Baby Sign Language

My Experience Using Sign Language with My Baby 

I was excited when Brooke asked me to write a post on her blog about the use of American Sign Language (ASL) with babies. I have been an ASL Interpreter now for about 15 years. I always knew that when I had children of my own I was going to teach them ASL.  

When my niece was about a year old she was throwing tantrums and screaming to get what she wanted. My sister was so frustrated she asked me to teach her how to sign with her daughter. She was willing to try anything to eliminate the tantrums she was having on a daily basis. It took my niece a few weeks to catch on but once she realized she could ask for what she wanted it made a huge difference. 

In April of 2013 I had a son of my own. I was excited to begin signing with him. I started by signing milk when he nursed. Obviously at this time he was too young to grasp it but that didn’t discourage me. The real signing began at about 6 months old. I was signing to him all the time hoping that one day he would catch on and begin to sign back to me. I used the basics like more, eat, milk, mom, dad, bath. After 3 months he had only produced the sign “more” a handful of times. It was frustrating. I was a sign language interpreter, how would it look if I could not get my own child to sign. 

I didn’t give up though, I continued signing with him. Finally at about 10 months old he grasped the concept of communication. Now he is 18 months old and has a vocabulary of about 35 or more signs. It got to a point where I only had to show him the sign once and he would remember it and add it to his vocabulary and use it on a daily basis. I was so thrilled with how well he was doing. The greatest part is I rarely have a tantrum from him. He was has always been able to tell me what he wants so he never needs to resort to screaming and pointing. 

One of the concerns that I have heard from parents about signing with their baby is will it delay their child’s ability to speak. This is not the case with my son. He has a large speaking vocabulary and repeats everything we say even if it isn’t exactly clear. We call him our little parrot. Needless to say, He uses a combination of sign and speech now. He has 4 cousins within his age range and he speaks better then all of them. He is such a bright child. 

Here are some example video's of good signs to introduce to your infant:

"Eat"

"More"

"Please"

"Thank you"

"Utensil" (pen/pencil/crayon)

"Candy"

"Cat"

If you are considering signing with your baby, I would highly recommend it. It will impact your childs Language development, cognitive development, social development, not to mention the extra bonding between you and your child.  As a professional in the field and a mother, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I have seen the benefits in my child’s life. The key is persistence and repetition. It is well worth it in the end. 

Here are a few websites with further information on signing with your baby. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.  

http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/infant-and-toddler-health/expert-answers/baby-sign-language/faq-20057980 

http://sign2me.com/index.php 

http://www.parentingscience.com/baby-sign-language.html 

http://www.mhit.org/images/Signing_with_Babies_and_Children.pdf 

Melissa East 

itsmeburbs@gmail.com