Sign language is proving to be a vital line of communication from baby to the world, writes Sylvia Thompson
Teaching a sitting or crawling baby sign language may seem like a ludicrous idea yet there is an increasing number of parents now teaching their non-deaf babies how to communicate their needs through simple gestures.
And, as the word spreads about the apparent benefits of such increased mutual understanding, the demand for sign language workshops grows. The techniques to teach hearing babies sign language began in the late 1980s with US child development specialist Joseph Garcia.
He noticed that hearing children of deaf parents could communicate their needs and feelings much earlier than the children of hearing parents.
His university-based research was followed by a learning video and book programme, Sign with Your Baby, which has sold 25,000 copies in Britain.
Since then, various other baby signing programmes have developed in which parents learn and then teach their babies up to 50 signs derived from the American Sign Language and/or the British Sign Language.
In Ireland, there have been occasional visiting sign language experts giving workshops to parents and next month, Dublin-based speech and language therapist Deanne Sanders will present a baby signing workshop in Cork. She began teaching her daughter sign language when she was 10 months old.
"It was about three months before she used the signs spontaneously but before that she imitated my doing the signs from time to time," says Sanders who believes her daughter, who is now two, has more developed verbal language than her peers.
Studies funded by America's National Institute of Health have found that babies who learn sign language do, in fact, develop verbal language earlier than their peers and generally outperform other babies on IQ tests.
There is always the possibility, however, that this is because parents who are motivated enough to teach their babies sign language, also focus more on other learning activities in their babies' lives.
Seeing a one-year-old baby sign for milk when she's thirsty or sign for sleep when she's tired is all very well but does it add another learning task at a time when she is already primed to accomplish other important developmental milestones such as walking?
Not at all, according to Lorraine McHugh, who is organising the Baby Signing Workshop in Cork city.
"Babies will naturally learn sign language and it will not interfere with their normal development. In fact, the idea is that you are giving them a means to express what they need and want and research has shown that babies experience less frustration when they communicate their needs through sign language," says McHugh.
"It is an additional form of communication for them and it's usual that babies learn a lot more from visual cues anyway," adds Sanders.
Baby sign language teachers vary according to their approach to teaching. Some prefer adult only workshops so that the parents can concentrate on learning the signs. However, other teachers teach mothers and babies together in more relaxed weekly classes.
Whichever method is used, the important thing seems to be that parents learn key techniques associated with signing to hearing babies such as to remember to say the word as well as signing and to ensure the baby is able to see the parent's hands and face clearly and there is good eye contact between signer and baby.
Teaching babies sign language may be just another passing fad that zealous parents use to give their children a head start. But, it could just as easily be a clever way to avoid those grunts, screams and whines of frustration common among the under-twos. And, wait for it - there is some evidence that babies who sign are less likely to suffer from temper tantrums. Now, if that's the case, every parent should be teaching their babies sign language.
A Baby Signing Workshop takes place in the Vienna Woods Hotel, Cork City on Saturday, May 1st. Contact Lorraine McHugh on tel: 087 8510741 for full details.
See also www.sign2me.com;
www.babysigns.com;
www.tinytalkuk.com;
www.kindersigns.com