Baby’s that use American Sign Language April 11, 2008
Posted by away2read in Articles, Education, How to, Moms, Parenting, Resources, Sign language.Tags: asl for babies, baby sign language, baby signing, baby signing classes, sign language with babies, signing with your baby
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Is there anything cuter than seeing a little baby using sign language? It is more than just cute: Researchers have found that using sign language with babies does help to improve their language learning and IQs. More parents are using sign language with their infants, whether they are hearing or deaf.
It has long been known by parents of deaf children and deaf parents of hearing children that young babies can learn to sign and communicate before they learn to talk.
Baby’s that Sign Does Not Hurt Speech Development – IN fact it improves it and their intelligence
One of the best things about this trend being embraced by parents of non-deaf children is that research has clearly demonstrated that using sign language does not mean that a child will not learn to talk. For years, the deaf community’s ASL advocates had to face the argument that if parents used sign language with their deaf children, the children would not learn to talk.
Even today, some parents of deaf children with cochlear implants are told not to use sign language so that their children will maximize the use of sound for communication.
Baby’s that Sign Does Have Educational Benefits
Several articles have been published on the use of sign language with babies. For example, there was a study involving two groups of children — one group that was taught baby signing and another group that was not. The researchers found that eight-year-olds who had learned a simple form of teaching sign language allows the child to invent signs until they can physically use their small motor skills to sign correct American Sign Language hand shapes. Just as a child invents similar sounding words for objects until they have the vocal skills to correctly pronounce the word accurately – this is the same learning process a child will follow. These children did better on IQ tests than comparable children who had not learned baby sign language.
Babies Can Use Real American Sign Language
Some parents have objected to the use of “made-up” signs instead of using the more official American Sign Language. Either will be useful, and anything that encourages the acceptance of sign language for communication is welcome. But keep in mind there is no need for parents to rely on a different form of sign language when there is plenty of video and book material available for learning American Sign Language. Teaching your child to communicate with true American Sign Language benefits their skills to communicate with members of the deaf community.
Baby Sign Language Online
- SigningTime.com, has videos for all ages (and the website offers video samples).
- ASL Pro has an ASL for Babies dictionary online, with video clips of adults signing.
Plus, there are online sign language dictionaries available for quick and easy reference. These dictionaries have either video/animation clips or clear illustrations, so that there is no misunderstanding about how to make a sign.
Baby Sign Language Companies and Classes
There has been explosive growth in the number of companies promoting baby sign language. Most of the companies offer video, print, and online resources for baby signing. For example, the promoters of signing to your baby using a form of sign language based on ASL, have a web site. The sign2me web site includes streaming video, an online store, and other promotional material. The FAQ states that the program is based on American Sign Language, and that it can provide a foundation for further learning of ASL.A sampling of baby sign language companies and their offerings:
- SignBabies.com offers illustrated flash cards. Another set of flashcards is the Signing Smart series.
- BabySigns.com has instructors offering classes nationally. The company also sells products such as a puppet, and a video series covering bedtime, mealtime, bathtime, and pets.
- Signing4Babies.com sells an e-book on baby sign.
- Kindersigns.com offers classes, a newsletter, and professional certification.
Baby sign language classes are increasingly popular. They are offered by private certified instructors, colleges, resource centers for deaf and hard of hearing people, recreation departments, and other community resources.
Baby Sign Language Community Websites
Baby signing community websites like Signing With Your Baby offer FAQs, articles, message boards, and discussion lists. Another community site is Babies and Sign Language.com. This site offers a master list of baby signing classes in the United States, and internationally. Plus, there is an advice column for parents, “Dear Mama Signs.”
If you can anything else to this post please post it in the comments. How many of you use sign language? Did your parents use sign language with you?
Baby signing with sign language…
Researchers have found that using sign language with babies does help to improve their language learning and IQs. So more parents are using sign language with their infants, whether they are hearing or deaf….
i totally agree with you.. its so natural clouds are a sign of rain coming, setting sun is a sign of the darkness coming and so on …. similarly, i believe using sign language and seeing babies respond is a sign positive sign of speech coming. children tend to be more communicating and responding to sign language since they are in the age where their observation is at its peak and they feel more protected when they feel they can get their message through to us.
i encourage signing to my kids and would certainly claim it worked for me with the first kid and my younger one too gets more enthusiatic for response.
I have used sign language with my triplet boys since they were one year old. We heard wonderful things about Signing Time and Baby Signing Time (www.signingtime.com). My boys were immediately addicted to them. It is the one TV program that I don’t mind them watching over and over again.
We had two strikes against us. They are triplets, so they tend to have their own language, and they were born 13 weeks premature. Sign language gave my children a way to express their wants and needs and cut out a lot of the frustrations.
One of their favorite volumes was ABCs (Vol. 5-Series 1). They learned their alphabet quite fast, in sign language and verbally. At two years of age they knew their letters, upper case and lower case, as well as their numbers to 20. They just recently turned three and they are talking more and more with clarity. They still use their sign language on a daily basis.
Sign language is considered a foreign language in schools in many states now. I will continue to teach my kids as much sign language as I know and can learn. I wish I had learned sign language as a second language when I was a child.
It’s awesome that this works for some parents, but it just wasn’t for us. Our kids just don’t “get it” and I get so irritated with people who ask us if we’re teaching them sign language and then act like we’re inferior parents because we didn’t.
my baby is almost 4 months old and knows 3 signs already
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