by Amanda Giannaros

Created on: July 09, 2009   Last Updated: July 10, 2009

Baby sign language is a phenomenon that is sweeping the nation. Daycare, schools, and other developmental programs are teaching signs to babies as early as six months of age. While some parents may think "Great! I can finally understand what my baby is trying to tell me", others are skeptical. Some believe that teaching a baby to use sign language may actually hinder his or her development. So is teaching a baby to sign a good thing or bad?

First of all, baby sign language is not like regular sign language in that it is incomplete. Babies are not being taught to sign full sentences just like babies are not taught to speak full sentences right off the bat. Only basic words that the baby may need to help him communicate are taught. A nine month old baby has no need for words pertaining to politics, religion or even world events, things that adults may talk about. However, words like "hungry", "thirsty", "more", "please", and "thank you" are very useful to a baby who is trying to let his parents know what he needs. These signs are from the American Sign Language dictionary and are simple enough for a child to use, but it is not uncommon for a baby to modify the signs a bit based on their fine motor skill capabilities.

Studies have shown that babies understand language long before they are able to form words. In order for a child to speak coherent words he has to master tongue placement, lip formation and breath control. Hand gestures are much easier for a baby to pick up, in fact it's very natural to use hands to communicate when you don't have words. When traveling in foreign countries, adults use hand gestures to help convey whatever message they need when they don't understand the language. In the same manner, babies use baby sign to convey their needs to their parents before they have words. There is a three step progression in baby sign. First the child uses only the sign to tell his parents what he wants, as time goes on he learns the word and uses both the word and sign together, finally he drops the sign and only uses the word. Some children keep using the signs as the get older, these children may go on to learn American Sign Language and will be bilingual. American Sign Language is the third most common language in America.

Babies are capable of learning and mimicking signs beginning around six months. To teach baby signs, parents do not need to have a degree in language or in early childhood development, all they have to do is demonstrate the sign as they say the word. The more consistent parents are, the easier and faster the baby will pick up the signs. It is natural for children to ape the gestures of their parents, teaching baby sign can help alleviate the frustration of the inability to communicate, and is a great way to boost baby's feelings of satisfaction and accomplishment. There is no evidence to suggest that babies who are taught to sign are in any way hindered in lingual development. It is actually believed that these children learn to speak sooner and have a better grasp of language and better communication skills that those of non-signing children.

The success of baby sign and the number of people committed to it suggest that this is more than just a passing fad. The benefits are numerous and it is not something that is hard to do. Imagine a world where everyone was taught as an infant to communicate their feelings and needs rather than holding them in and getting frustrated. The question is often posed "Why can't we all just sit down and talk about it?", maybe this is the first step to making the world a better, more peaceful place.

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