What if you could understand what your baby was thinking? Wouldn’t that be a huge help as you take care of your little one? Well, you don\’t have to guess anymore!
A familiar scenario: It is 4 am and you wake up to your child’s cry. You go to their room, try to figure out what the problem is, and then try to make things better. It is late (actually, extremely early), and you are very tired. The guessing game begins – wet diaper? Hungry? Fever? You try everything, but your baby continues to cry. “I wish he could tell me what the problem is,” you think to yourself, “I feel helpless!”
Now imagine this: It is 4 am and you wake up to your child’s cry. You go to their bed and s/he signs “scared” and then “elephants.” You are puzzled for a second, but quickly realize that there is a loud noise coming from a car on the street. “Oh sweetie, it is just a car outside!” You close the living room window, the noise is reduced, your child stops crying, and everyone goes back to sleep. You may think this sounds far-fetched, but it is based on a true story. Read Monta Briant’s testimonial:
“I have been signing with my daughter from about 6 ½ months old. She is now 13 months, and she does about 40 signs. She will learn a sign after being shown only once, now, and I am in a race to try to come up with more signs. She wants to know the sign for everything! She can tell me just about anything. The other night, as I was putting her to bed, she asked me to close her windows, because there are elephants outside (she thinks) and they might get in (For some reason, she thinks car alarms are elephants, so she hears them out there!). In the past I could only imagine her fears, and we just dismissed her cries of terror as a protest about going to bed?! Thank you so much for this. I try to convince any mother who will listen, to please do it with their baby.” – Monta Briant, CA
Baby Sign Language can reduce much frustration for your child and for you. Instead of just pointing without results, young babies and toddlers are able to express their thoughts, feelings, and needs without crying. You can teach your child to be articulate from a very young age and to use his/her ‘words.’ Baby Sign Language provides parents with a huge head start in the communication department.
Many parents ask me if Baby Sign Language will cause a delay in verbal development. The answer is simple – no!
Drs. Linda Acredolo and Susan Goodwyn of the University of California at Davis conducted studies in which they discovered that babies who learn to communicate with sign language actually develop speech faster than their non-signing peers. Signing creates a more verbal environment because babies initiate conversation about subjects that interest them and their parents more consciously repeat words. Earlier exposure to successful communication actually drives babies to want to speak sooner. Signing can have long-term positive effects on children’s intelligence. In the latest research, children were observed into their eighth year and it was revealed that early signing boosted the children\’s IQ by 10 to 12 points.
In addition, brain researchers have confirmed that signing has a positive effect on brain growth and development by stimulating synapses to form pathways between brain cells and to aid the formation of networks within the brain.
Signing children are often exposed to spelling and letters. They can recognize the alphabet as early as in their second year. Reading books and learning experiences become fun and interactive, molding the desire to learn and explore in their early years.
Dr. Marilyn Daniels, a professor of speech communication at Penn State University, has found that students in pre-kindergarten classes who receive instruction in both English and American Sign Language score higher on the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test than hearing students in classes with no sign languages studies. Adding visual and kinesthetic elements to verbal communication helps to enhance a preschool child’s vocabulary, spelling, and reading skills.
The benefits of sign language don’t end when your child leaves infancy. Parents and educators in my classes are always fascinated by how their kids are able to express themselves through signing at any age. Your child will communicate with you and articulate himself/herself at higher levels all the time. I invite you to join me on this journey and open the window to your child’s mind.
Happy Signing!