Cecilia S. Grugan - Learn to Sign with Your Baby: 50 Essential ASL Signs to Help Your Child Communicate Their Needs, Wants, and Fe elings

Congratulations for initiating what will be a delightfully rewarding endeavor for you and your child. This chapter will provide you with the information you need to start signing with your baby. Ill answer questions like Why sign with my baby? and How do I learn and teach sign language to my baby? Youll be excited to discover that using sign language with even the youngest child is totally possible!

Welcome to ASL for Babies!

American Sign Language (ASL) is an official language (used just in the United States). It includes its own linguistic properties of grammar and syntax, and its important to acknowledge that ASL does not follow English structure, but its easy to learn because you can start communicating with just one word.

Signing with babies is an increasingly popular approach to communicating with them, and ASL is being used well beyond the Deaf community. Parents and caregivers have come to realize that signing with a baby is monumental and beneficial because signing with a baby, even as a newborn, can increase the likelihood of comprehensible communication before verbal development. This means you may be communicating with your child earlier than you had imaginedhow exciting would that be?

While this book will share nuances about the Deaf culture and ASL, I will not focus on complete sentences using ASL grammar and syntax. Rather, this book is meant to teach simple vocabulary words. Each of the words youll be learning is accompanied by two tips in any of the following categories:

Memory Hack: A way to remember how a sign is done; typically a visual

Helping Hand: A tip for helping your baby do a sign or a suggestion for how to use a sign contextually

Watch for This! Something to be aware of, such as how your baby might make early attempts at a particular sign

Have Fun! How to integrate a sign into opportunities for play

One important thing to note before we continue: The signs in this book are not made up or modified. The signs you will learn and use with your baby are the same signs that members of all ages in the Deaf community use. Finally, remember that while an ASL book can provide instructions for forming signs, its highly encouraged that you continue learning ASL face-to-face with a Deaf instructor, either virtually or in person, after youve gone through this book (see the resources section, ).

Videos for Every Sign

ASL is a visual language and is not really designed to be described in writing. For ease of learning, we have included videos accessible through this QR code (along with illustrations) for all the vocabulary words covered in this book so you can see exactly how they are signed. Click here to access the videos: signwithyourbaby.zeitgeistpublishing.com

Why Sign with Your Baby?

There are many benefits of signing with your baby:

• Signing replaces frustration, crying, and meltdowns with understanding and connection. Imagine a baby signing what they need or want, when all they could do before was cry. Sign language is a tool that a baby can use to express themself before they can vocalize words. With a signing baby, a caregiver can respond more effectively.

• A babys ability to express themself will increase their sense of self. One of the most attainable ways to enhance a babys ability to communicate is with sign language. If a baby knows the signs, they can tell you if they want their favorite stuffed animal or if they are all done with the mango pure. When babies feel understood, they become empowered to further express themselves.

• You are introducing a diverse world and its meaningful differences. By using sign language with your baby, you are opening the door to another language, culture, and community. You are providing your baby with a foundation of acceptance and understanding of others differences.

• You and your baby will form a stronger and more significant connection. For a caregiver, there is an innate desire to connect with your baby. Such a bond can be created by providing physical affection, nourishment, and a warm space to sleep. Additionally, if you sign with your baby, they will develop a sense of belonging as a result of effective communication, leading to a stronger bond.

• Sign language is a versatile language. You can use sign language to adapt to a variety of environments for ease of communication. For example, you can communicate in total silence so as not to disrupt a work meeting or a religious service. You can sign to your baby while listening to someone on the phone. You can use sign language to communicate underwater. You can even sign over the roar of an airplane!

How to Get Started