Manual communication has been successfully used to teach many nonverbal children to express themselves; however, little research is available regarding the comparative efficiency and effectiveness of different sign systems. The purpose of this study was to compare the intelligibility of a set of Ameslan and Amerind signs prior to and after an instructional unit. As indicated by the results of the statistical analyses, Amerind signs were more intelligible to the untrained viewer, were more intelligible after training, and were more intelligible after a two-week time delay when compared to Ameslan signs for the same concepts. Implications for manual communication training are discussed.
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