Infant Sign Language

Facilitating Language Acquisition

Background on Signing

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Infant sign language are simple gestures that represent actions, emotions, or activities that the child wants to convey to others but can’t because they’re not ready/able to talk using words yet.

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There’s not much history to infant sign language because it is a relatively new idea.

Why use Sign Language with Infants?

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Around the age of 8 to 9 months babies become frustrated because they can not effectively communicate to their parents their needs. By giving them a way to communicate, they get their needs met and the parents feel satisfied.

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Simple gestures can help enhance positive interactions with parents, while decreasing the amount of negative interactions.

Signing "Rain" at 14 months

Research on Infant Sign Language

 Joseph Garcia’s research found that babies who are exposed to signs regularly at 6-7 months can begin expressive communication by the 8 th or 9 th month.

 Researchers at McGill University in Montreal, found that deaf/hearing adults who experienced ASL when they were young,

showed abilities to pick up a new language later in life.

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They will be able to pick up their own language faster having learned sign language.

Not only do signing children tend to speak sooner, they have a vocabulary of over 50 words by age two, compared to their non-signing counterpart.

 Research with preschool and elementary school children found that sign language

strengthens their reading and communication skills.

 Dr. Marilyn Daniels, of Penn State concluded,

"Their superior scores indicate that simultaneously presenting words visually, kinesthetically, and verbally enhances a child's vocabulary development."

Positive outcomes of SL for Infants

Sienna tells her mom that her teeth hurt...

...then signs "Medicine"

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Signing babies:

– – – – – – Understand more words Have larger vocabulary Scored higher on intelligence tests Engaged in more sophisticated play Successfully have their needs met Have higher self-esteem

Cons of Using Sign Language with Infants

 Implementing sign language with young children takes

a lot of hard work and patience

. Many parents become discouraged and stop using it with their child, thinking there’s no hope in trying.

 Seeing results from children takes time.

You need to use the signs over and over again for the child to catch on.

When the child does mimic the gestures they may be varied and hard to understand. Children may be signing to you in their own way, but you just don’t know it!!

 It’s hard to surround the child entirely with the use of sign language. Children have so many different people in their lives, such as daycare providers, family members, and friends. It’s hard to ensure that all of these people are using sign language, which may hinder the constant use of the signs.

Why is Sign Language useful for Parents/children?

Sign for “milk” 

Parents benefit from communicating with their child early on.

– – Many parents struggle with communicating with their children in the early years. The parents don’t know if their child is crying because they’re hungry, tired, or thirsty. Sign language helps filter out what the child needs.

Parents noted communication being less frustrating and attaining an enriched parent child bond, because of being able to communicate with their child.

Sienna Signs "Moon" as her dad reads Goodnight Moon

Can this be Useful for Teachers?

 Some believe that sign language could only be useful for schools with special education programs, however some schools are successfully implementing sign language in their daycares and even lab schools at Universities.  At an Ohio State University lab school children and teachers are communicating with sign language. –

"It is so much easier for our teachers to work with 12- month olds who can sign that they want their bottle, rather than just cry and have us try to figure out what they want," she said. "This is a great way for infants to express their needs before they can verbalize them."

Teacher exchanges sign language with one of the children in her room at Ohio State’s A. Sophie Rogers Infant-Toddler Laboratory School.

Tips for Parents using Sign Language with their Infant

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Don't compare your child to other children .

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Don't show disappointment if your child chooses not to sign in a particular situation.

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Don't make signing with your baby a lesson, but use signs in your daily life as an augmentation to your speech.

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Don't teach, just sign. Let your baby discover.

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Reward your child's attempts to communicate so that he/she receives love and acceptance when he/she makes those first attempts to connect with you.

"This is one of the exciting new discoveries in the field of child development. The ability to understand what is in the mind of a baby that cannot speak makes life far easier and more pleasant for both parent and baby."

– Dr. Burton White, Author of The First Three Years of Life