Deafinitely Communicating

Deafinitely Communicating Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Deafinitely Communicating, Speech Pathologist, Mesa, AZ.

Speech pathology private practice primarily serving Deaf/Hard of Hearing children and their families using a bilingual American Sign Language/English approach to support communication and overall development.

One week. 🌵💛😬Mission Possible: Full Bloom is almost here. Soon, our campers will experience mornings filled with ASL sto...
07/07/2026

One week. 🌵💛😬

Mission Possible: Full Bloom is almost here. Soon, our campers will experience mornings filled with ASL storytelling, art, music, games, and nonstop access.

This bilingual ASL/English camp was built for Deaf and hard of hearing kids, CODAs, and SODAs (PreK–6th grade) to enjoy a language rich space where they can just be kids, make memories, and have fun! Camp is led by Deaf community members, Deaf-adjacent professionals, and signing volunteers who can't wait to meet your campers. 🙌

Swipe for camp reminders, what to pack, and a peek at what's blooming July 13–17. 🌱

See you Monday, campers!



ID in comments.

Did you know signs can rhyme? 👀They can and they do.... just in a different way. Instead of rhyme being detected through...
07/06/2026

Did you know signs can rhyme? 👀
They can and they do.... just in a different way. Instead of rhyme being detected through sound, it can be seen through handshapes, movement, and location.

In spoken language, hearing children often build reading readiness through nursery rhymes and songs. Their brains learn to notice patterns in sound and those patterns become the foundation of literacy.

For Deaf and Hard of Hearing children, that same process happens visually.
When signs share the same handshape in ASL, they rhyme. When your child sees FUNNY, HORSE, and HAHA signed in sequence, their brain is doing the same work as a hearing child listening to 'cat', 'hat', and 'bat'. Interesting, right?

To learn more, comment MOVE and we'll send over the article cited in the carousel. Follow along this week as we share more on ASL rhyme, rhythm, and movement, as a strategy to support your child's language development.

Image description in the comments.

his week, try this 👇Use rhyme/movement!Science proves that our brains are pattern seeking by design. When we use the pow...
07/05/2026

his week, try this 👇

Use rhyme/movement!

Science proves that our brains are pattern seeking by design. When we use the power of rhyme and movement, we give the brain exactly what it wants. Incorporating movement while signing may also support sustained attention, language play, vocabulary learning, and introduce phonological awareness in ASL. Plus, movement, rhyme, and rhythm keeps things fun and exciting! Who doesn't want that?

Stay tuned this week for more tips and practical suggestions for incorporating rhyme and movement 💃🏾

[ID: Bright purple background with a yellow brushstroke banner at the top reading "Sunday Signing Series" in black italic script. A teal square badge in the upper right reads "TIP 4" in bold white letters. Three cutout photos of children are arranged playfully across the center — a smiling Black toddler in a striped shirt on the left with fists raised in excitement, a baby in a blue and white striped outfit in the center appearing to float mid-air with a surprised expression and one finger pointing, and a girl with yellow glasses and a yellow shirt on the right pointing toward the center text. Bold yellow block letters with pink outlines fill the lower half of the image reading "USE RHYME/ MOVEMENT" across three lines. The Deafinitely Communicating logo — a hand signing inside a speech bubble — appears in the lower right corner.]

Lexidactylophobia. Have you heard of it? The fear/avoidance of fingerspelling is real and understandable. It can be chal...
07/02/2026

Lexidactylophobia. Have you heard of it?

The fear/avoidance of fingerspelling is real and understandable. It can be challenging to both produce and understand fingerspelling especially as a second language learner. Don't let that fear stop you!

Fingerspelling blends features of both sign and print and supports orthographic awareness, phonological awareness, and stronger connections between words and their meanings for young Deaf children. It is one of the most powerful language AND literacy tools that parents/caregivers have access to right now.

Try the tips on the last slide and let us know how it goes.

💬 What are your thoughts on fingerspelling?

ID in comments.

The Week 3 tip of the Sunday Signing Series is for every parent/caregiver who has ever gone blank mid-conversation becau...
06/28/2026

The Week 3 tip of the Sunday Signing Series is for every parent/caregiver who has ever gone blank mid-conversation because they didn't know a sign. 😬

"What do I do when I don't know the sign?" You fingerspell it! Fingerspelling isn't a failure or a sign of disfluency. It's a powerful language building strategy that also supports literacy.

So what is fingerspelling?
Fingerspelling is when the manual ASL alphabet is used to spell out the letters of a word, one letter at a time. Produced in sequence, these letters spell English words and provide a bridge to connect ASL and English.

Even when a sign exists, Deaf signers sometimes fingerspell for a number of reasons. Fingerspellling can be used for words with multiple meanings, for names of people, places, brands, for emphasis, and for moments when an exact English word is preferred by the signer. Fingerspelling also supports phonological awareness, and is directly linked to increased literacy skills and vocabulary development.

There's a reason that Deaf parents fingerspell with their children from an early age. It's just that important!

💬What are your thoughts on fingerspelling?
💬 Is fingerspelling something that you've felt like you need to avoid?
💬 Have you ever felt like fingerspelling meant that you don't know enough?

Before we share the third tip in our Sunday Series, let's chat a little bit about last week's tip: Narrate your world.Th...
06/28/2026

Before we share the third tip in our Sunday Series, let's chat a little bit about last week's tip: Narrate your world.

There are two types of narration every family of a Deaf or Hard of Hearing child should know:
👋🏾 Self-talk: you narrate YOUR actions as you do them.
"I'm getting the big bowl. I'm measuring the flour. Into the oven — now we wait."

👋🏾 Parallel talk: you narrate YOUR CHILD'S actions as they do them.
"Wow, you stir so fast! Uh oh... the flour is everywhere! You're so happy. You baked cookies!"

Why is narration such a powerful strategy? Why does this matters so much for DHH children specifically? Hearing children absorb language passively without anyone directing it AT them. They hear background sound, conversations across the room, the radio, the TV, the door closing, the water running, and so many other things in their environment.

For Deaf and Hard of Hearing children, sound isn't always accessible depending on a number of factors. This is why a signed language and narration are so important. It presents language VISUALLY and DIRECTLY that deaf children might otherwise miss via a sole auditory channel.

Not sure where to start? Try this:
1️⃣ Pick ONE routine.
2️⃣ Learn 5 signs for that routine.
3️⃣ Get on their level first.
4️⃣ Start with self-talk (narrate what YOU are doing).
5️⃣ Do it again tomorrow.
6️⃣ Add parallel talk when you feel ready.

💬 Tell us in the comments--which routine are you going to try first?
The kitchen? The car ride? Bath time? Bedtime?

Drop it below so we can cheer you on.👇
You've got this! We're here to help.

[ID in the comments.}

This Sunday, try this 👇This tip is one of the most powerful language-building tool you already have. The best part about...
06/22/2026

This Sunday, try this 👇

This tip is one of the most powerful language-building tool you already have. The best part about it, it is completely FREE! You don't need fancy materials and it works in every room of your house and literally everywhere you go.

This week's tip: Narration.

This simple, but powerful tool is everything for Deaf children. We'll talk about this in detail this week, but one of the biggest reasons - incidental learning. Hearing children passively absorb language due to the background stimuli around them all day long. For DHH children, that same language has to be visual and intentional.

Parents and caregivers are the key to this intentional language. This week, narrate your world. Sign what you see, what you're doing, and how you're feeling. Research shows it's one of the fastest ways to build vocabulary, joint attention, and connection.

Don't worry about knowing every sign. Point. Gesture. Have fun with it. The goal this week: presence. You've got this!

We'll share more this week. Stay tuned!

[ID: A bright turquoise graphic featuring the title Sunday Signing Series. A playful family moment is centered above large bold text that reads: TIP 2: NARRATE YOUR WORLD in orange and white lettering. Deafinitely Communicating logo shown in the bottom corner.]

Before our children begin signing or saying spoken words to us, there are subtle moments of connection that happen each...
06/15/2026

Before our children begin signing or saying spoken words to us, there are subtle moments of connection that happen each and everyday. There are a number of skills that develop in the first few months of life long before language develops. These prelinguistic skills can seem insignificant, but they are formative. We often overlook these moments as we rush through the busyness of each day not realizing that they are literally the building blocks for communication.

Joint attention, the shared gaze between caregiver, child, and something in the environment, is one of these prelinguistic skills. It directly predicts expressive vocabulary size in children learning ASL. (Sander, Rowland & Lieberman, 2025).

Today, we encourage you to take a moment to slow down and be present with your child. Just a few minutes is all it takes. What are they looking at? What are they reaching for or pulling your attention to? Join in that moment. Connect there and do your best to provide language in the moment.

💬 Comment LOOK below and I'll send you some eye opening research about the importance of eye gaze and joint attention for Deaf and hard of hearing children.

[ID: Yellow graphic with large bold pink letters spelling "LOOK" at the top and dark purple bold letters reading "FIRST" below it. An illustration of a Black mother and young daughter in matching tan dresses sits in the lower left. The child is looking up at her mother with a smile, and the mother is looking back down at her warmly. To the right, a pink bubble with white bold text reads: "Strong joint attention directly predicts expressive vocabulary size in children learning ASL." A handwritten-style "Why?" label connects the image to the bubble. The Deafinitely Communicating logo appears in the lower right corner.]

This Sunday, try this. 👇Before you sign anything today, PAUSE and MAKE EYE CONTACT first.That one small moment communica...
06/14/2026

This Sunday, try this. 👇

Before you sign anything today, PAUSE and MAKE EYE CONTACT first.

That one small moment communicates, 'I'm connected', 'I see you', 'You have my attention'. It may seem insignificant, but establishing eye contact does more than we think. Eye contact is the building back for joint attention. Joint attention, is one of the most important building blocks for language, communication, and your child's ability to understand other people's feelings.

Try this tip throughout your week. Notice how your child responds. Make adjustments along the way. Let us know how it goes! 🤍

💬⬇ Comment 'LOOK' below and I'll send you the full research summary straight to your DMs.

ID in the comment.

We'd like to take a moment to spotlight our Gold Sponsor — Happy Ears Hearing Center ()! We are so grateful for their su...
06/10/2026

We'd like to take a moment to spotlight our Gold Sponsor — Happy Ears Hearing Center ()! We are so grateful for their support as we prepare for Mission Possible: Full Bloom this July! 🌱

Happy Ears is a family-owned audiology practice that has been serving the Valley since 2014. They provide expert, personalized care for hearing loss, tinnitus, vertigo, and related conditions through comprehensive evaluations and advanced hearing technology to rehabilitative services. Their mission is simple: Helping people hear better and live happier. 💛

Thank you, Happy Ears, for investing in Deaf and hard of hearing children and families in the East Valley this summer. 🌸

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Mesa, AZ
85209

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