Examples of communication

 

Communication Method	Mainly Used By	Uses
Makaton	People with learning disabilities, autism, speech and language difficulties, and some children	Signs, symbols, and speech together to support communication.
British Sign Language (BSL)	Many Deaf people in the UK	A complete language with its own grammar and vocabulary.
American Sign Language (ASL)	Many Deaf people in the US and parts of Canada	A complete language that is different from BSL.

An important point for your book is that gestures are not the same as sign language. Many people naturally use gestures that almost everyone understands, such as:

• 🍽️ Pointing to your mouth or miming eating to mean "Dinner is ready."
• 👍 Thumbs up for "OK."
• 👋 Waving for "Hello" or "Goodbye."
• 👉 Pointing to indicate a direction.

These everyday gestures can be very helpful, especially between family members who know each other well. However, BSL and ASL are full languages, not just collections of gestures.

Your experience with your stepdad is actually a nice practical example you could include in your communication chapter. For example:

Real-Life Example

Sara's stepdad is deaf. When dinner is ready, instead of calling out, she often makes an eating gesture with her hand. He understands this immediately because it is a clear visual cue. This shows that simple visual communication can sometimes be more effective than spoken words.