Sign Language and Its Effects on Language Development in Toddlers
Baby sign language is a method hearing parents can use to communicate with their hearing infants and toddlers. Baby sign language uses gestures from American sign language and allows babies to communicate their needs clearly even before they can speak. Hearing babies who learn sign language tend to have earlier language development, larger vocabularies and less frustration. In addition, parents who use baby sign language tend to engage their babies more because they use their voice, hands and eye contact simultaneously.
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History
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One of the first books to teach baby sign language was published by Joseph Garcia. Interest in signing with babies began in the 1980s, and one research pioneer at that time was Joseph Garcia. Garcia noted that hearing children who used sign language with deaf parents began to speak earlier than those raised without sign language. Garcia published one of the first books for parents who wanted to teach hearing babies to sign, "Sign With Your Baby." Since then, more books and programs have been created to encourage early development in babies and toddlers via sign language.
Development
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Babies can form simple signs as early as four to eight months. The first 3 years of a child's life are very important to their development. Motor control is one of the first skills to develop, while speech is one of the final skills. Babies who have accomplished the motor skills needed to do things with their hands, like wave and hold a rattle, can begin to use basic signs. Some babies can use signs like "milk," "book" and "more" as early as four to eight months; several months before they develop the mouth, tongue and vocal cord skills needed to use speech. Sign language is a valuable tool to bridge the gap where a child knows what he wants but cannot use spoken words to get it.
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Advantages
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Toddlers who learned to sign as babies often have a bigger vocabulary. In "Baby Signing 1-2-3: The Easy-to-Use, Illustrated Guide for Every Stage and Every Age," Nancy Cadjan suggests that hearing babies who learn to sign have several advantages over those who do not learn sign language. Some of these include the ability to communicate basic needs and wants as early as seven to nine months, a larger vocabulary, speech development at an average of 12 months or earlier and higher verbal and language testing scores.
Time Frame
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At 24 months, a toddler who signs can have a large vocabulary. At four to seven months, most babies' vision and motor skills are developed enough to begin learning signs. Babies usually begin to use the signs when they are between six and 12 months old. Many babies who learn to sign may have a 200- to 300-word vocabulary and speak three- to five-word sentences by the time they are 24-months old. Babies of the same age who do not sign usually have a vocabulary of 50 spoken words and sentences of two or three words by these points.
Benefits
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Baby sign language can enhance communication and reduce frustration. Sign language reduces frustration for both you and your child because it reduces the guesswork. Instead of trying to guess what your baby wants, you can teach your baby signs for words used in your daily routine. If your baby wants milk, she can tell you by making the sign for something like "milk." To sign "milk," the hand is held slightly open, thumb facing up, and then closed into a fist repeatedly---mimicking milking a cow. When you teach your child sign language, you also further cement your bond with her because of the extra time spent learning signs and the resulting communication.
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References
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- Photo Credit baby image by Olberto Mejia. from Fotolia.com writing book image by AGphotographer from Fotolia.com baby image by Yvonne Bogdanski from Fotolia.com toddler singing image by Mary Beth Granger from Fotolia.com toddler in the park image by cat from Fotolia.com Crying Toddler image by Mary Beth Granger from Fotolia.com
