Most parents have heard of this recent parenting craze but not a lot of parents actually know what baby sign language involves. Many would naturally assume that you teach adult sign language to your baby, but this is not entirely correct. Let me explain why baby signing is very different to adult sign language.
Sign language for people with hearing difficulties is dramatically different from our spoken language; it isn’t just a matter of substituting words with signs in the same sequence. To learn this language effectively, it takes as much effort as it would to learn any new language as it follows its own rhythm and structure. If you were to attempt to learn sign language in order to teach your baby, it is likely that your baby would be talking way before you even get started. This is probably what puts most people off teaching Baby Sign Language to their little ones as they feel they need to learn a second language.
baby signing is different to adult sign language as it doesn’t follow the same structure. Signing for babies is based on the concept of keyword signing. Keyword signing is used in conjunction with speech and is usually used with hearing children and adults. Generally, keyword signing will be used for communication when one person can speak and the other one can’t. Keyword signs are used to compliment the spoken conversation and are used by the non-verbal child or adult to communicate back and respond. Some of the gestures used are often borrowed from sign language or may be modified to be more easily understood or performed.
Babies can understand most of what you are saying from the age of 6 months but they are unable to respond. They try their hardest to communicate through their body language but keyword signing provides a more effective means of communication to help them get their point across. They can easily communicate through the use of keyword signing well before their vocal chords are developed enough for speech. Through this communication method, they suffer less frustration because they are able to let you know what they think and want without the usual guessing games.
A baby that is less than 12 months old will have the ability to copy hand signals. If your baby is already waving hello or goodbye, they are certainly able to add more gestures to their vocabulary. Being understood is very empowering for the child and they recognize early how rewarding it is to have communication skills.
They are able to produce these hand signals at an age far younger than they are able to talk. Most babies are ready to use these signs by the age of 6-9 months whereas some babies may not speak until 12 months. For others who follow a slightly delayed speech development, they may not be able to communicate with words until they are over 2 years old. In this case, Baby Sign Language can be an invaluable tool, allowing them to express themselves almost a year before they would have naturally been afforded that opportunity.
Parent’s who take the time to nurture their child’s development by teaching Baby Sign Language are also more likely to spend quality time with their baby. They are more likely to seek out ways to improve their child’s development which flows on to have many positive benefits other than just the accelerated speech development.
If you have started using baby sign language with your little one, you may be wondering how long it will be until your baby can begin signing back to you. Each baby will follow their own unique development timeline so the answer will be different for each child. In general, babies can begin signing back to you somewhere between the ages of 6-12 months.
If you started teaching baby sign language really early on in their life, don’t despair. Even though this seems like it is a long time to wait, you have already provided them with a valuable head start. Some parents have reported that they started signing with their babies at a really early age but gave up because the baby wasn’t able to do the signs back to them at that point in time. Interestingly, the baby started to sign to them 5 months later, even though it had been months since they saw that sign. If you started early, just relax knowing that at least your baby can understand you.
By the age of about 4-6 months, the baby will be able to respond to your signs. They may not be able to replicate them or specifically ask for something using baby signs but they will be able to understand your signs. You will need to rely on their body language and facial expressions to see if you have been understood. If you sign to your baby for something and they bounce around, flap and get all excited it is a pretty good indication that you have been understood.
The signing progress follows this simple path. At first, when you begin using baby sign language, it will be foreign to both of you. At this stage only introduce one or two signs. The next stage is where you are comfortably and unconsciously performing the sign every time you speak that word. Shortly following this phase you may realize that your baby understands you.
This phase will continue for a little while until your baby develops the ability to have some control over their hands and limbs. At this stage the baby will be eager to show you their signs every now and then but it may not be consistent. Make sure you offer a lot of praise and encouragement during this phase. If they have signed for something, reward them by giving them what they signed for. If this is not appropriate, re-direct them to something else using a different sign. Let them know they have been understood. This will be a great bonding moment for you both and the excitement will be shared equally.
Don’t be alarmed if it takes another week or two until they sign to you again; if you are patient it will come. The next stage will keep you on your toes. Once they have worked out a few signs they will want more and more. Keeping up with them will be your biggest hurdle; they may even make up a few signs of their own.
Remember that the signs are a temporary solution and will be replaced by speech when the time comes. Always sign to the baby and speak the word at the same time to re-enforce the association between the sign and the word.
So it might seem like a long wait until your baby can sign back to you, but the reward can be as exciting as watching them take their first steps or speak their first words.
About the Author: Lisa Baade is the author of Toddler Interpreter, A Parent’s Guide to Baby Sign Language for Hearing Babies and Toddlers.
Download your free baby sign language poster from Toddler Interpreter’s Blog.
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