Have you ever seen a baby throwing a tantrum in shopping centers or restaurants and cringed? Those poor babies aren’t getting their needs met. The level of noise plus the length of the tantrum equals the level of frustration for the unfortunate baby. I have seen mothers almost reduced to tears trying to work out what their baby wants. And as the tantrum and crying increases, the more it is going to take to pacify that unhappy child.
In contrast, have you ever seen hearing impaired babies throw a tantrum? Or the babies of the hearing impaired? Not really. These parents have taught their children sign language for babies, probably from birth, and as the child’s motor control develops, they are able to sign back.
Some research suggests that the first six months are the most important ones for your child’s development of language skills. The more you can talk to your baby and show them sign language during these first months, the better.
There are a number of myths surrounding sign language for babies and I would like to address them here.
1. Does signing hinder speech?
No. In fact it has been shown that signing with your baby and saying the word at the same time actually helps speech development. Your baby ‘understands’ the word on different levels - hearing the word associated with an action (signing), hearing the word associated with getting a need met (eg milk), and hearing the word repeated over and over. How many non-signing mothers actually say the word ‘milk’ when they put the baby to the breast or give them formula. By hearing the word and seeing the word and doing the word, your child is getting mega reinforcement.
2. Does signing hinder IQ development?
Definitely not. In fact the reverse is true. Studies have shown that school age children (hearing) who have been signing from an early age actually have a higher IQ than their peers. This could be partly due to the increased amount of stimulation the neural pathways in the brain receive from an early age and partly due to the increased amount of one-on-one time spent with their mother/caregiver.
3. Does signing enhance self confidence and esteem?
Absolutely! The baby that knows its needs are going to be met quickly will soon develop confidence and esteem whereas the baby whose needs are being ignored or taking time to be met will feel insecure much of the time. Look at it from your adult point of view - if your partner doesn’t respond to your advances how do you feel. Unsure of yourself - right? As an adult you have the added knowledge that you can tell your partner what you need. Your preverbal baby can’t. However, if your baby knows that you will respond to a sign she makes, she will feel more confident within herself.
Children and babies learn by imitating and play - and everything is a game to a child - they don’t consider it work. Make it a whole family affair - if you have older children encourage them to learn as well. They will bond more with your new baby and will develop a great sense of achievement when they are able to ‘translate’ what their baby sister/brother needs to non-signing friends or adults.
It is not necessary to learn a whole new language immediately. Start with a few words but start early. If you start learning while you are still pregnant you will know enough to begin with when your child is born. An excellent resource is Sign Language for Babies and Beyond by Wendy Jensen. This program comes as a downloadable ebook and also has a video so you can see it in action. Remember, keep it consistent. It will soon become second nature to you both.
Even before babies are able to sign, they learn to shake their head for ‘no’. Then by using sign language for babies, it is simply a matter of elimination to find out what your baby wants. And when the screaming stops and your baby smiles, everyone breathes a sigh of relief.
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