Baby Sign Language

What Is Baby Sign Language?

Teaching a baby to sign isn't the same as teaching them the sign language of the hearing impaired. In fact, parents don't have to know sign language at all in order to communicate with their child.

Baby signing is the process of applying elementary gestures to common words or commands. For example, if you want your child to let you know when she is hungry, you can teach her to point at the refrigerator as you say "eat". If you want to teach her the word "dog", you can say "dog", and pet the back of your hand. If you want her to learn the word "drink", repeat the word while forming a cup with your hand and tilting your head back, as if to drink. You get the picture.

How Does it Work?

The popularity of baby signing can be attributed to the American child development researcher, Joseph Garcia. He believes that introducing sign language to babies as early as six months can help them develop their language skills at an earlier age. As they associate the signing with their words, they are less frustrated and more at ease in their communicating, thus opening the door for language development. Many parents swear to the fact that they and their child experience much less frustration and better communication when incorporating baby sign language.

Tips for Successful Baby Sign Language

If you would like to try teaching your baby to sign, there are several simple tips that you can follow. These include the following:

1. Begin when your baby is approximately six months to nine months old.
2. Begin with simple words and simple signs.
3. Be sure everyone in the family uses the same sign for the same word to avoid confusion.
4. Always speak the word as you sign it. You don't want to sign in silence. The key is to encourage speech development.
5. Speak slowly and clearly.
6. Use patience as you teach your baby signs. Neither you nor your baby will benefit from impatience or frustration.
7. Follow your child's lead. If she wants to express a word with a certain sign, let her do so, and follow her lead.

Popular Sign Systems

As this trend grows in popularity, more parents are turning to formal sign systems for help. If you are uncomfortable teaching your child to sign without assistance, you might be interested in subscribing to one of these systems. Popular systems include the followng:

1. Paget Gorman-While this system is primarily used to help those children who have speech impairments or difficulties, some parents find it beneficial to use in teaching infants to sign.
2. British Sign Language-This is a fully developed language that is commonly used by hearing impaired people in the United Kingdom.
3. Makaton and Signalong are two systems which are commonly used for teaching children who do not have hearing problems and those who are hearing impaired.