Sign for Me, Baby!

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Many years ago, as an undergraduate student the University of South Carolina, I wrote a research paper about baby sign. From a high level, my paper looked at the developmental benefits of learning manual and verbal language in tandem, and the potential for increased language and intelligence in babies who learn basic sign.

The research from my paper is now over a decade old. If you search “baby sign language”, you’ll see that the topic still generates controversy as people debate whether teaching your baby sign delays speech or has any tangible increased language benefits. I haven’t found a rigorous research project that can fully back up either side. (If you find one, please share in the comments!) These are the two claims that create the most controversy on the topic – and I’m not actually claiming either! Most research projects anecdotally observe what I want to share with you – that my kiddo could sign things to me that he didn’t have the verbal skills to tell me with words, and that using sign has helped us communicate, thus reducing frustration and improving parental-baby bond.

This specific benefit of using sign language has not been scientifically tested because there are a lot of obfuscating factors.  Thus, the rest of this post is my personal experience with baby sign, and my support of parents who choose to utilize it. 

About a year ago, we were on a long car ride and my then one year old kept tossing his pacifier and then crying for it. After over an hour of trying to entertain the baby and getting exhausted of playing pacifier fetch, I had a light bulb moment and offered him water. He drank it happily and went straight to sleep. He was thirsty, so he’d ask for the pacifier (which had a nipple just like all of the other liquid getting items in his life at the time), he’d suck on it, no water would come out, and he’d toss it.

It was a frustrating, yet eye-opening experience for us as parents. Our baby knew exactly what he wanted but had no way to tell us. We started being more diligent about using signs for water, milk, eat, and more.  Within weeks, our kid was signing his needs to us and the crying and frustration were greatly decreased.  More recently, my kiddo kept saying “wookie” – he has not yet watched Star Wars, so I knew he was trying to say something different!  Then he started using the sign for “look”- a sign he had learned in daycare. He was trying to tell me he was “looking” for something.  It helped me know what he meant, but also gave me an opportunity to work on enunciating the right sounds for him as he learns to talk.

Interested in starting some basic signs with your baby or toddler?  Here are some tips:

When do I start signing? Just as with verbal language, your baby can start becoming familiar with signs long before they can do them. So feel free to start using basic signs in front of your baby at any time!  They will likely start signing back between seven and eleven months depending on their motor skill development, which can vary by child!

What signs should I teach my baby/toddler? Start with signs that are simple to do and communicate needs. We started with hunger and thirst signs like eat, milk, and more. We progressed to water, all done and help next.  You don’t need a rigorous curriculum or expensive program. With youtube, google, and other online resources, you can add signs as you see what your child is interested in and/or what they might have trouble saying or communicating.

Where can I learn basic signs? Youtube has tons of free videos if you search!  You can also check out books or videos from your local library. To get you started, here’s a resource from Pathways, a non-profit that is dedicated to child development, that has videos of some basic introductory signs. Baby Sign Language

Am I teaching my kid American Sign Language/should I stick to American Sign Language signs? This is a complex question. ASL is a full language with grammar and usage rules. Unless you are trying to teach your infant ASL as a full language, you do not need to adhere strictly to ASL signs – though it can be helpful for your kid to be understood by others!  For us, we primarily use ASL signs but every now and then come up with our own gestures with our son when the ASL sign is too complex or isn’t working. For example, the sign for walk didn’t seem to connect with our kid for what it meant. We started using our own sign of walking our fingers across our palm to indicate taking a walk. He instantly got it and started using it with the sound “wa”  to tell us he wanted to take a walk. It was really helpful, since at that time, he used the exact same sound to say water.

Other tips:

  • Reinforce the signs by speaking the words out loud so your child can associate the word with the motion.
  • Understand that your baby’s signs will be inaccurate as they are also developing their motor skills.
  • Have fun with it! If your kid sees you smiling, it will help give them comfort and confidence!

I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences in the comments! 

3 COMMENTS

  1. As sasha’s Mom and Joshua’s nana, I also learned some basic sign language and it helped me understand his basic needs and kept a lot of frustration out of our interactions.

  2. We also use Baby signs, and it has made a huge difference for our nearly non-verbal two year old. We have recently put him into speech therapy and I did ask about the issue of signing replacing speaking for certain children- they assured me this was NOT the case, but I don’t have any research to back it up. I also love, love watching little ones have signing “mispronunciations” or their own way of signing. My son has the cutest “water” sign that doesn’t look much like the actual one, but we all know what he is saying!

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