Baby Sign Language - Rio Rancho,NM

Baby Signing is great! I wish I would have done it w/ my children. They have so much they want to communicate; but don't yet have the vocabulary.

Try "Baby Signs by Katheryne" at http://www.signinghandsoutreach.com/

Good luck! :)

The few responses I read are great. I am a Speech-Language Pathologist and use sign language with my daughter, now 17 months. I started when I started feeding her cereal. A few to start with are - more, drink, eat, milk- please. Those are all the ones I used and she did great with them. She still uses them plus says the word with it. It does not delay speech because you are saying the word when you sign it.

Good luck.

I've heard sign language actually helps babies learn to speak earlier. My son has speech delays and didn't talk at all until he was three, we would not have been able to communicate without sign language. It should be fun for you guys!

I used sign language with my daughter and felt it was the best experience. Her speech development was early. She is 2 1/2 years now and speaks in complete 8-10 word sentences, is very expressive, and understands almost all of adult conversation. My opinion is language is language whether it is spoken or signed. Young babies know what they want, but have not developed the verbal skills yet to be able to communicate, but if you give them another way (signing) they love it. I feel she was less frustrated and more easy going because adults around her understood what she wanted. She attended a day care part time starting at 12 mos. and used her signing with the day care providers and they were able to respond to her more quickly because they knew for sure what she wanted. One day I walked in during lunch time and saw that other 12 mos. kids were beginning to use the sign for more. I asked the providers if they had been teaching the signing to the other kids. They said no, the other kids just began picking it up from watching my daughter. My opinion was that they saw how quickly she got what she wanted and they wanted the same type of reactions and so they began to pick up the signing as well. I have never read research on baby signing or picked up a book on it. I heard about it from a friend of mine and decided to try it. I did have a book on American Sign Language (not geared towards baby signing, but just listed the basic signs for words.)

We started very basic with more and all done (finished) around 4-6 mos. by 8-9 mos. she began accurately signing those words to us to express her needs. We started the signing but also saying the word and doing the action (more milk, more food, more play, etc.)

I then introduced no, please, thank you, and even potty around 18 mos. because she had begun expressing interest in using the potty. Again at 18 mos. she was able to express to the caregivers when she needed to go potty at 18 mos. or when her diaper was wet/dirty etc.

She eventually had a signing vocabulary of about 10-15 words. I don't remeber all of them off hand, but if you are interested I know I did write them down. She eventually weaned herself off using the signing but it was a natural progression, she would begin saying the word and signing the word as well, and then eventually just dropped the sign.

We recently had a 2nd (3 mos.) and the topic of signing came back up. We have not used signing with my daughter in over a year and out of the blue last week we asked her if she remembered how to say more and she busted out with the sign for more without hesitation. She didn't remember every sign right away but when I gave her two choices of the sign she was able to accurately pick which one it was.

Again just my opinon, but I think signing stimulates that language area in the brain very early and HELPS not hinders language development.
Hope you find this helpful, I loved signing with my baby. It made me feel very close to her and like we had a very strong connection because we understood each other at a very early age.
Good Luck!

Hi R.,
I am a speech therapist and have 3 children of my own. I have used sign language with my clients but I only used it a little with my own children. They were saying words by 12 months so I didn't really worry about it. The theory as I understood it when we first started using it in therapy is that it's a means to help children communicate that can't for whatever reason say the words. So in the case of your baby being only 4-5 months old we wouldn't expect her to be able to say words but if she can imitate some hand movements she might be able to sign for things. It is supposed to help eliminate frustration because they can communicate their needs more clearly. That being said the reason people tell you to start now is the same reason that you would want to be talking to your child right now - so they have a model. A child 4-5 months old may not have the ability to imitate signs yet so that shouldn't be the expectation but the modeling still helps. Perhaps by 8-9 months she will be able to sign some words which is generally earlier than first words at 12 months. With children that I have worked with, the signing has not delayed their speech because as soon as they figured out that they could say it - they stopped signing. The very best thing you can do to help your child is just talk to her and model speech, play with vocal sounds, and signing to is another form of communication that can be played with as well.
If you are looking for a book there is one called Signing For Kids by Mickey Flodin that makes the traditional signs from ASL a little easier for children. If you are just using sign to supplement language development it is not necessary to have each sign perfect. This book uses bigger hand movements for younger children who can't make all the fine motor distinctions. I hope that helps.

I used sign language with my 2 year old daughter. My husband and I loved it. We just used the very basic signs to help her communicate, like milk, more, please, again. She took to it very well. We had no problem with speech delay, but we also said the word every time we signed it so she could hear it to and make the association. I am not sure what bok to tell you to use, because we did not use one I already knew sign so a book was not needed. Hope that helps a little.

We did sign language with our third baby (she is 16 months now) and it is really cool! I didn't go crazy with it, just a few signs I saw in a book (I think it is called Baby Signs) to help her communicate. We started with "more" around 6 months and she started doing it back to us around 9 months. It was so awesome to communicate with a baby!! Then we did "eat", "drink", "all done" and "thank you"...adding each one in until she would respond over the months. We haven't really added any for about 4 months now because she started to use some words and I didn't want her to delay speech any longer. I have noticed that she doesn't seem to talk or use her words as early as my other two girls did, but I think that it was worth it because she was a much easier baby because she could communicate with us! Keep at it, it takes a few months for them to respond and it seems like they will never get it, but they do and it's so cool!! Have fun!

I would go for it! We did it with our now 3 1/2 year old and it was great. I do not feel that it slowed her speech at all and she started talking around 1 and she used both sign and speech it was so cute. We are also using it with our 10 month old son and my daughter remembered her signs and signs to him as well. It has been fun. Just start slow with a few signs and always use the words. We read "signing with baby" and our friend also teaches baby sign you may want to see if anyone in your area has some classes.

I started my daughter at 6 months old, just signing to her the basics, milk, water, sleep, tired, etc. At around 9 months we used the videos called Baby Signing Time and also Signing Time available online and at Sigingtime.com. They are the most amazing videos made by a mom with a daughter who's first language is ASL. Alex, Leah, Hopkins and Rachel who star in these videos are now household names in our home. The videos have also been on PBS. We have loved every aspect of signing. We did not have near the temper tantrums with our daughter that we did with our son and owe a lot of this to the fact that she could communicate, through sign language, her needs, wants and frustrations. Hope this helps and have fun signing!!!!!

My grandson is Autistic and we started with sign language as soon as we found out he was Autistic. I couldn'a afford to buy books so I checked them out at our local library. Sorry I can't remember the names, as this was years ago. My grandson and I made our own special signing by pointing to our eyes and then to our hearts then pointing to each other,(I Love You). Good Luck and have fun. I am proud that now he talks (up a storm), and in regular school.

I ordered dvds from www.signingtimes.com. My son loves them. I even enjoyed watching them with him. He learned a lot of signs by the time he turned one and also learned to speak clearly at a young age. He is 2 1/2 now and doesn't use his signs much anymore he just tells us what he wants now.

I did not sign with my first child, he spoke clearly very early. However, I read to him ALOT! My daughter we did sign with her from the time of her birth. She uses speech and sign interchangeably. I have seen other children sign while they speak! Sign language actually helps them develop language at an earlier age sometimes.

It works great to sig and it enhances the baby's vocabulary very quickly. It ends the frustration of the child inability to form the words to tell you what she wants. She will probably talk faster! Also, a side note all through school I could tell my kids to sit down, smile, be quiet, talk louder and be across the room and no one knows we were talking!! Sign language rocks. It also counts as a foriegn language in some High schools and colleges if you happen to continue it as they get older!!

We had started teaching our daughter when she was 4 months since that is when she started eating. But she started doing some of the sign's when she was 6-7 months old she even made up her own signs for a few things. It was great that we could communicate at least some of the things that she needed and wanted. She is 2 now and we don't do it as much since she is able to talk to us but she still remembers her signs. But we will be teaching our other daughter she is 3 months now.

I took the baby signs class w/ my daughter when she was 6 mo. If you go to www.babysigns.com you can contact an instructor in your area. They are also offered at the Rio Vista Rec center through the city of Peoria. Or buy the stuff on their web site and use those yourself. I perfer the classes because the kids can interact with other children.
She loves it and can sign almost 20 things now. She has a very good temperment and I attribute a lot of that to the fact that she could communicate what she wanted or needed before she could talk through sign. They have also just released a potty training kit that we have started and it is very iinteresting. If you have any specific questions feel free to message me, but deffinaltey check out the website.

I have the book "Signing Smart with Babies and Toddlers," which recommends that you start with 3-6 fun signs to motivate your baby (like "ball" or "doll" or whatever intrigues them) plus 3-6 sings you want them to learn like "more" or "eat." It DID NOT hinder my son's language skills whatsoever, but rather helped him communicate at a young age. He and my daughter both did their first sign (milk) at 7 months old and that's all they did for several months. My daughter is 10 months old and does music, milk, doggy, duck, eat and she doesn't do them all the time. That's not very many yet, but within a few months she will most likely have a language explosion like my son did and soon be communicating so much. The book is full of fun ideas and games to do with your child involving signs to help make it fun and motivating and bonding. Another thing that helps your child to catch on is to make an effort to tune in and recognize your child's signs and praise and encourage them. Their version may be different, just like when they learn to talk, so try to be aware and notice it so they'll want to keep communicating with their hands.

This week I forgot to nurse my daughter after her nap and then all of a sudden I realized as we were playing that she kept signing "milk." I'm so glad she could communicate her need instead of just crying while I try to figure out what she wants.

R.,

I have done a lot of research into teaching baby's sign. Sign Language was my major in college and I think that it is a great way to communicate with your young children. Here are some very good videos for baby sign. http://www.sfibaby.com Missy is the creator of these videos is deaf herself and has 2 children that are hearing. She is a wonderful teacher I hope you enjoy!

I love signing times :)

We are teaching our son sign language and its really fun. We have signs up in the house that demonstrate certain signs.. and our two year old especially is having fun with it.

I went to school for communication disorders and learned about this tool. The benefits are huge. I haven't read the other posts, but I would recommend it for anyone. And you don't have to use known signs, you can always make them up. I used many familiar signs, but when I couldn't remember any, my girls and I would make one up for our own language (some very silly and now inside jokes). The benefit comes from the association and the pathway it creates and is shown to help in years to come. It doesn't delay speech and language, it actually encourages communication. I began with my two girls as early as I spoke to them. They didn't start responding with signs til after 7 months, but they knew what I was saying and signing. My 2 girls, 2 and 4, both learned and still know a lot of them. Babies make up signs whether we teach them or not, this way you both know what they are trying to say! Good luck and have fun with it!

I am an ASL 202 student at pima and as I've been learning I've also been teaching my son. I haven't used any books so I don't have a recommendation there but I have heard that it helps a lot with babies getting frustrated with not being able to communicate and as long as you still talk to her I don't see it being a problem with her speech. My son loves it and has a lot of fun with it of course he doesn't realize it's another language yet but he enjoys it. I would definitely recommend using it with your daughter and your sons also.

I studied sign language for 3 years and got an interpreter degree. The classes suggested to be careful introducing sign to the young children as it will delay their speech and they will continue to sign instead of talk when it comes down to speaking for the first time. It is a wonderful thing to learn...but I would use the word constantly with the sign provided. I would just be aware that when she reaches an age where she may start to talk, she will choose the sign first.

My daughter-in-law, Elizabeth H on this site, used sign language with her three children and I think it was helpful. Her oldest is a girl and she still learned to speak early/ on time. Her other two children are identical twins, so their speech was delayed - but that is because all twins speak their own language before the one everyone else in the family speaks.

R.-
We taught our youngest some sign lanuage. Our neighbor has an autistic child and so she taught us some basics and we showed the baby and she learned them and it had no affect on her speach. But also would say the words along with the signing. Good luck.
S.

I think baby sign language is great..I taught preschool at a montessori school and our teachers used sign with great success. I think the biggest advantage to it is that your child will be able to express their wants and needs without frustration due to the lack of language skills they have yet to acquire. start off basic and work up from there..like 3 or 4 signs and use them everytime you refer to the word. check the internet for books and sites! Good luck!
M.

I have tried and used baby sign. My 3 year old son has down's syndrom and we have used baby sign with him and also my two other children. One is five and the other is two. One girl and one boy they all do very well with baby sign. The best source I have found is Signing Time with Alex and Lia. It works great for the kids and us parents. They really do learn better the younger you start.

Hello. So I taught my son sign language when he was young. And It was great, He comunicated with us very well. He is 2 1/2 now and when he is having a hard time saying something, he kinda acts it out, It's really cute. I thought at first that It delayed him talking but As I think back I Don't think that anymore. We understood each other. So Now my 8 mo old is learning it now. It's so amazing how quick they learn. The book I got was from barnes and noble Im not sure what it's called but they have quite a bit of selections. I just got the most simple book there. Good luck and have fun!

I think it is a wonderful idea, I am going to school for Sign Language, and in no way will it keep her from talking, if anything it will help her express her wants and needs more clearly. You should definitely start now. I am 6weeks pregnant with my 3rd baby, my 2 older and I often speak sign and I will be teaching this new one the day she/he comes out, try looking on the internet or in bookstores for resources in Baby Sign Language, there is tons of it out there. Best of luck.............

Hi! I am a speech therapist (for over 13 years now) and the evidence in studies states that using sign with babies only PROMOTES language development. It does not hinder it in any way. I taught both of my kiddos sign (they are 2 and almost 4 now- boy and girl) and people comment on how well they speak all the time. The Joy of Signing is a good book but you may not need many of the signs in the book. I did very basic, "more", "eat", "change" (for changing the diaper), "all done", "mommy", "daddy" and some others. My advice would to not buy a book at all and google "sign language". Many of those sites will give you the sign in video format by just typing in the sign you want. GOOD LUCK!

R.,

I think it is great that you are looking into baby sign. I have a two year old girl who I have been signing with since she the day she was born. She first responded with by signing "milk" around 6 months. She now knows and uses over 70 signs!! It is an amazing way to communicate with her and it definently cut down on tantrums as she was always able to tell me what she needed.

There are plenty of articles that you can read to ease your mind about delaying speech, just do a google search. It actually does the opposite. My daughter is only two and speaks in full sentences. People often tell me how advanced her speech is. She also signs while she speaks which is incredible!

I picked up "Baby Signing for Dummies" to get started. Now I alternate books from the library depending on which signs I want to teach her that week. The "Signing Time" videos are also an excellent resource but can be pricey. I rent them from my local library and we watch them from time to time. Most libraries have them.

I wish you the absolute best luck! Please let me know if you have any questions or need any help!

C.

Do it! The benefits are amazing. And it absolutely will NOT delay verbal language development if you always say the word as you make the sign. Here is a local resource for you:
http://www.sign2speak.com
You just missed a free talk at the Rio Rancho library!

Now is a great time to start, as long as you patient and consistent. And my kids have had a wide range of when they began speaking. There is a wide range of normal, so don't worry too much about early or late.

Finally, there has been some excited research about signing boosting literacy skills of hearing children. So include your older kids in the signing, as well. They can "help" baby learn and in turn get skills that will give them a great headstart in life!

Sign is wonderful for babies, you've already had tons of advice, so I won't tell you all the benifits again, just one word of caution.
If you are only interested in having you child communicate earlier, don't worry about it, but if you are looking to teach her a second language make sure what you are teaching her is American Sign Language (ASL). There are a ton of baby sign programs and books out there that are mostly correct, but they also have incorrect signs that aren't ASL. Whenever I look at sign books I check to make sure the signs are all correct, and most books for babies have 1 or 2 signs wrong according to ASL. I did Signing Time with my son, because they use ASL.
Enough of my soap box. Good luck. I highly recommend sign, however you choose to do it, I only wish I had done more with my son!

I've used it with both my girls & do sign with my baby who is 3 mths. It actally has helped both my older girls in numerous ways (less tantrums because they could/can sign what they want when not able to say it). I love it. Whe my oldest was 2 my mom was impressed because she could even understand her.
The tool we used was a show that was on channel 8 (PBS) Sunday mornings. It appears it is still on Sundays (as they did take it off for a while) but it is on at 5:30-6am and it starts 3/23. I purchased the Baby Signing Time DVDs which are almost worn out from being watched so much.Both girls still love watching it!
Besides, it is a 2nd language!

Absolutely you should teach sign. Studies show that by using sign with children before they develop speaking skills, will actually increase their language skills. I have 3 children (1 1/2, 3 & 4) & we used ASL with all of them. We started signing with them from day 1, using simple signs - milk, all done, please, thank you & more. All 3 kids gave us their first sign around 8 months. One of the biggest blessings we've noticed is the lack of frustration our kids have. If there was something they couldn't say, they would sign for it - and now, all 3 children speak very clearly & way ahead of their age group. In fact, not a day goes by that they don't ask me what the sign is for something! It is almost becoming a second language for them! One of the websites I use is the link below - not everything is there, but it's a great starting place.

http://deafness.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&...

Here are a few more websites...

http://www.signingbaby.com/main/

https://www.babysigns.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=aboutus.main

http://www.sign2me.com/

Good Luck!

Do it! It is a wonderful tool. My daughter just turned 2 and my husband and I used sign language with her. She picked it up very early on and it did not delay her speaking at all (she started talking up a storm by the time she was 18 months old). The early communication was wonderful for all of us. You can get any baby sign language book or just go online and look up Baby Signs. The basic ones are very simple and all you do is use the sign every time you speak the word to your baby. You will be amazed at how quickly they catch on. My daughter still uses some of the signs when her mouth is full or in conjunction with the words. Good luck and enjoy communicating with your little angel!

Go for it! I did it with my 3rd son. A delay in speech, NO WAY. My son is 5yo now, talks so much we can't get him to be quiet. I started when he was 4 mo. it took a few months before he started doing it but when he did it was so exciting to see him communicate with us and without crying and trying to figure out what was wrong. When he learned his first signs my husband didn't beleive so then he got into it and was shocked he could do it. My two older sons also learned and did it with him. My 2nd son even learned the pledge of allegience in kindergarden from his teacher. We had a lot of fun with it! People would even ask to see him do it. I borrowed a book from a friend about baby signs. Not sure what the name is. I also borrowed dvd from a friend called signing time and I also saw the show on PBS. It was on at 8:00 am on Sunday a few months ago. Loved it so much I would sit down and watch it too.
Good luck and have fun!!

I taught my 2 kids sign, but very limited stuff. I taught them how to sign for food, milk, please, more, and thank you. That way they could at least tell me when they were hungry or thirsty, wanted more to eat, and also manners. They would have to learn to sign please and thank you when they wanted something. For me it was great to just use a few basics to communicate with them before they were able to speak. It worked good for me and it didn't slow down their speech at all. Good luck!

My 21 mo has an intensive vocabulary both verbal as well as sign. I started teaching him sign when he was about 4-6 mo. I would venture to say if a parent only signed then the speech of the baby of course would be delayed and if a parent only spoke the baby would not learn sign. However, research has shown that children who are introduce to different languages early tend to have a greater vocab and a grearter chance of learning more languages as they get older. I would focus on learning the vocabulary for yourself and when you talk to him about a "cookie" sign cookie and so on and so on. Baby Eistein has a great video as well as brainy baby. A great website to use is aslpro.com. I applaud you wanting to gather more info on this extremely worth while task. Good luck and God Bless.

My husband & I took a class at Banner Desert when our daughter was about 6 or 7 months old. We started signing to her at this age and you also say the word when you sign it. She finally signed milk to us at 9 months. At 12 months it finally just hit and she started signing to us all the time. She is now almost 2 and still uses signs as she says the words. Start with the basics! Milk, more, drink, eat, bath, etc...

Dear R.,
My husband and I taught our son sign language starting at about 4 months old and it was absolutley one of the smartest things we ever did as parents. It saved so much frustration for us and him during his pre-talking phase. And he started talking at about 18 months and hasn't stopped since! I could go on and on about how wonderful it was for us and him.
I can't remember the names of the books we used, I think the author's last name was Garcia. We also took class's at Del Web Hospital in Sun City and I know that they offers classes at the Phoenix Zoo.
Good luck and Enjoy!
V.

I took a sign language class with my oldest when she was 7 months. She caught on to some of it such as eat, drink, more, and all done. I think that it actually helped her learn to speak earlier than later. I took it on the Northeast side of Tucson. I don't have the information anymore but if you google baby sign language and Tucson, it should come up. That's how I found them. If you are unable to take the class, they will probably be glad to recommend some books for you. I had a really nice experience with the entire process.

Do it! Signing has been the best thing in the world for our 20 month old daughter. She has been watching Signing time videos, we started out with BabySigningTime and she caught on quickly to the signs. Later, we moved on to just Signing Time and she loves them! She speaks well and clearly, and has a very large vocabluary. So, it hasn't delayed her speech at all. I have loved using the signs with her and even taught them to my third grade students who ask constantly for new signs and also love signing time shows. I hope it works for you. We found it easy and fun to learn along with our daughter. www.signingtime.com
Good luck and enjoy! E.

Hi R..
I am an occupational therapist; I used baby sign with my nearly-3 year old, and am currently using it with my 9 month-old.

The two main reasons I chose to use it are my husband says he had troubles with language when he was young (speech and reading) and sometimes those delays are inherited; and second, because I was already seeing the benefits from working with my developmentally delayed kiddoes.

I started early with both: at 6 months. I start out with two very simple, basic signs: "eat" and "drink" and didn't start using any others until my first was about a year. I would say the word, and do the sign when he'd get a spoonful of cereal, or the bottle. (and no, I did/do not do it every time I feed them; just when it's quiet, and they are in a happy mood, and I don't feel rushed or tired).

I am extremely happy with the results! (There are rumors out there that baby sign slows down their speech - but I haven't seen evidence/studies which support this). Once my first "got it," (around 14 months) I couldn't keep up with how many words he was signing AND speaking in my journal... w-o-w.

The best part, our friends and family got so excited when they would see him sign words, they wanted to learn the signs so they could understand him: this just re-inforced the baby sign for him!

He eventually replaced all signed words with spoken ones by 20 months. Now, he speaks in 7 - 12 word sentences regularly, and sometimes pops out with concepts I didn't even know a 2 y.o. could understand, much less talk about.

I can't credit it all on baby sign, but I can't say it didn't make a huge difference.

Contact me any time if you want any details; or how I changed things around as he progressed (or want to know how my 9 mo old is doing with it).

Have fun: it's awesome.
T