Whats your opinion on baby sign language?

AlexJ217 · August 2010

Are you teaching your baby sign? Why or why not? I've heard that it increases LO language and vocabulary but I am also concerned that LO will not be as verbal. What do you think? How can I find real studies on this? I dont want to just find google websites. THanks

Sept17.05Bride · August 2010

We did some sign language with DS1 and will do it with DS2 also. We didn't do a ton, but the main things like eat, sleep, more, all done, please, thank you, stop, and a few others. DH and I both found it very helpful because DS1 could let us know what he wanted before he was able to actually speak. It did not slow his speech at all.

Roxpup · August 2010

I love baby sign language... I will be teaching LO. I want him to have a way to communicate his needs to me without screaming, pointing, and whining.

I used to work at a daycare and we had a baby who was taught baby sign language and instead of throwing all her food on the floor (like other babies), she would sign "finished" so we knew when she was all done. Her verbal skills developed normally alongside her peers.

Also, I took a baby sign language class at a conference I went to for work and babies sign their first sign around the same time they start saying their first words. However, babies who aren't taught sign say things like mom and dad first, (which they still will!), but you can teach them signs that will help you as their mom out, and it will help them out in not being as frustrated with feeling like they cannot communicate.

These are just my personal opinions (mostly) and I am willing to bet finding unbiased studies on this will be pretty diffuclt. Good luck, though

LuLu78 · August 2010

My son learned some basics from daycare when he was little and it was really helpful. It really opened up communication, to just know a few simple signs. I wasn't sure how it would go, but we found it to be great. And didn't seem to delay any speech.

rlscheck · August 2010

We plan on doing sign language. It's possible they could not be as verbal, but when they have the ability to say the words then you need to make sure they say them before they are given what they want.

MaddysMama07 · August 2010

We signed with DD starting at 6 or 7 months old. We loved it! She didn't get as frustrated because she was able to communicate and tell us what she wanted. MIL told us not to do it because she said she'd never learn to talk if we signed with her. It was completely not true for us. She started talking really early and has always been extremely verbal. She is 3 now and has the vocabulary of a 4 year old. She's always been very advanced in that aspect. She ended up knowing 30-40 signs and, for the most part, when she started speaking the word she'd end up stopping the signs.

We will most definitely sign with this baby, too.

The biggest thing when someone is worrying about vocabulary and verbal skills is to make sure you're always saying the word while you sign it so they are hearing the word as well. We also always did the sign up by our mouth so she could see how our mouth looked when the word was spoken.

acurtis129 · August 2010

MaddysMama07:
We signed with DD starting at 6 or 7 months old. We loved it! She didn't get as frustrated because she was able to communicate and tell us what she wanted. MIL told us not to do it because she said she'd never learn to talk if we signed with her. It was completely not true for us. She started talking really early and has always been extremely verbal. She is 3 now and has the vocabulary of a 4 year old. She's always been very advanced in that aspect. She ended up knowing 30-40 signs and, for the most part, when she started speaking the word she'd end up stopping the signs.

We will most definitely sign with this baby, too.

The biggest thing when someone is worrying about vocabulary and verbal skills is to make sure you're always saying the word while you sign it so they are hearing the word as well. We also always did the sign up by our mouth so she could see how our mouth looked when the word was spoken.

Great pointers! I am going to utilize this when teaching DS! Thanks!

kemeshiwar · August 2010

Baby sign language is awesome and, as I am fairly competent in ASL already, I'll definitely be teaching DS and will probably continue even past "baby sign". Language acquition is so much easier the younger a child is...I plan on taking full advantage!

CaitlinJ22 · August 2010

MaddysMama07:
We signed with DD starting at 6 or 7 months old. We loved it! She didn't get as frustrated because she was able to communicate and tell us what she wanted. MIL told us not to do it because she said she'd never learn to talk if we signed with her. It was completely not true for us. She started talking really early and has always been extremely verbal. She is 3 now and has the vocabulary of a 4 year old. She's always been very advanced in that aspect. She ended up knowing 30-40 signs and, for the most part, when she started speaking the word she'd end up stopping the signs.
We will most definitely sign with this baby, too.
The biggest thing when someone is worrying about vocabulary and verbal skills is to make sure you're always saying the word while you sign it so they are hearing the word as well. We also always did the sign up by our mouth so she could see how our mouth looked when the word was spoken.

all true for us too. DS wont stop talking it helped him make connections

Cheer4Him · August 2010

I did sign language with my DS and I am SO glad I did cuz he does not talk much but can still tell me what he wants/needs. it has cut down on the fights. he is in speech now and the SP said that sign language is a good thing. so we shall see

RachieSLP · August 2010

I'm a Speech Pathologist, and the research definitely indicates that baby sign does not delay verbal communication. I copied and pasted this from an article on a professional website - I would link it, but I think that it would make you have a password to view it. Anyway, HTH!

"Dr. Linda Acredolo and Dr. Susan Goodwyn spent two decades researching the use of

sign language with babies who have normal hearing. They compared a group using sign

language to a group that didn?t use sign language. Their research showed that by three years

of age, children who signed as babies were talking with the skills of a four year old?a year

ahead of children who did not sign. The study showed that signing with infants and toddlers

can actually increase intelligence scores later in life. At eight years old, children who signed as

babies scored an average of 12 points higher on intelligence tests than those who did not sign

as babies. Babies using sign language were less aggressive, less frustrated, and more self-

confident. In general, signing tended to promote positive emotional development (Acredolo

and Goodwyn, 2000).

There have been several follow-up studies confirming the same results: more

advanced language skills, higher scores on intelligence tests, increased self-confidence,

decreased frustration, and more positive interactions between babies and parents."

RachieSLP · August 2010

Full citation -

Goodwyn, S.W., Acredolo, L.P., & Brown, C. (2000). Impact of symbolic gesturing on early language development. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior. 24, 81-103.

b-wood · August 2010

We used baby sign language with both my daughter and my son. It was great for us and I truly believe helped advanced their spoken vocabulary. We are often told by their daycare teachers, other parents, even strangers that they have an advanced vocabulary for thier age. We will definitely use it with our new LO.

We still find uses for it even though they are 3 and 5 now. When I say goodbye to my daughter at daycare we give each other signs through the window...its our own little secret language

During my pregnancy the older kids and I were practicing the signs, they can't wait to teach Aaron. I was amazed by how much they remembered. And yes I agree that saying the word along with the sign will help with the speech connection.

mysticporter · August 2010

We did with our older DD and will again with this one. *Extremely* convenient before they can verbalize well, it was obvious that DD was a lot less frustrated once she could communicate what she wanted. She started talking a little ahead of schedule, and I actually think the sign language helped since you understood the concept of 'words' (her first spoken words after Dada and Mama were the words that go with her signs).

Angela814 · August 2010

We did some with DD1. I probably would have done more, but it's hard to remember to always sign while speaking. We used the Baby Signing Times DVD. They also did some basic signs at daycare. I found it very helpful, and I don't think it slowed DD's verbal development at all.

deltadawn79 · August 2010

I just got some books from the library on the subject. We will be planning on using it with our LO - but mainly just some simple signs

It will not delay speech, in fact it will help their communicatino skills.

These 2 books are pretty good i would recommend them

Teach Your Baby to Sign: An Illustrated Guide to Simple Sign Language for Babies - Monica Beyer

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Baby Sign Language, 2nd Edition - Diane Ryan

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