected even when listening is hard or fatigue sets in?
• Is communication truly working for them throughout the day?

Access recognizes that listening alone is not always enough. Real access may be auditory, visual, supported, multimodal, flexible, or changing moment to moment.

Devices may support access, but they are not the definition of access.

This is not anti device. It is pro access.

When we focus on access, we focus on the student’s real experience, not just the tools they use ✨

What does access centered goal setting look like for your student?

01/24/2026

I would've LOVED to have access to a program like this when I was in grad school 😍

Are you a CSD student who is passionate about working with Deaf children? Do you enjoy learning, networking, and engaging in service work? Check out our Student Ambassador Program: language1st.org/student-ambassador-program

Applications open TODAY, January 23! Apply at bit.ly/2627SAP

01/23/2026

My favorite princess! 👸

Ask and you shall receive! We had a lot of requests for a virtual option for our Deaf Belle event. So we will have an opportunity from 9:30-10 am ET, before the in person event, for virtual attendees to meet Belle and enjoy a story in ASL!

📅 March 7, 2026
🕑 9:30-10 ET
💻 Zoom
✔ Register at language1st.org/events-ct

01/21/2026

Too often, Deaf kids are talked about rather than talked with. Goals are chosen for them, not with them. And speech becomes something to comply with instead of something that serves a purpose. 🚫

Agency in speech therapy for Deaf kids is not about giving up on support or letting kids make decisions alone. It’s about making sure Deaf kids are included in decisions that affect how they communicate, how much effort therapy requires, and how those goals fit into their lives. 🧠

When a Deaf child says “I don’t want speech anymore,” that isn’t defiance. It’s communication. It’s information about fatigue, pressure, misaligned goals, or a need for change. The response shouldn’t be panic or withdrawal of support. It should be curiosity: What would make speech feel useful right now? 🔍

Agency doesn’t mean removing guidance or access. Adults still recommend, scaffold, and protect. But support should be flexible, responsive, and grounded in the child’s experience, not in assumptions about what communication should look like. 🤝

Deaf kids are in speech for many reasons. This conversation is primarily about spoken language goals, because those are often the ones that carry the most pressure and the least consent. 🗣️

Agency starts with who gets a voice in the process.
What conversations are you having with Deaf kids about speech?

01/20/2026

Deafness + language deprivation?
Autism?
Both? 🤔

The answer can shape support, but many people don’t realize this is even a question that needs to be asked.

Children with impacted hearing plus language deprivation can show differences in communication and social connection that resemble autism. Not responding to a name, delayed language, or appearing socially disconnected are often reflections of limited access to language, not autism itself 💬 ❌

What makes this tricky is that there’s no single way to be autistic, and no single way to be Deaf. Both show up across a wide range of communication styles and social patterns, which means surface-level similarities can be misleading 🔄

Because of that overlap, autism is sometimes identified before deafness or language deprivation is fully understood. When hearing and language access aren’t centered, autism can become the default explanation 🔍

This is why it matters who is at the table. Deaf professionals bring perspectives that are often missing and help teams better understand access, language, and communication in ways that can change the direction of support. That perspective is just as essential when a Deaf child is also autistic ♾️

If a Deaf child has consistent access and these differences continue, it may be appropriate to consider autism as well. Recognizing that helps ensure supports are aligned with both language access and neurodevelopmental needs, rather than assuming one explains everything. 🧠 ♾️

Have you seen this misidentification happen in either direction, or struggled to get a Deaf autistic child appropriately identified as autistic? 🤔 💬

01/15/2026

This is an IEP red flag I've seen in a few IEP meetings lately 🚩

“We don’t need to write that in. It’s already happening in the classroom.”

And to be clear, it’s a good thing when supports are already in place and helping 👏 This usually isn’t about someone refusing to help a student. Most of the time, it comes from not fully understanding what the IEP is for or why documentation matters 🤔

Writing an accommodation into the IEP actually does a few important things:

• It protects continuity. If a student changes teachers, classes, schools, or districts, the support doesn’t disappear with a staffing change. 🔁
• It makes it clear that this support is not just a nice practice, but something this specific student needs to access learning 🧠
• It makes the support enforceable. If it’s written into the IEP and not provided, that’s a problem that can be addressed. 📄

If a team truly believes an accommodation is helpful and already happening, documenting it shouldn’t feel risky. It should feel like a way to make sure the student continues to get what’s working 💡

What are some other IEP red flags you’ve seen? 👀

01/13/2026

0.003%. 👀⚡️

That's the percentage of Speech Language Pathologists who report fluency in ASL.

(Oops correction to the original visual 🤦‍♀️ There's a reason I'm in language based field and not a math field)

I shared this statistic two years ago using data from ASHA’s 2021 multilingual report 📊. At the time, that was the most recent data available. We now have the 2024 multilingual service delivery report from American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, and the percentage is still the same.

Not because nothing happened, but because the total number of SLPs who responded increased 📈. About 100 more SLPs reported being bilingual in ASL compared to three years ago, and even with that increase, the field still lands at 0.003%.

To put that in perspective 👇
Only 3 out of every 1000 SLPs identify as Signing SLPs 🔍
Statistically, it's more likely to be struck by lightning ⚡️ than to randomly encounter an SLP who signs.

Let that sink in for a second. 🧠💥

When signing SLPs make up such a tiny slice of the field, language access for Deaf and hard of hearing kids is not something systems are built around. It becomes something families have to ask for, explain, and keep pushing for 💬 📣.

Zooming out a bit. 🔎 🌍

Only about 8 to 9% of SLPs identify as multilingual service providers at all 🗣️ 🌎. And there isn't any clear data on how many providers can support access across ASL, English, and another language 🤷‍♀️📉.

That matters because Deaf kids don't all grow up in monolingual English homes 🏠. Many sign at school and use another language at home or in their community. When those language realities aren't counted, they are rarely built into how services and access are planned 🧩.

When access isn't measured, it's not planned for. And when it's not planned for, families are often told to simplify or make do 😔.

Curious how this lands for you. 🤔
Does this match what you see where you work or with your family 👇 💬