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Family Ties: Talk to Me, Baby…American Sign Language for Mom, Dad & Baby
By Lisha Ross
Imagine if the terrible twos didn’t have to be so terrible? If you knew exactly what your baby wanted, even before the coos and gurgles formed recognizable words. Picture this: just as your baby starts to form that heartbreaking “I need something from you” frown, she puts both hands up and begins kneading the air, like she’s milking a cow. With that simple hand gesture, you can breathe a sigh of relief as you give her what she asked for– a sippy cup of milk. No raging tantrum, no fit of tears, just happy parent/baby time. It is possible, and it’s well within your reach. Though the concept of teaching sign language to hearing babies has been studied for over two decades, it’s now emerging once again as more than just a passing fad. Quite the contrary, contemporary educators, psychologists and researchers are all jumping on the baby sign language wubby wagon with time-tested proof that the practice is helping young children develop socially, emotionally and intellectually.
The Proof in the Pudding Pop
Despite a common misconception that baby sign language delays the development of a child’s verbal communication skills, all studies performed in the last 25 years have been overwhelmingly positive. In a study funded by the National Institutes of Child Health and Human Development, Drs. Linda P. Acredolo of the University of California Davis and Susan W. Goodwyn of California State University studied 140 families with babies that were 11 months old. What they found was that, on average, 24 month old signers were way ahead of the game verbally, scored higher on intelligence tests and engaged in more sophisticated play than non-signing children of the same age. As they grew up, they scored an average of 8 to 12 points higher on IQ tests up to age 8 (the highest age at which these children have been tested thus far).
Additional research by Acredolo and Goodwyn, as well as Marylin Daniels, author of Dancing with Words: Signing for Hearing Children’s Literacy, and Associate Professor Kimberly Whaley found that signing also alleviates tantrums and physical aggression, enhances the child’s vocabulary, improves reading scores later in life and, overall, jumpstarts the intellectual learning process.
Science aside, signing enables a baby to effectively communicate her needs, wants and fears, can help smooth out daily routines, is a fun, physical activity, and most importantly, it can tighten the baby/parent bond. Jennifer, instructor of the Mom and Me Play and Sign class and the Mom and Me Signing Time class at the Helen Meyer Recreation Center says, “Nearly all parents and experts agree that the most significant benefit of signing with a baby is the eye-to-eye, heart-to-heart bonding that occurs while the parent and child share a learning experience together.” Everybody say aaaaaaaaah!
If the research doesn’t convince you, perhaps seeing is believing. Simply do a YouTube.com search for baby sign language. Check out Fireese, whose mother documented her sign language and subsequent verbal progress from one to two years old. At just under one year old, Fireese was able to sign more than 20 words. At 18 months, she was teaching her 6 month old sister signs all on her own.
Baby Steps
The Mom and Me Play and Sign class starts babies out at 18 months, but there is no reason why you can’t get a head start on the process as soon as your baby is born. Even if they’re not physically capable of making the signs themselves, babies will gradually begin to recognize a connection between a spoken word and a hand signal. You can get started at home with volumes upon volumes of the award-winning “Signing Time” DVDs available at www.signingtime.com.Generally, babies should be able to form signs anywhere from 6 to 14 months, with the majority signing well before one year.
So what about teaching American Sign Language? It’s not as difficult as it may seem, it just takes time and consistency, says Jennifer. Her classes, based on the “Signing Time” DVDs, are all about repetition through songs, stories and games. “If a parent were consistently signing all the newly acquired signs during a six week session, both the parent and the child could learn 30-60 signs,” says Jennifer. “Like all language [acquisition], practice is essential, but can be accomplished naturally as parent and child interact at meal times, play time, bath and bedtime, story time, etc.”
To learn more about Mommy and Me Signing classes at Helen C. Meyer, call 455-7723. Before you know it, your baby will be hand-babbling all day about food, milk, water, juice, crackers, bananas, cereal, grandma, grandpa and many other important aspects of their daily lives. After all, a happy smiling baby is the most precious gift of all.
