As a new mother, as well as a new sign language interpreter, I thought it would be neat to teach my child sign language. Most of us know that sign language adapts universally. As my son was about two months old I begin signing to him simple words that he could comprehend. He picked up on it rather quickly and I was the typical bragging mom when he was six months old and signing everything he said.

What I did not realize, until it was almost too late, is that his speech was very poor because he signed so much. He had a sign language vocabulary of over eighty-five words at the age of eight months. When I took him in for his one year check up the doctor asked me if he had been diagnosed hearing impaired. I assured him that Josh was not hearing impaired, but that we use sign language because part of our ministry is to the deaf community.

What he said to me next was alarming. "Ma'am, your son is severely behind in his speech capabilities. If I were you, I would stop signing and start speaking." I left the doctor's office very distraught and feeling like the worst parent in the world. How could I have done this to my own child? I would have to find a way to teach him both languages successfully.

The following afternoon Josh began signing to me that he wanted his ball. I put my hands over my eyes and said, "Josh, speak to me. Tell me you want your ball. When you do that first, then I will watch you sign." It wasn't easy for him because he had been rewarded so often for learning the signs so quickly. However, eventually, after a few weeks he caught on to the idea that mommy wasn't going to watch him sign unless mommy could hear him speak too.

Josh is now 28, and a successful business owner. He struggled most of his life in school and pretty much his entire adult life as well. Most of his problems to this day are communication.

I had three other children in the following years. All of them know sign language and are good communicators. In fact, one of them has a degree in communications. What did I do differently? I rewarded them equally for speaking the word and signing it.

Here are some quick tips to get started in teaching your baby sign language:

Use single words to begin with such as bottle, baby, mama, etc. By the way, my favorite ASL (American Sign Language) book is "The Joy of Signing."

Reward the child for signing the word correctly.

Always speak the word as well as signing it. The child will learn both languages equally.

Your child will have a tendency to use sign language alone to communicate. This is because it is easier for the child to perform. Do not encourage your child to use sign language only when communicating, even if he/she is hearing impaired. Teach them to say the word too.

Once your child is about six months old, play simple games that teach sign language? Ask questions such as, "Where is the ball?" "Where's the dog?"

If you live near a deaf community, take your baby to spend a day in the park with your deaf friends. They will appreciate the social connection as well as your desire to teach your child sign language.

If you have a desire to teach your child sign language, I think that is wonderful. However, it is important to make sure that they are communicating in all aspects of their life, not only with sign. The main thing to remember is to have fun. Don't get stressed out if your child isn't catching on immediately. Chances are you didn't either.

Learn more about this author, Elizabeth Saint.
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