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From: Mommy-Toddler Times October 2001 issue
& Birth to Three Newsletter Nov/Dec 2001 Issue
BABY
SIGN TAKES OFF by Kathy Kronz Faber (a MOPs Mom &
Bto3 Mom)
Infant Sign Language is generating more and more interest.
Parents eager to communicate with their little ones before they
can speak are jumping on this latest ãbandwagonä and
giving it a go. Newspapers and TV are slowly catching up
to speed and reporting the benefits of signing to babies and young
children. One such article, INFANT SIGN LANGUAGE by Lottie
Duey, covered many such benefits including some, but not all of
the following information, broken down for your convenience in
a Q & A format. I hope you find this information helpful and
informative.
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Why sign?
Babies can communicate physically before they can verbally. Signing
allows babies, both hearing and non-hearing, to express their
needs and thoughts before they're able to talk. This is
a huge step toward eliminating frustration for parents and children
and provides babies a means to express themselves.
Does signing make my child smarter?
Studies indicate children exposed to signing actually score better
on intelligence tests, scoring, on average, 8 points higher.
Children that have been taught to sign seem to verbalize sooner
that non-signing children, understand more spoken words, have
larger verbal vocabularies and engage in more sophisticated play.
Will signing delay speech?
Signing does not hinder speaking, but actually helps to accelerate
verbal communication. It seems sign language sparks a child's
desire to talk and aides in alleviating the frustration all parents
and babies feel when they can't effectively communicate.
Signing is also especially helpful when trying to decipher between
words that may sound alike when your child pronounces them. Signing
helps your child be more specific, getting the correct word or
need across to you without the frustration and guesswork that
comes from words sounding alike in the beginning stages of speech
development.
When to start?
The optimum age to begin signing with your child is as early as
6 or 7 months. Some babies may attempt to sign back to you as
early as 10 months. It takes time, and some babies respond
more slowly than others, so patience is a must! Be sure
to praise ALL attempts at signing, building self-esteem as you
learn together. Practice signing throughout your daily routine
or whenever the opportunity presents itself.
How to start?
When you begin to sign, choose 4 or 5 signs that interest your
baby or that are a part of your daily routine. Words that would
help you meet your baby's needs, or those that excite and entertain
your child, are the best to start with. Find times throughout
the day when baby seems most receptive and repeat the sign to
them often, as you say the word. Help your child to make
the sign if necessary. Remember, repetition is the key to successfully
learning sign language. After mastering a few signs, introduce
baby to new signs one or two at a time, as your baby appears ready
and eager to learn more.
Say the word aloud as you sign.
Vocabulary immerses baby in language, so it is a good idea to
expose them early on to sounds, letters and words. Such
early exposure enhances literacy skills. Research shows signing
babies exhibit stronger lingual development than those who do
not. In addition, vocabulary words will become especially
important as reading and spelling tools once your child is speaking
and becomes interested in reading & writing. Children
exposed to signing show an increased interest in books.
Is it ok to make up signs?
Certainly your baby will come up with his or her versions of the
American Sign Language signs that you teach them. However, it
is best to expose baby to ASL, rather than just inventing signs.
This is because following a method that is universal allows your
child to communicate with others, not just with you or those within
your home.
If your child does make up or do partial signs, be sure to praise
them, encourage them, but also teach them the actual sign as well.
When baby is ready they will convert over to the correct ASL sign
Repetition and consistency are the key to effectively teach sign
language. As you begin to sign, you will realize that many
of the signs are "iconic" or they look like the words
they stand for. This makes learning beginning signs easy to remember.
It can be fun and educational, for the entire family.
It's also a good idea to share the signs with anyone that spends
significant time with your child such as relatives, friends, baby
sitters and day care providers. That way they too can communicate
with baby.
Remember, signing isn't just for babies. It can be
used by anyone interested in sign language; children of all ages,
adults, hearing, non-hearing, latent deaf, Down's, autistic,
etc. It's easy, it's fun and never too
early or too late to learn a second language!
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To find out
more about signing and for further research information visit,
www.babyseensign.com. You will also find my video available
for purchase that is designed as a tool to help you begin signing
with your child. It compiles approximately 60+ introductory
signs and another 25 signs in the BONUS SIGNS pages. The
babies featured on the video are mainly from the Birth To
3 Family. Filming took place last July (2000) and the tape
was just recently completed. Thank you to everyone that
contributed! I hope to help families interested in learning
the ãgift of signä and I look forward to including
more MOPs and B to 3 families in subsequent volumes.
-kf
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