Baby Sign Language Fact or Fiction?

By Lora Heller, Founding Director of Baby Fingers LLC

Q: Is sign language only for people who are Deaf?
A: No. Sign Language can be extremely useful (and fun to learn) for hearing people as well.
Anyone who has not yet learned to talk, who may not ever learn to talk, who has had a stroke or other brain injury, and many others who can hear can still benefit from using sign language. It provides a visual language, an opportunity to more fully express oneself, and the ability to talk across a room from each other without disturbing anyone in between!

MYTH: Sign Language is universal.
FACT: Each spoken language – actually each country, even if it uses the same spoken language as another country – has its own sign language.
For example, in the United States/North America, we use American Sign Language (ASL). Parts of Canada use French Sign Language (FSL) as does France. There is Spanish Sign Language in Spain (LSE) and Mexican Sign Language in Mexico (LSM); Portuguese Sign Language is used in both Portugal & Brazil (LGP). Even though English is spoken here in the states as well as in England and Australia, there is British Sign Language (BSL) and Australian Sign Language (AUSLAN).

Q: What is the optimal age to introduce signs?
A: At Baby Fingers, we recommend introducing signs at birth, or as early as possible.
There is no absolute right or wrong time to introduce your baby to sign language. The younger your baby is when signs are accessible and consistent, the younger your baby will likely be when he or she begins to use the signs.

MYTH: If my baby signs, he/she will talk very late or not at all.
FACT: Babies who sign have a stronger command of language and tend to speak earlier than their non-signing peers.
Most often, babies using signs have a large vocabulary and a tremendous motivation to communicate. While the speech mechanism is completely separate from language, using signs tends to jumpstart both skill areas.

Q: How old will my baby be when he/she begins to sign?
A: This depends in part on when signs are introduced, but your baby could begin to sign as early as 6 – 8 months old.
Babies who are exposed to sign language consistently beginning at 3 months of age or younger could be signing at 6 months. Babies who begin to learn signs at a year or after could be signing within a couple of weeks.

MYTH: Adding sign language to a bilingual or multi-lingual family will be confusing to the child.
FACT: Sign Language bridges the gap between two (or three) different spoken languages, easing the learning process.
When a baby hears, for example, Mom say “milk” while she signs milk, and Dad say “leche” while he signs milk, baby learns that those two very different sounding words mean the same thing. Baby soon understands that he/she can sign milk to both parents and they will understand the request. Baby also learns to eventually speak Spanish to Dad and English to Mom, still able to sign new words not yet spoken to both parents. Frustration is significantly decreased, as is confusion.

Q: How many signs should we start with, and which are the best ones to introduce first?
A: Use as many signs as you can remember, and whichever ones you find to be most important in your routine with your baby.
The key here is really consistency. If you can remember 5 signs and use them every day, every time you say those words or engage in those activities, that’s great. It could be that you sign MILK, MORE, I LOVE YOU, and MOMMY/DADDY all the time. A parent who is proficient in sign language already may sign entire conversations right from the start. That’s equally great. Communicate with your baby, engage in language and play, look into each other’s eyes, sing songs together…keep language consistent and accessible. Find a class to join, a DVD to watch, a book to learn from together.

RESOURCES:
www.mybabyfingers.com
www.sign2me.com
www.signalot.com
http://www.sterlingpublishing.com/catalog?query=lora+heller