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Welcome to the World of Signing with Babies!
By: Linda Acredolo, PH.D.
The Problem. As adults, we tend to forget what a complicated a job babies face when they want to learn to say a word. They must not only be able to produce individual speech sounds at will, but also memorize the specific order of those very complex motor movements so that they can quickly and easily reproduce them in the right situations.
The Solution. Thanks to a revolutionary communication technique we call “The Baby Signs® Program,” babies now have a way around these obstacles and, as a result, are communicating effectively months and months earlier than would be possible were they to wait for words.
How does it work? The Baby Signs® Program uses simple, physical gestures that can stand for things babies want and need to talk about. Such signs are really just an extension of what we all do naturally when we teach our babies to wave “bye-bye” or shake their heads for “yes” and “no.” These three old standards, we now know, are just the tip of the iceberg. Babies are not only capable of, but eager to, learn many more—like tapping fingertips against the lips for EAT, tapping fingertips of both hands together for MORE, and tapping index fingers together for HURT. Because gestures like these are so easy for babies to see and to imitate, such signs can help babies deal much more patiently with the period when they know what they want to say but have no way to say it.
World Wide Network Spreads the Good News! Fortunately for the babies of the world, the good news about this remarkably easy technique is spreading far and wide via a rapidly expanding network of Certified Baby Signs® Instructors. Comprised of speech pathologists, child development professionals, and, especially, moms and dads who have discovered for themselves the joys of the Baby Signs® Program, this network is providing guidance to families through high quality workshops, classes, and products. (For information about how you can join this enthusiastic team and enjoy the same monetary and emotional rewards, visit the “Careers” page at www.babysigns.com.)
The Research. But how do we know that signing is good for babies? For example, isn’t it possible that if babies get what they want without saying words, they will be less motivated to learn to talk? With the help of a large grant from the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Susan Goodwyn and I carefully explored these questions. Specifically, we compared signers to non-signers from the same communities on standardized tests of verbal language development over a period of two years (from 11 months to 36 months). What did we find? In test after test the signers were more advanced than the non-signers in verbal language skills. More recently, we’ve even discovered that the children who had used the Baby Signs® Program as infants had significantly higher IQs than their non-signing peers at age 8! (For more information about these and other of our peer-reviewed, research papers, visit the “research” pages at www.babysigns.com.)
Other Important Benefits. Of course, we were delighted to discover that the Baby Signs® Program had such positive effects on learning to talk and on intellectual development. However, we were equally thrilled to find that the families in our studies were enjoying rich emotional benefits from signing as well. What’s more, these observations have been confirmed by parents time and time again in the years since. Here are a few specifics:
Using the Baby Signs® Program….
• reduces tears, tantrums, and frustration;
• enables babies to express needs and share their worlds with adults;
• enriches interactions and strengthens the parent-child bond;
• reveals how smart babies are and gives parents a window into their baby’s mind;
• builds a positive foundation for future emotional development by helping children express feelings in a constructive way;
• makes daily life with Baby much smoother and more fun!
Make the Baby Signs® Program Work for You. There are several ways you can make the Baby Signs® Program work for you:
• If you are a parent with a young baby, you can be supported in your effort to teach your baby to sign by attending classes offered by a Certified Baby Signs® Instructor near you. These include the Baby Signs® Parent Workshop and two series of Sign, Say & Play™ classes designed for parents and babies to attend together. You may also want to pick up some of the wonderful books, videos, toys and learning kits we have available at www.babysigns.com.
• Second, if you’re an Early Childhood Educator who is interested in the benefits of signing in the classroom, you may want to arrange a training tailored especially for your childcare facility by a Certified Baby Signs® Instructor.
• And last but not least, if you have a passion for helping families and a desire to spread the good news about the Baby Signs® Program, then our Certified Baby Signs® Instructor opportunity may be just what you’re looking for.
To learn more about workshops, classes, products and career opportunities available through the Baby Signs Institute, visit us at www.babysigns.com or call 1-800-995-0226.
Author, Baby Signs: How to Talk With Your Baby Before Your Baby Can Talk, McGraw-Hill, 1996, 2000
