Baby signing

SIGN with your BABY^® is revolutionizing the way adults view and interact with preverbal babies. Perhaps for the first time in history, infants and toddlers are able to express their wants, needs, and observations in a manner that is clearly understood by their adult allies. Recent research, coupled with the experiences of parents and childcare professionals, is confirming that using ASL signs offers a host of significant benefits.

Scientific research is revealing that a baby can understand and express much more than what was previously thought. Consider the fact that hearing babies can understand spoken words early in life, though spoken words are frequently more abstract than signed words. The sounds "m" and "ah" have no inherent meaning but, when combined to form the word "mama", babies quickly learn to associate this symbol with the nice woman who feeds and takes care of them! To some degree, all words and signs are abstract symbols. If we consistently use the word "mama" in context, most babies will learn to understand what this symbol means. If we also use the sign for "mama" whenever we say that word, babies will come to understand and relate this symbol as well.

Incorporating signs into your daily routine does not require fluency in American Sign Language. Rather, it teaches that even a few simple gestures can make a big difference in empowering and meeting the needs of a child. Parents and caregivers should start slowly by introducing several ASL signs that represent ideas babies can understand, like "more", "eat", and "milk". When babies are able to replace some of the screaming, whining, and crying with a few simple hand gestures, it can dramatically improve their relationships with caregivers.

With each day, more and more people are coming to recognize the power of signing as it changes the way they view and interact with preverbal children. We invite you to visit the following links for more information about the growing community of parents, educators, and professionals who embrace the benefits of signing with babies.

Signing as a parent provides you with the unique opportunity to develop a window into your child's mind. By including signs in daily activities, parents spend less time guessing what a child wants and more time fulfilling their specific needs.

• Signing allows your infant to clearly communicate specific thoughts.

• Signing reduces frustration for your baby and for you.

• Signing won't delay verbal language development; in fact, it may accelerate it! Research shows that babies who sign usually begin to speak sooner and develop larger vocabularies than non-signing babies.

• Signing reinforces verbal language by added visual and kinesthetic emphasis to auditory input.

• Signing children tend to be more interested in books.

• Signing builds on babies' natural tendency to use gestures.

• Signing can help parents and pediatricians identify injuries, pain, and other ailments.

• Signing children can direct parents' attention toward potential dangers or concerns.

• Sign language can serve as a language bridge between English and non-English speakers.

• Signing may actually improve a child's IQ!

• Signing in a childcare setting allows caregivers to model effective communication, encourage conflict resolution, and help children to communicate with each other. Teachers who sign can spend more time interacting with and nurturing children than managing the myriad challenges associated with Early Childhood Education.

• Children spend less time crying and teachers spend less time playing the "guessing game", allowing more time for positive interactions and enabling teachers to meet the needs of many children at once.

• Signing empowers children because they can communicate successfully with those around them. This sense of empowerment significantly contributes to children's happiness.

• Signing enhances early language skills because children can engage in two-way conversations with their teachers and their peers at an earlier age.

• Signing serves as a language bridge for children and staff who speak different languages. The sign is the same for "eat" (English) as it is for "comer" (Spanish).

• Children learn to use signs to solve problems. "Stop" and "share" are commonly-used signs that help children learn to get along with one another.

• In signing classrooms, teachers report there are fewer instances of biting, hitting, and screaming because children are less frustration.

• Children can control the topic of conversation and express their unique interests at an earlier age. This allows teachers to design learning activities that will enhance children's specific interest. Signing is appropriate for all preschool age groups (Infants, Toddlers, Preschool, and Pre-K.)

Children with special needs gain a means of expressing themselves and connecting with their caregiving adults, as well as with typically-developing children familiar with ASL signs. Signing can help create an educational environment where all children can successfully learn and socialize, no matter what special needs they may have.

• Signing is the primary language used by the Deaf community and is an integral part of Deaf culture. ASL will most likely be the primary language for children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing.

• Signing provides a means of communication for children with various types of language delays or impairments, including:

Down Syndrome
Autism
Cerebral Palsy
Apraxia of Speech
Aphasia
Learning Disabilities
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

• Signing provides a means of communication for children with various types of medical conditions or situations, including:

Tracheotomized Infants and Children
Delays of Prematurity
Short-term Illnesses
Post-surgical conditions that inhibit normal speech
Side effects of chemotherapy resulting in an inability to speak

Deaf Expressions occasionally offers workshops on signing with your baby. They are approximately 90 minutes in length. If you're interested in forming one, let us know and we'll be there for you!

We highly recommend private or semi-private tutoring with your baby for this subject matter. We can then focus each session on what the individual needs. Cost for this is $20 an hour for the first person, $10 each additional person during that same hour. Babies are not charged.

Just click on the picture below to get in touch with us or see below for all options!