sign language for babies

Bun

I have several friends who do the signing and find it very helpful. The lady who came to see us at one of our baby groups said that it started when there was a study on babies with two deaf parents, they realised that many of them spoke earlier than those with hearing parents.

Spendless

Jay-Jay wrote:

, you can then reply with a two finger salute (BSL sign for F off)

LOL_ I posted about my son attending a nursery that had deaf children. Son was friendly with an older child that could talk but also sign and son told me that this friend had taught him a naughty word. I had to pluck up courage to ask the staff! (and it wasn't son or friend was kidding!)

Jay-Jay_4

ribenagirl wrote:

So long as the parent provides the word, and use of the word is encouraged (and there is no reason why a parent can't later expect the child to say the word and gradually 'fade out' the signing

In my experience it works like this.

• They watch the sign and listen to the word
• They use the sign
• They use the sign and attempt the word
• They use the sign along with the word
• They stop using the sign.

......... as soon as she can use a sign and a word together, I stop using the sign.


Tonight my 16 month old wouldn't touch her tea, I said "what do you want?" and she put her hand to the side of her head....(that means bed!)

I said "do you want some milk? she opened and shut both her hands (that means milk). Sorted, she's too tired to eat her tea but she wants some milk.

Now she 'does' say bed and she 'does' say milk but the signs reinforce what she's saying and she's decided that shes still using them.

Prudent

I haven't used signing myself with a baby, but have friends who are speech and language therapists who do use it with their babies and feel it is beneficial.

Signing supports language as it stimulates the kinaesthetic and visual learning skills. Children and adults learn in different ways. Some people would learn something best by watching a programme about it, some people prefer to read about it, some prefer to listen to information. Visual and kinaesthetic learners learn by looking and doing. The things they see and do stimulate the brain into learning faster than it might do if they just listened.So a baby who learns best in this way will probably learn language faster if it supported by signing because it has the chance to both see and do.

Children who are taught using approaches that appeal to the different senses learn faster. Research into how children learn to read and spell has shown that teaching phonics with actions and pictures prompts can really speed up their learning. If you teach you child speech with signs it is likely that they will actually develop language skills quicker. It is important that the signs are used with speech and not just used alone.

I work with children who have delayed language development and find signing really helps to stimulate their language skills. It is especially good when they are just learning new words or have problems remembering words. For example a child who cannot remember the names of colours will be able to recall them much quicker if they are given a known sign for the colour.

If I had a baby I would definately sign with it.


Another advantage is that local schools now include lots of children who would in the past have gone to special schools. There is a fair chance that your child may one day be in a class with other children who need to communicate through signs.

At my local petrol station one of the cashiers only communicates by signs. She really appreciates it when I sign back.

Jay-Jay_4

I know that we parents alway think our children are gifted/wonderful/ the most intelligent but I really do think that signing got my eldest off to a flying start with her vocabulary.

I know that she could've been 'quick' anyway but I believe that her ability to use language at such a young age meant that she totally embraced communication by any means and loved it

(using the word language to describe not just verbal but physical)

The youngest has taken to signing like a duck to water, learning and using new signs in a matter of minutes. The key is repetition but not boring repetition, you need to vary the tune of your voice and your facial expressions to make a new sign part of the 'language'.

It's so much fun. I hope some of you try it.

Savvy_Sue

Jay-Jay wrote:

ahah!!! now you see...what you need to do is mouth "coffee" while making a C shape with your index finger and thumb (the BSL sign for C). If they shake their head then mouth "Tea" while touching the outside edge of your left hand (palm up halfway between your little finger and wrist) with your right index finger (BSL sign for T)........ After a while they'll be signing what they want before you ask, you can then reply with a two finger salute (BSL sign for F off)

:rotfl:I do that sometimes, but I make a big T using both hands.

No-one ever asks me if I want tea, they just bring it to me.

Wish this had been a trend 17 years ago, eldest didn't speak until quite late (and then never stopped for a few years), we decided he'd been waiting until he felt he had something to say other than "drink", "book", "biscuit" etc.

crutches

Jay-Jay wrote:

I said "do you want some milk? she opened and shut both her hands (that means milk). Sorted, she's too tired to eat her tea but she wants some milk.

i've never signed with mine but notices they sign at me!
my 10 mth old does the milk sign,claps her hands for food andputs her hand on her face to sleep.
pity we have no classes near and the books r expensive.

Jay-Jay_4

crutches wrote:

i've never signed with mine but notices they sign at me!
my 10 mth old does the milk sign,claps her hands for food andputs her hand on her face to sleep.
pity we have no classes near and the books r expensive.

That's great, she's obviously dying to communicate with you. 10 months is a good age to start as they really know what they want but haven't got the skills to tell you verbally.

Well you don't have to use standard signs, just do what works for you. If your 10 month old claps her hands for food then you can clap back at her saying 'oh you want din-dins?' (or whatever you call it) Make sure that you do the claps on the word din-dins/dinner and she'll soon know that two claps means dinner and that more importantly that 'you' know that.

Another one for you to try is the word 'more'. Jab your right index finger into the palm of your left hand while saying the word more in the question "do you want some more?".

As soon as she repeats the sign dish out plenty of praise and try to use the signs all the time to reinforce them.

eml_3

We signed with DD and after a short while, she started picking them up. She even made up a few of her own - putting one hand to the side of her head for telephone. It certainly hasn't hindered her language development - once she started talking, she never stopped. We didn't sign so much with her younger brother and he is also a complete chatterbox - obviously decided from an early age that he would have to compete to get a word in edgeways.

You don't need to do specific signs if you can't get a book - just do what seems appropriate for you and your baby.

jellyhead

as well as helping my son to talk/communicate i also think signing could have helped him with fine motor skills, and perhaps he'd be less clumsy now. i wasn't with hubby then and i can't get the hang on signing myself, plus there's no reason to assume that my baby will have the same developmental delays that my firstborn had but i still think signing sounds great and hubby's keen to teach us all some signs lol! maybe it will help me to become less clumsy :T