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Chapter 11 contains the first one thousand signs of the Simplified Sign System lexicon, alphabetized by each sign’s main gloss. Each entry in the lexicon includes a hand-drawn illustration of how that sign is formed, a listing of any synonyms or antonyms related to that sign, and a written description of how the sign is formed (i.e., the handshape(s), palm orientation(s), finger/knuckle orientation(s), location, and movement parameters of the sign). Also provided are a short memory aid to help learners remember the sign’s formation and a longer memory aid that describes the visual and iconic link between how the sign is physically formed and the meaning it conveys. Many of the longer memory aids also include a definition of the main gloss and some of that sign’s synonyms. If users of the system wish to look up a particular vocabulary item, term, or idiomatic phrase, an alphabetized Sign Index that integrates all of the main sign glosses with all of their listed synonyms and antonyms is provided at the end of the volume. This Sign Index directs readers to the page that contains the main sign entry, its written description, and its memory aids.

In Chapter 4, the authors begin an in-depth discussion of the use of signs with special populations, including an early study that occurred in the West of England in the 1840s with deaf students with intellectual disabilities. Various types of intellectual disability are identified, including fragile X syndrome, Williams syndrome, Down syndrome, and Angelman syndrome. The successes and failures of speech-based and sign-based interventions are covered for individuals with these syndromes (particularly the latter two) as well as in persons with multiple disabilities. The authors next move on to a discussion of the relatively sparse research related to teaching signs to children who have cerebral palsy. Recommendations for enhancing the sign-learning environment are provided so that all persons who use signs as an augmentative or alternative means of communication may derive the greatest benefit from their communicative interactions. In addition to maximizing the positive atmosphere in which signing individuals interact with others at school, at home, and in public, the authors suggest that the types of signs employed may also have an impact on whether or not signing is successful.

In Chapter 7, the authors change focus from the use of signs by deaf persons and with individuals with disabilities to how signing may enhance the learning and processing of spoken language by typically developing hearing children and adults. The first topic examined is the use of signs to foster infants’ and young children’s acquisition of their principal spoken language. Signs may further serve as an effective intervention strategy in academic settings for children with ADHD or as a means to improving vocabulary acquisition and reading comprehension for children who lag behind their age group on various language performance measures. Iconic signs and representative gestures may also be used to facilitate the acquisition of foreign language vocabulary when the signs are paired with the to-be-learned words. Finally, various studies concerning the positive benefits of learning to sign promote the possibility that using the visual-gestural modality may confer increased skills in various cognitive domains such as spatial memory, mental rotation, and facial discrimination.

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