by R.A. Scott

Created on: September 02, 2008

Sign language is a wonderful method of communication. Years ago, it seems like another lifetime, I learned American Sign Language. I needed it to be able to communicate with disable folks. That is where, along with the deaf, it should be used. There is no reason to use sign language for babies who are neither deaf no mentally disabled.

I know of no reason for a baby to learn sign language. At this time, I am helping my grand daughter learn to speak. She is currently 2, as she will proudly tell you and oh she's a girl, but she began trying to speak long before that as most babies do. It is more than obvious that teaching her sign language would have delayed any attempt at speech she might have attempted. Why learn to speak when you can get what you need or want with by signing?

Why would anyone want to teach sign language to a baby anyway? What purpose would that serve? None, for the child; in fact there is simply no reason for a baby to learn to speak. If the child is deaf then it's absolutely appropriate for the baby to learn sign language because sign is something that the child will use for its entire life, in one form or another.

If the baby has a mental disability of some nature then, depending on the particular disability, learning sign language is totally appropriate. Many forms of mentally challenges involve speech problems. So, given that, it is more than appropriate and often necessary to teach sign language to babies. These are things they would need to live with for the rest of their lives. Otherwise normal babies should avoid learning sign like the plague.

Anything that can delay the speech of a child needs to be avoided. If you delay speech in a baby then you can delay other forms of mental development as well. The last thing one needs is for their child to be delayed in their speech because of all the worry and potential problems that can occur from that.

Many recent studies are showing today that learning sign language will not delay a childs learning of language. Every where I have researched has suggested that language will develop just fine in babies so that squelches all my arguments against learning sign language for babies except one: does it benefit the baby or the adult?

I would suggest that it benefits the adult more than the child.
Babies have gone through the centuries without needing or even wanting to learn sign language. Sign language is only wanted by the adults, the caretakers whether parents or others.

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