How the Family Sign at Home project brought the Adamson Family closer
The Adamson family home is a happier place to be since they started learning British Sign Language together, according to Mum Lindsey.
Three-year-old Oscar and his little sister Ottilie, who has just turned one, are both profoundly deaf due to a genetic condition, which was diagnosed during the newborn hearing screening.
Their hearing parents did not know they were carrying the gene – which meant there was a one in four chance of their children being deaf – and newborn Oscar was the first person they had ever met with hearing loss.
While both children wear cochlear implants which allow them to access some sound, they have limited access to speech which has understandably led to frustrations.
While Mum Lindsey has been learning BSL independently she has struggled to teach her children at the same time, so the Family Sign at Home project seemed the perfect opportunity to learn together.
She said: “It was fantastic that we could all learn at the same time and our relationship has definitely improved now there are fewer frustrations.
“Our teacher was brilliant at getting Oscar engaged and she tailored the signs to things he was interested in such as Paw Patrol and diggers, cars and trains.
“My husband’s confidence with signing improved greatly too and it has sparked an interest with other family members, who are now learning alongside us; which is brilliant.
“The fact that we could learn at home was great too, because we could work around naptimes and learn in a place where we felt relaxed.”
The Family Sign at Home sessions also gave the Adamsons tools beyond vocabulary.
They learned about deaf awareness, the importance of facial expressions and how to adapt everyday activities to be more visually accessible – turning reading time into a signing storytime or using signs during play.
Lindsey added: “Before this, I felt quite thrown in at the deep end. There’s such a steep learning curve when you find out your child is deaf.
“It’s hard work with a newborn, but if they have hearing loss that adds in another layer of challenges.”
Looking to the future, the Adamsons are eager to continue their BSL journey. Oscar has started to engage more with signing and Lindsey was inspired to continue studying for formal BSL qualifications.
“I just wish these sessions were widely available to every hearing parent of a deaf child,” she said. “It’s so valuable because it hasn’t just helped us to communicate – it’s helped us grow closer as a family.”