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The first time I saw someone use sign language was, without a doubt, in a local production of The Miracle Worker. I don't remember it precisely, but I know I saw The Miracle Worker, and I know they perform sign language, so it had to have been then. As a kid, I thought it was a cool story but I didn't know anybody personally who was hearing impaired, so I never considered learning American Sign Language (ASL).
It wasn't until adulthood that I realized how valuable ASL really is. A friend of mine was studying to be an occupational therapist and, on the side, had decided to learn ASL because it was extremely useful for communicating with non-verbal patients. Seeing her use it in action reminded me of my own failure to be able to communicate with my grandmother in the final months of her life, spent in and out of consciousness in a hospital bed with a tube down her throat. I could say what I wanted, but she had no way of talking back.
In the years since then, ASL has experienced a major renaissance. Hollywood movies like A Quiet Place and CODA have shone a light on the deaf community. Today, ASL is one of the most widely used languages in the U.S. and is the fourth-most studied second language at American universities. There are up to 500,000 ASL users in the U.S. and Canada, most of whom use ASL as their primary language.
But learning ASL isn't just a useful way to communicate with the non-hearing community, it has a huge range of benefits that I wish I knew about earlier in life.
The benefits of learning ASL
Helps babies communicate better and sooner
Millennial parents have made it cool to teach babies sign language before they can talk. While that's certainly practical, there are also long-term benefits. According to the Amerian Sign Language University, babies as young as eight months can sign words and imitate signs from their parents, allowing kids to communicate much more easily with their parents.
In a 2003 study, one researcher found that giving parents and children this early method of communication led to increased trust and understanding in the parent-child relationship.
ASL leads to higher reading levels and cognitive benefits
Another benefit is that ASL-learning kids have been shown to have higher reading levels and a 15-20% improvement in their vocabulary compared to peers. They've also been shown to have higher test scores.
Kids who are ASL native signers have also been linked to higher IQ scores. According to Cal State University research, adults who were exposed to ASL at an early had heightened reasoning skills and had an IQ of 12 points higher than their peers. That study also showed that ASL-learning babies spoke much sooner than their non-ASL controls.
If you want your kids to succeed in school, teaching them ASL at an early age is a great place to start.
ASL introduces you to the deaf culture and community
As previously mentioned, Hollywood has made some inroads to bring deaf culture into the mainstream, but there's nothing quite like immersing yourself. If you're learning a new oral language, the best way to do it is to go to a country and start speaking. It's the same when it comes to learning ASL.
ASL improves your peripheral vision and reaction time
One cool, surprising benefit of learning ASL? You'll gain the peripheral vision and reaction time of Spider-Man. Okay, maybe it's not that good, but according to a University of Sheffield study, ASL users really do have better peripheral vision and reaction time than non-signing peers. Because it's such a visual language, you have to be more alert, causing your "visual field response" to improve over time.
Additionally, you'll also learn how to read facial expressions, body language, and lips better than ever.
ASL helps you become a better listener
Not only will ASL make you a better visual observer, but it will have benefits in your hearing life as well. Since communicating in sign language requires so much focus and concentration, you get into the habit of making eye contact. You read people's faces and body language better, allowing you to better read subtext and increase your emotional intelligence. All of that makes you a better listener which, in turn, will make you a better team player and leader.
How to learn ASL
We've covered why you should learn ASL, but how do you do it when you're so busy all the time? You don't have to go anywhere or make any extra time in your schedule. You can learn on your own time, at your own pace with The All-in-One American Sign Language Bundle.
This 13-course bundle includes nearly 30 hours of beginner-friendly training taught by Intellezy Learning (4.4 out of 5 instructor rating). Intellezy uses online videos and quick reference guides to educate and empower individuals on a huge array of important topics. They've been recognized by top educational influencers like eLearning Journal and The Craig Weiss Group because their dynamic, task-focused videos help you learn new skills quickly without overhauling your life.
In this bundle, you'll get familiar with the history and origin of deaf education and oralism before learning basic ASL alphabet, colors, animals, and more. You'll learn how to use ASL for day-to-day situations and expand your vocabulary to include basic business-related terminology and expressions. From there, you'll delve into more focused courses, including adjectives, colors, animals and numbers, personality question and answer, action verbs, emotions, pronouns, fingerspelling, and more. Before you know it, you'll be signing like a pro and be able to use ASL in your everyday life.
Why wait any longer to learn ASL? Right now is a great opportunity to do so because The All-in-One American Sign Language Bundle is on sale for a limited time during our VIP Sale for just $20.99 when you use promo code VIP40 at checkout.
Prices subject to change.