Baby Sign Language

 

kiddly.com

During the summers while I was a high school student, I worked as a Park and Recreation Director. It was a fun job that entailed planning activities for children and supervising them while on field trips. I was blessed with the opportunity to work with a six year old boy, named Jared, who was deaf. I decided to learn sign language so that I could communicate with him more easily and so that Jared could also feel like he had a friend in the program who could understand him. Jared and I formed a very special bond. In many ways I became his protector. He loved to give me a cuddle and rest his head on my shoulder. In my hugs, I think he found a safe haven; a place where he could tune out the world that so often didn't understand him.

Jared would often become frustrated with the other children or staff when they could not communicate him; often which was portrayed through mild forms of aggression. I would step in and try to calm him down and talk to the other children about ways in which they could make their play easier and more enjoyable. The other children became very interested in sign language and by the end of the summer, Jared had formed several friendships with the other children. I remember once walking past a picnic table and seeing Jared underneath it with another friend. He had her hand and was placing her fingers in the right position to sign the word, 'duck.' Before I knew it they were both laughing and 'quacking' away. It melted my heart to see such happiness radiate from Jared, so much different than the little boy who first came to the park to play. To this day I can still hear their little giggles in my head; a thought that brings a huge smile to my face every time.

Five years later, I was able to use my knowledge of sign language while working as a Group Leader in a day care nursery. I began signing simple and frequently used words; such as: milk, more, eat, drink, gentle and sleep. The other staff and I were amazed at how quickly the children picked up the signs. Before we knew it, we had a group of little baby signers. We were so proud of them! We were also proud of ourselves for our diligence and consistency which really paid off. We weren't the only ones who reaped the rewards; the babies were less frustrated because they found a pre-verbal way to communicate with us. There was far less guessing on what an individual child wanted; needs were meet with a simple sign. It was fun to see the faces on astonished parents when they noticed their little bub could speak a language that they hadn't even mastered. Parents and grand-parents would tell us how wonderful it was to be able to communicate with their precious little ones. Parents also reported that they felt more comfortable leaving their children with a babysitter, because they worried less about whether or not the sitter could understand their children's wants. All they would have to do was look at chart of baby signs to figure out the children's cues. After all, if baby is happy, everyone is happy!

For the last two months, my husband and I have been working on sign with Lachlan. He began to show the common signs of readiness; looking at where I am pointing, reaching and starting to wave his hand. My husband and I decided to teach Lachlan American Sign Language (ASL), despite the fact that we live in Australia. The main reason for this is because I  find that the American signs that a bub would use are much easier to mimic than those of the Australian Sign Language. For example, in Australian sign language, to make the sign for 'daddy,' one must straighten the two pointer fingers while keep the other fingers curled up in a fist (as if pointing to something), while tapping the top finger onto the bottom. This can be very difficult for a little baby as opposed to the American sign which is just keeping the fingers unfolded on your hand (as to give a High-5) and tapping the thumb to the forehead. Also the majority of resources such as books and flashcards, are based on ASL and not Australian. ASL is just a better fit for our family, especially since I already know the basics.

Besides the wonderful pre-verbal communicative advantages, studies have shown that sign language in infancy fosters verbal language development. Research indicates that children who know sign language during infancy, will have higher verbal language skills than those who did not sign as infants.

If you are interested in exploring the wonderful world of sign language and sharing in this experience with your baby, there are numerous resources that can help you on your adventure. The public library is a great place to start as there are so many great baby sign books that you can check out which will also explain in depth the many benefits of signing. The internet also has some great sites that are helpful for the 'non-reader' audience such as; Your Baby Can Talk or Signing Savvy, which is my favourite as it has a video dictionary you can search, which will demonstrate the sign.

 At the moment Lachlan is very interested in watching what I am doing with my hands. He stares intently and moves his hands, unsure of what he is supposed to do with them. Continue to check back as I track Lachlan's signing progress.  Until next time, Happy Signing!