Benefits of Using American Sign Language with your Baby or Child

Baby & Toddler Sign Language Classes in Sacramento, Citrus Heights & Roseville Areas

Teaching Parents & Caregivers how to use American Sign Language with Babies & Children

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Benefits of Using American Sign Language with your Baby or Child

American Sign Language (ASL) is the third most commonly used language in the United States. Using ASL with your child instead of invented or modified signs, allows others in your child’s life to effectively communicate with your child. In addition, your child will have the ability to communicate with others he may come in contact with who are differently-abled than he, and you are laying a foundation for your child to continue to learn ASL throughout his life. Scientific research shows that a baby can understand and express much more than was previously thought. Babies as young as six to eight months may be able to begin signing back to you, although they will physically not be able to speak to you for many, many months or even a year or two later.

Learning to use ASL with your baby is simple and does not require that you become fluent in ASL. You start by simply learning a few basic signs (often starting with “MILK”, “MORE”, and “EAT”) and consistently and frequently using those with your baby during your regular daily interactions. The SIGN with your BABY® Book, Instructional Video/DVD, and laminated Quick Reference Guide are excellent resources for you to use to begin signing with your baby or child. The Instructional Video/DVD shows Dr. Joseph Garcia, the author of SIGN with your BABY®, demonstrating 145 ASL signs which are frequently used with babies and children.

It is never too early to begin signing with your baby, although most babies will be unable to reproduce signs until they have developed memory, dexterity, and cognition to recognize, retain, and produce signs (usually not until they are six to eight months old). It is also never too late to begin signing with your child. Preschool and school-age children usually love to sign and are able to pick up and retain signs very quickly. Using songs and games along with signing also helps to build language and early literacy skills. The Pick Me Up! Music CD & Activity Guide is perfect for toddlers and children, and is even enjoyable for parents. The signs to the catchy tunes are shown in the Activity Guide so you and your child can sign, sing, and dance along with the music.

By giving your baby a way to communicate, you are greatly enhancing your relationship and becoming much more in-tune with your child. The frustration levels of both the parents/caregivers and baby are significantly less when a baby can simply sign that they would like “MILK” instead of crying or whining while parents try to figure out what the baby wants.

Benefits of Signing at Home:

¨ Able to get to know your child and what they are thinking and feeling at a MUCH earlier age than a non-signing child.

¨ Allows your infant to communicate with you in a clear, easily-understood way.

¨ Greatly reduces frustration levels of the baby and parents/caregivers.

¨ May improve a child’s IQ.

¨ Will not delay verbal language development. In fact, as research shows, your signing child may actually speak sooner and more proficiently than a child who doesn’t sign.

¨ No need to guess what your child is asking for.

¨ Signing children are usually more interested in books and develop literacy at an earlier age.

Benefits of Signing in Childcare:

¨ Enables children to interact more peacefully with each other by communicating their needs and wants.

¨ Allows caregivers to know what a child needs, instead of spending time trying to figure it out.

¨ Enables children of varying abilities to be able to communicate with each other.

¨ Tends to reduce incidents of biting, hitting, and yelling, as the children are better able to communicate and have reduced frustration levels.

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