As a parent of a child with hearing loss, you may be wondering how you can improve communication with your child and help them develop necessary language skills.

One solution is to learn American Sign Language (ASL), a visual form of communication that can help bridge the communication gap between you and your child.

But how can you learn ASL if you don’t have access to in-person classes or tutors?

In this blog post, we’ll explore the best way to learn ASL online to help you communicate better with your kids.

The Best Way to Learn ASL Online

When my sons were born with hearing loss, they recieved cochlear implants as babies. At the time, I thought that through speech therapy they would learn to communicate verbally.

My oldest child is a verbal speaker, however, my middle child uses primarily ASL signs to communicate with us.

I wasn’t prepared to learn the full spectrum of ASL at the beginning of our journey. However, it became obvious that my son was still hard of hearing even with his cochlear implants, and he needed a visual form of communication.

Over the past year of digging into learning ASL, I’ve taken a beginning ASL course, and I also fit learning ASL into our daily routine at home.

The post is based on my own research and recommendations of what has worked for our family to learn ASL signs.

Find a Reputable Online ASL Course

The best ways to learn ASL online is to find a reputable course that’s specifically designed for parents.

You can look for courses that offer comprehensive ASL instruction, from the basics to advanced signing.

You should also check if the course provides resources such as videos, interactive activities, and quizzes that can help you improve your signing skills.

American Society of Deaf Children Online ASL Classes

American Society of Deaf Children (ASDC) is one of the most notable resources for parents of kids who are deaf or hard of hearing.

The organization offers three levels of ASL online classes for parents, and in my opinion is one of the best ways to learn ASL online for your kids.

My husband and I took their beginning ASL online course, and found it to be very helpful to start learning vocabulary in ASL to teach our son.

I wrote a blog post on my review of the ASDC online ASL class.

What I liked about this class was that it was very affordable for most families, the class was taught by a Deaf instructor, and the class focused on useful vocabulary and phrases that we could immediately integrate into our daily life with our son.

Lifeprint ASL Online Classes

Lifeprint is an online ASL course that is specifically designed for beginners. This is an excellent choice for parents who are starting from scratch.

It will teach you everything from the basics of finger-spelling to more complex sentence structures.

The course is self-paced, so you can work through it at your own speed, and each lesson is accompanied by video demonstrations to see the signs in action.

Signing Savvy ASL Tutoring

Another great resource is Signing Savvy. This website provides a sign language dictionary with over 14,000 sign videos.

They also provide one-on-one tutoring sessions for ASL learners. The tutoring sessions are designed to make learning ASL as easy as possible and are a great option for those who want to learn at their own pace.

ASL Online Tutoring

If you’re looking for a more personal online experience, you might consider online ASL tutoring.

One-on-one tutorials are available from many different sources, and the cost varies depending on the provider.

The benefit of online tutoring is that you have one instructor dedicated to the success of your family. They will be able to guide you based on how fast or slow you learn ASL.

The tutor will also tailor the tutoring sessions to vocabulary and phrases that are most important for your family to learn right now so that you can start immediately communicating better.

One great option is Wyzant, which offers online ASL tutors for all levels, from beginner to advanced.

Another platform for online tutoring that I highly recommend is TakeLessons which also offers one-on-one ASL tutoring.

With both Wyzant and TakeLessons, you can choose a tutor based on their experience and teaching style.

Watch videos on ASL

Videos can be an excellent resource for learning ASL. You can watch instructional videos that show the signs and their meanings, and you can also watch videos of native ASL users communicating with one another.

Watching these videos can help you learn the nuances of ASL, including facial expressions, body language, and non-manual signals.

ASL Rochelle is a YouTube channel that provides free ASL lessons.

Rochelle is a certified ASL instructor, and her videos are designed to be accessible to both adults and children.

The videos are organized by level of difficulty, so you can work your way through them in a logical order.

Another great resource is Learn How to Sign. The organization’s youtube channel has a comprehensive ASL online videos that teach a lot of ASL sign vocabulary for you to start practicing right away!

Join online ASL communities

Joining online ASL communities can help you connect with other parents who are learning ASL, as well as native ASL users.

These communities can provide support and encouragement, and they may even offer opportunities to practice signing with others through video chat or messaging.

You can also ask questions and get advice from experienced ASL users in these communities.

Learning ASL signs is easy! Let me show you how to teach your kids ASL without feeling overwhelmed! You can learn in your regular routine at home, on your own time. Sign up to learn ASL today!

Use ASL apps

ASL apps can be a fun and engaging way to learn ASL.

Some apps offer ASL lessons and quizzes, while others provide a dictionary of signs and phrases that you can practice.

You can use these apps on your smartphone or tablet, making it easy to learn ASL on-the-go.

Two of our favorites are The ASL App and ASL Coach. Both apps offer lessons that are perfect for beginners, and they are designed to keep you engaged and motivated.

They also use video demonstrations to show you how to sign different words and phrases, so you can practice as often as you like.

I also like ASL PocketSign for an app that has a signing dictionary. I use it to quickly look up a sign on my phone to be able to use with my son right away.

PracticE Using ASL Signs

Learning ASL takes time, dedication, and practice. The best way to learn ASL is to practice signing regularly.

You can practice with your child, with other parents who are learning ASL, or with native ASL users.

Practicing regularly can help you improve your signing skills, learn new signs and phrases, and build confidence in your abilities.

Make sure you are practicing every chance you get, even if it’s just for a few minutes a day.

Practice finger-spelling while waiting in line, or sign along with your favorite TV show.

The more you practice, the more comfortable and confident you’ll become.

Learning ASL online can be an effective and convenient way for parents to communicate with their child with hearing loss.

By finding a reputable course, watching videos, joining online communities, using ASL apps, and practicing regularly, you can become proficient in ASL and help your child develop essential language skills.

Have you ever used an online course to learn ASL? Let us know which course worked the best for you!

More RESources to LEarn ASL

Learn How to Sign with Your Kids

Common Sign Language for Toddlers

Benefits of Sign Language for Kids with Cochlear Implants

A Grace- Based Way to Teach Your Kids ASL

Don’t forget to sign up to start learning ASL with your kids today!