“Law & Order”:“ ”Camryn Manheim Uses ASL as She Introduces Her Character's Son for First Time (Exclusive)

PEOPLE has an exclusive look at Manheim and guest star James Caverly using American Sign Language to communicate in the May 2 episode of Law & Order

Art is imitating life for Camryn Manheim.

The actress, 63, stars as Lieutenant Kate Dixon on NBC’s Law & Order, and she’s also a big advocate for the deaf community.

Manheim is fluent in American Sign Language (ASL) and, in Thursday night’s Law & Order episode, titled “Castle in the Sky,” she uses ASL while in character to communicate as part of the storyline — and PEOPLE has the exclusive look at the episode.

In the sneak peek, viewers meet Dixon’s son Patrick (Only Murders in the Building star James Caverly) for the very first time when he comes down to the precinct to inquire about a student he knows from working at The School for the Deaf.

“It’s so nice to see you!” Dixon says aloud to her son, while also using ASL.

“Let me introduce you,” she adds to Violet, a colleague who greets Patrick upon his arrival.

“This is my son, Patrick," she says. "This is Violet."

After Violet says hello, Dixon can't help but wonder why her son is paying her a visit. "What’s going on? What’re you doing here?” she asks Patrick.

"Alex Marley is one of my students," Patrick responds, and Dixon then explains to Violet that Patrick is a teacher at The School for the Deaf.

As Patrick uses ASL to communicate with his mom, Violet, who isn’t sure exactly what the two are signing about, goes to give them some privacy — but Dixon motions for her to stay.

“We need to talk with Ryan. He’s part of an investigation,” Dixon says to her son. “Do you know him well?”

Related: Alexander Skarsgård Learned American Sign Language to Communicate with His 'Godzilla vs. Kong' Costar

Turns out, Patrick is familiar with Ryan because he know's Ryan's daughter, Alex, and he explains that he recently heard from Ryan after he and Alex were evicted from the apartment they were living in.

According to NBC, “Castle in the Sky” will see Detectives Shaw (Mehcad Brooks) and Riley (Reid Scott) trying to figure out who is responsible for a dead real estate developer. Meanwhile, Dixon and Patrick are set to plead with attorneys Price (Hugh Dancy) and Maroun (Odelya Halevi) for help after they become concerned for the defendant’s young daughter, Alex Marley.

Related: Law & Order: SVU Continues Historic Streak with 26th Season Renewal Alongside Chicago Fire, P.D., Other NBC Hits

At the season 25 premiere celebration of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in January, Manheim told PEOPLE that she knew the role of Kate Dixon would be perfect for her — with a little nudging from the showrunner, that is.

“When they asked me if I'd come on the show, I'm like, 'What! What do you want from me? Why me?' And I remember the show runner going, 'We just need someone who can boss around the detectives and they're going to be just a little bit scared,'" she recalled. "And I'm like, 'I can do that.' I've got a lot of experience, like I had a kid, and I boss everyone around.”

Manheim, whose son is actor Milo Manheim, is also a fan of the “girl power” across all three Law & Order shows, having previously told PEOPLE that fellow leading ladies Mariska Hargitay on SVU and Danielle Moné Truitt on Organized Crime are “some badass women.”

“It's a perfect storm. The writers, Mariska, Chris [Meloni], every actor that has walked through the big doors of the studio, the casting director. If you just put it all together, it's just like the perfect beautiful storm of talent,” Manheim added of SVU’s success.

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Law & Order airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.

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