by Erin Steeley

Created on: July 09, 2009

The mother looked down at her one year old, who was holding a small fist up in the air and flexing it open and closed repeatedly. The mother beamed, leaned down and repeated the sign, speaking, "You want some milk? Ok, let's go get some. Good job!" The child in this example is hearing, and so is the mother. Why would two hearing people being using sign with one another? For children who are on the crux of speaking, use of some of the simple signs from American Sign Language are a doorway to early communication, reduced frustration, and increased interaction with parents at an earlier age on a linguistic level.

People have often argued that sign language use with young children will stunt their speech, but it is actually the contrary. From the ages of zero to five, the mind is an endless sponge, soaking in words, visual images, actions, behaviours, and everything that is going on in the world around them. Teaching a foreign langauge at this age is one of the best times, with some children even learning two or three at the same time. This is done all over the world, and is highly successfull if taught properly. This is the exact same case with sign language. The minds of parents can be put to ease because you don't have to teach them an entire language system, such a few simple signs that will offer the child a chance to communicate, such as: more, love, stop, no, yes, milk, cookie and many others.

Using these simple signs will actually stimulate the child to communicate more, and they will speak on their own schedule, just as nature set it up. Imagine being able to communicate with your child up to a year earlier than normal, and to have them communicate to your their feelings, wants and needs clearly - even though it will be at a basic level. What a wonderful opportunity for the parent and child, if the fear of a myth is put aside. This has been studied by the scientific community, and is readily supported by many different, credible organizations. According to an article on the website for Children's Hospital in St. Louis, by teaching a baby sign, they can communicate with you as early as six months. Studies also suggest a stronger relationship between a parent and his or her child, and the possibility of increased creativity later on.

Sign language signs used with hearing babies is a fantastic way for parents to bridge the communication gap at this early age and to deeply stimulate their child's mind. If the parent is open, and puts away the fear of myth, they will be amazed at the amount of talking that their little one can do on their fingers and face before their words ever appear, without stunting of later speech.

Check out these sites below for information on teaching your baby to sign:

http://www.stlouischildrens.org/content/healthinfo/S ignLanguageforBabiesandToddlers.htm

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId =5441254

http://www.signing4babies.com/freesample.pdf

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