sign language for babies

**lisettelovebug** · 04-19-2008, 12:34 AM

I have recently been looking into teaching our 5 month old to sign (I've been trying with 20 month old but I think she may be too old - but I am still trying) and I found some awesome sites... http://babystrology.com/baby-learnin...sign-language/
http://www.aslpro.com/cgi-bin/aslpro/aslpro.cgi

I also found these 2 games that I for some reason found amusing!! The littlest things amuse me sometimes. LOL http://babystrology.com/baby-games/

Has anyone else taught their babies sign language? How has your experience been? There's a big controversy over whether it hinders their talking. What do you think?
I think that anything that helps me understand what my child wants is great!! Especially when they get to be 18 months/2yrs old. I remember my 9 year old used to get soooo frustrated because he couldn't tell you what he wanted - well actually because we couldn't understand him.

**catybarra** · 04-19-2008, 03:54 AM

I taught my triplet boys sign language using Baby Signing Time and Signing Time (signingtime.com). It was the series that EVERYONE recommended to me. My kids were hooked immediately. Rachel Coleman, co-founder and star, makes it easy and fun to learn sign language. My boys were 13 weeks premature and have delays in speech due to their own little language. If it weren't for sign language I am sure I would have no hair left, lol. They also knew their entire alphabet (upper and lower case) and numbers to 20 when they were 2.

More and more research is coming out on the benefits of sign language. It will not keep your child from talking. Instead it will eleviate the frustration when an adult doesn't understand what they want or need. All children start their communication with hang gestures (pointing to what they want). Sign language is natural. I say go for it!

**Lady_V** · 04-19-2008, 06:16 AM

It's not too late to teach the older one either... I started teaching DD when she was 2.

If you can only teach sign when they are young, what hope would there be for those people who went deaf at an older stage?

Go for it, never "not" teach a child something because you think they are too old! We are all children too, and I'd hate to think I know everything I will ever know in my life.

**staciah** · 04-19-2008, 08:08 AM

I also taught my 2 year old (now 4 yr old) sign. He was not talking and had a slight hearing problem due to alot of ear infections. He never said a word. So when I started sign, he picked it right up so quick. He started talking at almost 3 yr old and at that time he knew 142 signs. His early intervention teacher was amazed. I learned alot of the signs from books from the Lib, the web and also a rented videos from lib - the Rachel Cole ones and taught them to him. He talks so welll now, you would never know he had a problem. I used to video tape him to see his progress. I love to look back now. Im so glad I did that.

**Ceashels** · 04-19-2008, 12:17 PM

I worked in a special education (ages 0-21) school system for 9 yrs and sign language was a vital part of the early development program whether the child was deaf, hearing impaired, visually impaired, had autism, mental retardation or what ever.

Sign language reinforces language skills and communication.

I have seen children with and without disabilities develop language skills more easily because they were NOT frustrated with their inability to communicate their needs.

Motor skills tend to develop before language skills. So while a 2 yr old can't wrap his tongue around the "I want more milk".... he can use his hands to communicate the concepts.

The reward of communciation is the meeting of his needs. So he will communicate more often.

Children emulate their world.
If ALL the parents did was sign, the child would learn to communicate thru sign.
If ALL the parents did was talk, the child would learn to communicate thru talking.
If the parents DID BOTH... that child has a richer communication environment to learn from and will learn both.

Your 20 month old is not too old. Keep signing to her. She might not be focusing on language skills at the moment but she will still learn by being in the richer environment.

**lisettelovebug** · 04-19-2008, 08:35 PM

Originally Posted by Ceashels

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Your 20 month old is not too old. Keep signing to her. She might not be focusing on language skills at the moment but she will still learn by being in the richer environment.

I think a lot of it is because she is more focused on talking. Her language has improved a lot just in the last few months. In the last maybe 2 months she has dramatically increased the number of words she says. And I think there's even some sentences in there... maybe.. lol. It's so hard to decipher them sometimes.. lol. I was yelling out the door today for her brother and I thought she said "did he hear?" She said something yesterday like 3 times in a row that sounded like a sentence, but I can't remember what it was. Darn. It's so cute sometimes the things they say. Right now i just want her to be able to tell me when she's hungry, thirsty, tired, etc. and whether she wants milk, juice or water in her cup. (she does say cup). So I will keep on showing these to her and hopefully she decides to use them. I got her to do the milk sign by showing her the baby on the website doing it. But I don't know if she associated with actual milk.

**Telephus44** · 04-19-2008, 10:04 PM

Our daycare provider teaches basic signs, and we reinforce them at home. "More" and "Diaper" are the two that have really stuck for my son (19 months). We still try and teach the others, but he's getting more vocal and uses that and pointing as his primary means of communication. I think it's helped him, not hurt him, but it hasn't been as amazing as the stories I hear.

**Jerseygirl** · 04-21-2008, 01:31 PM

I have introduced it to all of the foster kids we have had and my little princess , for any of them that can't speak it is a great outlet.
We stick to the basics, more, finished, eat, drink etc. They are all so easy to learn and easy to pick up.
I find as they learn to speak they often continue to sign when they say the word. One baby, Karla that we had started signing with at 5 mos, by the time she was 10 mos she had mastered "finished" and would actually use it so appropriately, we would go to the doctor's office and as soon as she would get up on the table and see the doctor she would start frantically signing "finished" It becomes as natural as waving bye bye.

**cheriede** · 04-22-2008, 10:42 PM

I taught my two youngest children sign langauge when they were babies. They are now 2 and 3 and they still sign. My two oldest (8 and 9) picked it up when I was teaching the babies and they also know lots of signs. I definitely agree with the other post about never being too old to learn sign language.

My 3 year old loves to go to the library and check out the Signing Time dvds, which I would highly recommend. Rachel Coleman does an excellent job of teaching the signs and makes it easy to remember the signs too. If you can check them out from the library, I would definitely get them. Lots of cute songs!!