Diane Ryan - Baby Sign Language

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Baby sign language is a way to communicate with your baby before they can speak by teaching them basic helpful signs. Its a way to bridge the gap between nonverbal stages and the time when they can actually talk. In fact, you can continue to teach your child sign language well beyond that stage.

You have a number of options available when it comes to signing. One has to do with why you want to do it in the first place. If youre like most hearing parents, youre considering it as an interim method of communication before your babys first words. Other parents think of it as a way to begin a lifelong skill. Theres one thing everyone can agree on: To be successful, learning sign language has to be fun for everyone involved.

Baby sign language isnt part of the craze to create smarter, higher-thinking infants and children. And while you might find baby sign language books and DVDs in the same aisle as the so-called IQ boosters, theyre not similar. Research shows that without consistent engagement, all the mental stimulation programs dont do much more than entertain a baby. To boost a babys mental acuity, human interaction needs to be part of the learning environment. And human interaction is what signing with your baby is all about.

There are some differences of opinion as to how much of an IQ boost sign language really creates. Some say not much at all; some research has found as much as a 20-point gain. But even if you totally discount a higher IQ as a signing advantage, numerous benefits to sign language can lead to immediate and long-term value.

Parents feel good about teaching a baby to sign because its natural. Its based on an instinctive tendency to gesture. It also enhances communication, builds stronger connections in families, and reduces a pre-verbal babys frustration when they cant get their point across. It will help you develop a closer relationship with your little one and form a tighter bond. Plus, your baby will really love the experience! If there are cerebral fringe benefits beyond thatand most scientists tell us there arethen all the better.

Teaching a baby to sign is simple. Yes, signing with your baby does involve patience and dedication, but the benefits are well worth your time investment.

When you teach your baby to sign, youll use signs that are part of American Sign Language (ASL), the official language of the Deaf community in the United States. While your baby will approximate or adapt some signs that challenge their emerging motor skills, parents are encouraged to model ASL. Many parents consider this the first step in introducing a second language to their child. Although youll be using authentic ASL signs, you dont have to learn an entire sign language. Youll start with a few basic signs and then you can add as many as you like from there.

Depending on your babys age, they might already be signing! Babies raise their hands to be picked up. They point to things they want. And think how easy it is to teach a baby to wave bye-bye. That means that as you teach your baby to sign, youre also supporting and empowering what already comes naturally.

This is a fantastic way to develop a closer connection with your child. Its a great opportunity to find out what your babys thinking. Its a way to look into their world through their eyesa window into their thoughts. Why just guess what your baby wants or needs? If you teach them to sign, they can tell you themselves.

It used to be that sign language was associated only with Deaf culture. The benefits of teaching sign language to hearing children werent widely recognized. After all, what was the purpose? They would speak eventually because they could hear speech all around them. But then along came someone who tested that idea.

While working as an interpreter for the Deaf in Alaska in the late 1970s, Joseph Garcia noticed that the hearing babies of Deaf parents communicated at a much earlier age than children of hearing parents. That observation piqued his interest, sparked additional research, and resulted in a practical system to teach the technique to parents. Youll learn more about Joseph Garcia and his Sign With Your Baby program later in this chapter. But for now, credit him with replacing the question of Why? with Why not?

Some might say: I already know what my baby wants and needs. I can tell by the way they cry. Their hunger cry is different from their cry for attention. And when theyre in pain, I can tell that too. While theres some truth to this, a signing baby can share more specific information about what they want or need, plus theyll gain a lot of secondary benefits along the way.

In fact, babies who sign are less frustrated, have closer bonds with their parents and caregivers, develop larger vocabularies, become better readers, and outsmart babies who dont sign.

Is there a downside to teaching your baby sign language? If you teach your baby to sign, will that delay their speech? Actually, if you teach your baby a few simple signs, theyll speak earlier. Now you can add earlier speech to the list of benefits. Its logical to think that teaching your baby to sign might be giving them a reason not to talk. But when you introduce a specific sign to your baby, youll talk with them at the same time. Always say the word as you make the sign. For a hearing child to best develop speech and language, its essential to speak as you sign.

Research tells us that parents of signing babies spend more time with them. Suddenly, the baby stage takes on a new dimension. It becomes less custodial. Signing babies can actually participate in the family dynamic. The family spends more time together playing, reading, labeling things, asking questions, responding to those same questions, and talking while also making language visual.

Consider this scenario: Its 2:30 a.m. and your 12-month-old starts to cry. You get up and go to their room. You run through the mental checklist. You feel their diaper. Totally dry. You offer them some water. They cry even louder. You put your lips to the babys forehead. No fever. Now theyre screaming.