Baby Sign Language...

Just wondering if anyone has tried baby sign language with their baby? Apparently it's great for eliminating frustration for the child before they can actually form words verbally, and can help reduce tantrums etc. They reckon that babies as young as 6 months old can learn basic signs to communicate their needs...It also seems to me to be a good idea to teach them a second language anyhow (seeing as they're so open to learning at this age).

Just interested to know if anyone here knows much about it? I'm thinking of using it with bubs when she's here!

Yep I do and yes I plan too. I work with autistic children and use makaton signs with them and I plan to use sign with felix although he's 8 mths and not signing yet, but I am starting to teach him. I haven't got any books although they exsist so do baby sign classes. I already know a lot of makaton (different to Auslan which the deaf community uses) and it is designed to be used with the spoken word.

I would look around to see if you can find a simple course in the basics, it really helps being shown the signs and how to reinforce them.

Maybe start with a book from the libruary? and then find a class?

I've had friends who use different signs with their babies and have started basic ones with Matilda already :D I think its a great way to help encourage them to communicate with others.

What a great idea... I have a magazine article about it, and I had always planned to give it a go, but it has pretty much slipped my mind since.
I would love to teach Aidyn some basic signs to help him communicate with me... and it is so true, they are just so open to learning at this point!

Have you seen Meet the Fockers???
Very funny use of baby sign in this movie!! Speically the sign for hungry/milk!! And poo. Not sure if this was an international standard for the language, or just made up for the film.
I think it would be pretty good - provided you didn't take it to that extreme! :D

I signed with ds and he is now 2 and got fantastic language (puts 5-8 words in a sentence) I started at 6months. He caught on quite quickly but don't expect them to start signing until 12month. We just did the basics eg, Please thankyou, more, water, no more, no, yes, and common objects. once he started he was quite good at it and it takes those frustrating moments out. To encourage them in it, get their little hand and move it with yours in making the sign. Sometimes he did his own little altered version due to his stage of development so don't expect the exact sign from them.

hth

Liam is ten months old and we have been starting Baby Signs. I got a video and a couple of board books from the local baby specialist shop. They say as soon as baby starts to wave "Bye Bye" to start as they associate an action for a word. He has been waving for more than a month.

I bought the Eating Board book, and we are practising "More", "drink" and "food", he hasnt caught on with these signs yet. But the video says to say the word and the action at the same time. Liam makes an "mmmm" sound for more.

The video is okay, but Liam isnt a child who looks at the TV, so it was a bit of an unnessecary purchase, but it does give more signs, and an explanation at the beginning. It has cute animations, children signing and real life pictures to emphasise the signs.

My nephew has oral dispraxia(?SP) and made the regular baby gurgles but at eighteen months still had no more than mum in his vocabulary. My sister sent him to a speech pathologist, and now at 4, he is still 18 months behind. Baby signs helped him communicate, he was getting very frustrated! And helped him to acquire language faster when his tongue muscles became stronger.

I recommend doing some form of signing, it cant hinder.

just curious, would teaching a non hearing or non speach impaired bubs sign language make them a slower starter with their speech?

Not entirely sure of the researched answer on that one, but I do know two little girls who were both taught signs, and everytime the mums used sign they said the words they wanted the girls to say. One little one started putting words together & talking well around 20 months and the other around 23 months. Both have really good manners at eating time & saying what they want or do not want. So... in watching them grow up with using some signing, I've decided to do the same... I think their speech development was "normal" but I'm sure someone might have a more technical answer LOL :)

I've been interested in baby sign language as well & we're considering doing it with Kynan. I've heard that it doesn't negatively affect their speech development and that, if anything, it can help them communicate though speech earlier.

No it doesn't slow normal speech development, when you sign you use the verbal word too, it is the same type of signing you do with Makaton that you use with children with Autism, however a child with no developmental delays will communicate verbally faster (so will a child with developmental delays that previously didn't communicate, or has low communication)

Their fine motor skills in their hands develop faster in their hands than their mouths, and so signing can stop the frustration of communication and also encourage them to communicate more because their is a great chance they'll be understood!

If you think about it children already sign by pointing (that is a simple sign!) but this just teaches them if the place their hands in a certain position, they can communicate their needs!

HTH!

i would like to teahc chloe sign language i reckon as itd be a great skill to learn!, i ws never taught it and i had some people come into work using it so i reckon itd be a great skill to learn at such an early age.

take care
Lesley

As stated by Katanya and others, there is no hindrance in "normal" children as you are saying the word with the action.

When you say"Bye" to friends and family, are you encouraging you child to wave? That's baby signing and the first indicator that they are ready to learn. When the phone rings, put your hand up to your ear like a handset and say phone... another Baby sign. Point to your lips when giving food and say "Food", Hold your thumb up and fingers curled into a fist(to resemble a bottle, or drink cup) and you have the Baby sign for "Drink". Very simple signs, allowing your baby when they have understood them to communicate their needs.

Just another thought, when you say "eyes" and point to your eyes, and other body parts, that's also Baby signing. Its just fun exploration of language.

Thanks for those signs Vanessa.. they are so simple!! Are there any more that you use??

Check out your local library, I found a couple of baby sign books, much to my surprise. Apparently Auslan is encouraged, but I'm not sure why or what difference it makes. Sometimes you may find you and bubs may naturally make your own signs.
Some start signing back as early as eight months but I think 11-12mths is the time they start to respond.

I don't know if I mentioned in my past post but there are some good sites if you google signing and baby. Some actualy walk you through the signs and show motion picture of someone doing it. As I said my ds has fantastic language at 2 and we signed from 6 mths with him.

Thanks Rose.... I havent found the sites that walk you through it yet... all they seem to do is want to sell me their book on it etc. However I will look more tomorrow when I have time.
It is such a great idea, the more I read about it the more I really want to teach myself, DP and Aidyn. We will start tomorrow I think :)