Expressions

Expressions

What do they mean?

For the hearing world, it is a supplement to the words you hear.

You listen to the tone of voice and check to see if it goes with the expression you are displaying.

Many times you don't need to see that person's expression to know how they are expressing something if you are hearing.

For the deaf world, expressions are very important to help "show" or "emphasize" your emotion.

When you are signing to someone, you have to make sure you use a lot of facial expressions or it is like listening to a monotone talker, that you have no idea how they feel.

When we first got Erin, my sister kept reinforcing especially to Dave and the girls, to make sure you use expressions. 

It isn't easy all the time to remember to emphasize my expression as I lived the hearing world all my life and relied on my tone of voice.

Erin is really good reading expressions and will call me on it.  She can tell right away that I am upset, or crabby, eventhough I don't feel I am showing it.  The other girls don't pick up on it, but Erin does.

I am normally a happy, cheery person.  Erin has struggled with that.  She used to ask me why I always smile or why I act happy all the time, etc.  I tell her because I am.

Erin struggles with expression.  Especially her first reaction expressions.

These first reaction expression have gotten her trouble at home and school, especially with a particular boy that she doesn't like.  She has gotten detention because of her expressions of dislike to this particular boy.  The school and I have been working with Erin.  We know she doesn't care for boys/men unless they are a lot of fun.  We have struggle with her not saying common nice statements (good night, good morning, etc.)  Today after school, Erin informed me that the particular boy that she doesn't like (and she has stressed that very strongly to her family and at school), was being teased by a couple of other kids.  She actually was worry about how that boy felt and didn't like the fact he was being teased and name call, etc.  When I heard this, I couldn't believe it.  I did give her a lot of phrase.

This is a huge step for Erin.  Way to go.

Prehaps Erin seeing how this boy feels when people tease him, maybe she will stop having problems with him and know that everyone needs to be treated nicely.

Praise the lord