Signing

Sign Language Improves Early Communication Skills!

The use of sign language with infants and toddlers has grown in popularity over the past several years as parents begin to learn the great benefits of signing. Signing with your infant and toddler can provide you a new perspective on their thoughts and feelings, build more positive relationships, and empower their desire to communicate.

Benefits can include (and are not limited to):
- Reduction of frustrations (for both parents and children) & tantrums

- Increase in social skills

- Increase in joint attention skills

- Promotion of early communication

- Increase in vocabulary skills

- Increase in reading abilities and desire to read

- Increase in visual attending skills

- Increase in cognitive development (higher IQs)

- Reduction of “terrible two’s”


With that being, there are myths about signing with your infants and toddlers that is important to dismiss.
Sign language will NOT:
- limit their speaking ability

- create a oral/verbal laziness

- cause speech delays

All of these are false! If taught correctly (by saying this I mean talking and signing at the same time), you can expect only positive results!


Why use American Sign Language (ASL)?
It’s important to understand that all of the great benefits discussed above about signing with your child are with the use of American Sign Language (ASL). Other non-language signing/gestural systems are used by some, but do not serve the same purpose and do not demonstrate the same positive outcomes. Using ASL allows for more generalization and carry over when the child signs with other people outside of their home. When a child goes to daycare or other facilities, they can continue to use the same signs previously taught and others will understand them. Frustrations continue to decrease! Also, your child can continue learning ASL as they get older! ASL is accepted in college and some high school of the foreign language requirement!

So when should you start? There is not currently any research with a set age when sign language is most appropriate. Receptively, children are able to understand language much sooner than they are able to use language. Therefore, the sooner the better, right? Most say around 6 to 8 months of age. If signs are introduced around 6 months of age, you may expect to see them sign back as early as 8 – 9 months! My daughter signed MORE for the first time at 8 months. She then signed EAT and at nine months she signs MILK. The great thing is, when she signs them at the babysitter, she’s still understood b/c she’s using ASL versus other baby gestural systems.

Ways to learn Signing:

- reading and signing

- signing and singing

- DVDs (though let’s clarify that placing your child in front of the television screen and not working directly with them will not results in positive outcomes)

- Have fun with it. Let it be natural. When you change her diaper, make a silly diaper song or find one from Sign2Me® or Signing Time® and sing/sign it every time you change the diaper. Every tub time, create a jingle that you sign about getting a bath. Or use the labels from Label & Learn so the child is naturally exposed to seeing the signs on everyday items.