Case
Deaf Preschooler

I work at a preschool and there is a deaf, non-verbal two year old in one of the classes. This student constantly hits and bites his classmates to get their attention. How can the teacher teach the student different ways to communicate with this classmates?

Solution #1
I really hope you know ASL or have someone who does near the classroom, if so talking through sign language could help. Teaching that student that hitting and biting are not the ways to get attention. If possible you could give the student a toy that makes noise, like a clacker or a buzzer. They might not be able to hear it but they will understand that other people can. Show this student that if they want attention to press the button or shake the clacker and it will bring forth attention to whoever is near them

Great recommendation!

Solution #2
Sign language can definitely help with this situation, as well as bringing it up towards their parents as biting and hitting their classmates is a bit worrisome. You can even use hand gestures as better ways to showcase how to get someone's attention, like tapping them over the shoulder. But, learning ASL or somethings can definitely help yourself and your students.

I agree with the solution. I would use this in my classroom.

Solution #3
If this preschooler is truly deaf and non-verbal, then the school should be able to provide services needed for this student to be in their least restrictive environment. Otherwise, it is unfair to you, to that student, to their classmates and the parents. On your part, knowing basic ASL could help.
Solution #4
There should be an ese aid that can assist in teaching the student healthier non-verbal attention grabbers.

This is something to look for in my future school. Thank!

Solution #5
Since they are a preschooler, they might not know a lot of ASL yet, but hopefully a bit. Use exaggerated movements to explain to the student that it is not ok to bite or hit. Show them how to get other students' attention. Use hand-over-hand instruction to do this.
Solution #6
You can teach basic signs to the students. This can be fairly easy to do and all of the students will feel included. The deaf student can communicate using the basic signs his peers know.
Solution #7
ASL would be a great if you know it, or can learn basic signs. I also think there should be outside resources and specialist to assist the child either in the classroom or taking the child out of the class to help them.
Solution #8
I would have a sit down conversation with the parent to see how they communicate and discipline the child at home so I could incorporate what they do at home for at school. I definitely think that learning some sign language and using body language & hand gestures would help communicate to the child.
Solution #9
There are a couple of steps I would take to address this case. First, I would try and learn how much ASL the student knows. If ASL is the student's sole form of communication, I think it is in the best interest of the teacher to learn basic signs to communicate with the student. Once this occurs, the teacher can encourage and teach the student useful strategies to get his or her classmates' attention. The student may be hitting and biting due to frustration and feeling unheard. The teacher going out of their way to learn the student's language can positively affect their behavior.