Sign Language - Detroit,MI

I have 3 kids (8, 5 and 18 months) and all of them learned basic signs before the age of 1. It is extremely easy and beneficial, especially for babysitters or caregivers who might not be as clear in understanding "baby language" that moms and dads are more capable of deciphering. They all learned the signs for more, please, thank you, cup, eat, potty, and all done for starters. If they wanted more of something they were eating, I just said "you want more?", did the sign, took their hands and did the sign, said "more" and gave it to them. After about a week or two, they were doing it themselves. I really was amazed at how quickly they took to it and it is invaluable with babysitters who haven't yet learned that certain sounds and grunts go with certain things. I showed the babysitters the signs too so they would know what to look for. Good luck and have fun! It is such a fun process watching them pick up the signs and really make sense of them! There are VHS tapes and DVDs out there about teaching kids signs, with cartoons and such if you are looking for support tools.

Wow I was so happy to see all the responses. I did and loved it. She wasn't as interested and just started talking non stop. But I think it's a beautiful thing.
A. H

Hi,

Sign Language is a great tool for kids. My children have learned thousands of signs. I recommend Signing Time. You can order the DVD's at signingtime.com
They have videos for babies and up. These videos teach a lot more than sign language... when you go to the site you can read all about it.

Hi S.,

I taught my daughter sign language (and I plan to do with any other kids we have). We don't have hundreds of signs...but we have about 20 or 25 basic signs for things that we use/do every day. I can't tell you how much it has helped reduce whinning and frustration.

I started when my daughter was about 5months old. At that time their vision is getting better so they can see better. I started with milk. I nursed my daughter, so every time I was getting ready to nurse her, I would sign 'milk'. I would also do it once or twice WHILE nursing her. I did this each and every day every time I nursed her.

My daughter didn't start signing back until she was about 9 months old...but she DID understand me much earlier then that. I would say definetely by 7 months she KNEW when I signed milk what it meant.

At about 8 months I threw in 'more'. Once she started signing back, I added about 1 new sign per week.

My daughter is now 17 months and I do find times to add more signs. Now, I will show her once, maybe twice and she's got it.

Keep in mind, OFTEN, babies will modify the sign because their hand/finger dexterity is not like an adults. For example, the ASL sign for water is to make the 'W' sign and then tap that on the SIDE of your chin 3 times. My daughter open her whole hand, fingers wide and taps her hand over her mouth for water. So, they will vary it ... but you know what they are trying to say and quite honestly, I find it really amazing what they come up with!

"Sign with Your Baby" is a great book to get started. Sorry I don't have the author right here, my sister is borrowing the book. Look it up on Amazon, you'll find it.

Also, www.lifeprint.com is a good site. They use ASL signs.

Some moms make up their own, but I figure why not just teach the ASL signs. Then they actually KNOW another language.

I've had some people ask me if it has delayed her speaking in any way. I don't feel it has. My daughter is very chatty and speaks many words. She isn't talking AS much as some other kids her age...but at the same time we are also a 2 spoken language house. My husband speaks Dutch and I speak English. So, I have read and our pediatrician has told us, that can delay things. They are just processing SOOO much.

The other thing I have noticed is there are a great many moms these days who are using sign language to some extent. So, often times when we go to play groups and such the OTHER moms will know what my daughter is asking for even if I don't see her signing something! It's such a great help!

My advice, once baby starts signing, be ready with new signs for things you use/do often. Frustration WILL set in with your child if they can't speak something and can't sign something and need to tell you something. I saw that with my daughter and it inspired me to learn more signs. She knew she had a means to communicate with me...but couldn't speak the word and didn't know the right sign...so she would just start signing all the things she DID know...but it was never what she wanted.

At first I thought she was just being obstinate...then I realized she was TRYING to tell me what she needed...but didn't know how. So, be ready. Kids are amazing and when you teach them something they will RUN with it!

Good luck! And congratulations on being a mommy! The adventure is wonderful.

HI I started teaching sign to my daughter around 5-6 months. I always said the words with the sign such as eat, milk, all done, more, music etc. She is now 13 months and has been signing since around 8 months! We communicate so well. It cuts down on tantrums because she can tell me what she wants. I think it is one of the best things you can do with your baby:) Your baby start taling earlier and the connection you will have is wonderful:) Just start out simple with one or two signs and then move on. Good Luck:)

Hello S., My younger daughter's 15 month old son signs. He has been using please, thank you, more, milk, eat, sleep, up, etc., for many months. It is great to see that his vocabulary is so extensive even without words. It is a second language that will stay with them for the rest of their lives. A.J. was about 5 months old when he started to be signed to. Good luck, and enjoy learning with your son.

Hi S.!

I taught my daughter sign and I started when she was about 4 months old with consistency with signs such as "eat,more, all done and etc and when she turned about 11 months old she signed for the first time! Since then she signs and speaks the word such as please and thank you. I think it has really helped her communicate with me and prevented tantrums which she really does not have in regards to not being able to tell me something besides just the usual im angry because I want to do something and I cant..LOL but it is truly amazing how well she can communicate as a result of me teaching her just basic signs to communicate her needs to me. She is 18 months old now. Good Luck if you begin I just brought a baby sign video and that worked very well.

Signing for your hearing child is great - it enhances language development and often helps get through those frustrating times when the verbal language isn't available to communicate what the child needs you to know. Aleviates a lot of frustration for the child and doesn't hinder spoken language.

Have you tried finding a Sign & Sing program with your local Kindermusik educator? This program teaches parents how to incorporate the theory behind introducing signing to hearing children and parents learn how to make the signing more successful. The kids get a great time to play with the parents during the class and a chance to practicing what you've all learned in the appropriate environment.

S.; yes ive taught my kids sign language, when they were infants, i would sing them the alphabet and sign each letter, there was no need to do this since we both were hearers, but i loved sign language and thought it would be fun to do , when i would rock them sleep or just holding them i would sing the alphabet song while i signed it, these kids are now, 21, 16, 14, they each knew the letters while very young, my oldest could read it by the age of two, it was really great one time, a freind came over, and held our son, my son could clearly see me but the friend could not, he said hello buddy nick, do you know my name? my son said carl, he said yes but do you know how to spell my name, ? my son saw me sign c. a. r. l and repeated it to him, it was great, he felt he was really knowing it, but my son could read those letters, and repeat them, it happened to benefit him later in life also, he was able to join a deaf bible study group and learn more, when we lived in one area, but he dont do it anymore, but it was fun to teach my kids, i also had signs for like not now, for me, and or right now, they knew i meant it if i had to sign it, for them to do something, ahahah it was fun and we enjoyed it, most the time it was for fun, and we still to this day can silently tell them something, like if we are in church or need to make a comment, to each other, dont ever underestimate the learning capabliities of alittle child, just enjoy them and have fun, D. s

It has been wonderful to sign with my babies! It eases frustration over not being able to understand what they are trying to verbalize!
an added bonus I discovered recently, while watching my friends baby, I knew what he wanted because he could sign it to me and I could understand him! It's hard to know what someone else's child wants, but I knew right away because of sign!!

my niece lives in Vegas and she did this with her twins. She only did it for fun and they excelled! In fact they did so well that she had a hard time keeping up with them, they knew more signs than she did LOL! She actually joined a class with them that was offered at the local library.

I started signing "milk" to my daughter when she was 6 or 7 months old, every time I nursed. At 8 months old she started signing it to me. It was great to have her give me the sign rather than crying or pulling at my shirt when she wanted to nurse. At her day care they introduced some signs also. She knows the signs for "more", "all done", "eat/hungry", "please", "thank you", "hurt", "baby", "elephant", "giraffe", and probably several more I can't think of right now. She is almost 2 and now does a combination of sign and talking. She still only signs for "thank you", but for most others she signs as she says the words.

I've found it to be very helpful for her to get her thoughts across without getting frustrated because she didn't have the words to use, or couldn't say them as clearly as she can sign.

Signing with your baby is a great way to communicate. All of my children have learned sign, they are 6, 4 and 2. My daughter used it the most as a baby especially "more" and "eat". There are some really good books for baby signing and videos. One of the best is the "Signing Time" series at www.signingtime.com.

I worked in a daycare where we used signing and I did it with my daughter when she was about 4 months old and am now doing it with my son who is 7 months. I think it's easiest to teach signs concerning food first, then as they learn that the signs mean words you can teach them in other areas. I just repeat the sign while I say the word for more, all done, please, water, wash face...I do also use the signs for no and stop while I'm redirecting him when he's getting into mischief.

Good luck, I'm happy to help if you have more questions, I think it's excellent and it cuts down on so much frustration in those pre language days. At 7 months my son can already tell me he wants more food or that he's all done!

I did a Kindermusik sing and sign class for my daughter (she was a little over a year old then) and I wish I would have done it sooner. She still uses some of her signs and she is 2. It really helped her language take off. It was a fantastic experience!

Yes, yes, do it! :) We've used it with both our kids and will use it for the one on the way. My 5 and 3 year old still like to use it just because they know it. We started around 8-9 months with our kids, but really they didn't really pick up on using the signs until 11 months or so. But then it really took off and it was so nice that they were able to communicate some things. We always started with MORE, ALL DONE, MILK, PLEASE, and THANK YOU. Not only has it been a blessing, it's bee fun. My kids still love to watch "Signing Time" dvd's which you can get at the library or buy.

Do it. Be patient. Don't get frustrated. You'll never regret it.

Hi S. -

I began teaching my son sign language when he was a couple of months old. I too second the suggestion to get the Signing Time! DVD's. I absolutely love that series. It actually comes on PBS (public broadcasting television) once a week. Check PBS's local listings for your area to see when it comes on. Two other sites I found helpful are http://www.lifeprint.com/index.htm and http://www.aslpro.com. Both have animations of signs to help you learn them. I like the ASL Pro site better.

I got into the habit of talking and signing whenever I thought about it. Deuce is 16 months old now. He can do about a dozen signs on his own, but understands many more. He's not talking yet, but can understand commands (like "Where is your cup?" and "Go get the ball" and "Can I have it?") and knows the name of some of his toys. It was a bit confusing at first, watching him perform a sign, but you see it often enough and then one day it just clicks like, 'Oh, you're doing the sign for <blank>' and it's smooth sailing from there. It's a fun experience, and I think its worth its weight in gold.

I've been around quite a few babies in my time. Of those babies, I know one couple who actively taught their daughter sign language. She's seven years old now, and is extremely bright and well spoken. She didn't have as many fits as the other children, she is very social and confident, and seems more advanced than the other children I can think of who weren't taught sign language. Is it because of her learning sign language? Who knows, that's an argument for the generations. But if learning sign language will give my kid an edge, it won't hurt him to participate in it, and it's free, why not give it a shot?

I would definitely do it! We signed with our daughter and it worked unbelievably well. It's just so awesome to be able to have your child be able to communicate with you when they haven't yet acquired the skills to do it verbally.

I definitely recommend it. I taught both my kids (4 1/2 and 21 months) and we still use it even though they can talk. Sometime they "hear" you, but aren't "listening". when I seem to do the sign while talking, something clicks in their brain and they do what I ask :)
We did basics....milk (also meant drink in our house), eat, more, all done, no-no, sit, play, socks, shoes, stop (that's good for when playing outside, or in a parking lot), please, I'm sorry.
My daughter's preschool also teaches them sign language for their theme of the month. You can't go wrong when teaching this to your kids. It's so nice to be able to communicate with your 7 month old when they can't talk yet.

We started about 5-6 months old, but they usually don't start signing back until around 9 months or so. Good luck!

Yes! For us it worked wonders. We adopted our son at 20 wks and he was not talking. I stated teahing him water, more please, and thank you. All of a sudden he started to say the word with the sign. His speech theropy team was amazed. Please remember that like everything else in a childs life it takes concencity. You may have to tell people what he is saying af family and friends will need to learn a couple simple signs to keep up with his 'freedom'. You are giving him a voice before the sound is developed. For us it cut down on the number of fits due to not understanding what our son wanted. Good luck and I hope this helps.

S.,
I taught my children to do some basic signing. At about 4-6 months I would sign "please, thank-you, more, drink, stop, yes, no," and some easy toy signs to get them familiar. After they were familiar then I had them imitate me and then they could ask on their own. Now, I knew some because I am a Speech-Language Pathologist; but, there are web sites and books that can help. Baby signs is one tool. Signing is an awesome way to bridge the communication gap. My kids are now 10 and 13, and there are still signs they remember even if they don't use them. For example, it makes it much easier to tell them to stop something in church when I can sign to them!
B.

We used it for our son. My husband was very skeptical about it all, but even he now says how much it helped. I suggest starting with two signs, when he learns those two, then you can add from there. The book I've read says it can take some time for kids to get the hand movement, but once they do it just takes off.

I definately think it would help! I am an ASL student and I LOVE learning sign. My children are older and I just started almost a year ago, but it would have been very helpful when they couldn't talk. As for the signing time videos, they're good but expensive and they're geared toward children. The lifeprint website that someone else stated is a great site for ASL. Just don't make up your own signs, if you want to teach your son ASL teach the correct signs. Simple signs are fun and easy. Good luck!

I taught my son how to sign as a baby and it helped him enourmously! He took a long time to talk (compared to my daughter), but once he started signing he started talking not long after. It was like he needed that bridge. Once he new he could tell me he was hungry then the crying stopped and he picked up on his own other things, like he needed changed.

I taught my daughter the basics. Milk, eat, More, please..We learned it all by watching Signing Time on TV but they also sell DVD's. I think their web site is www.signingtimekids.org

Then once we watched it we would use them whenever we could to teach her what each sign meant. It was so nice for her to be able to tell me what she wanted before she could talk. I highly recommend it. My DD still uses signs sometimes even as she say the word.

I taught both of my kids basic sign language around 6 months, they picked it up both very quickly. I started with MORE, then DRINK, EAT, PLEASE, THANK YOU.
Make sure he is very good at one and does it on his own before you start another, there is no rush.
I am very glad that I did; my son is now 4 and severely autistic and does not say a word. If I had not taught him then, he would not be able to communicate even basic language now.

I came feom an era that we was not taught sign language but I think its great. If you can do it more power to you. My daughter has trouble speaking and her teacher uses sign languaue with also picture book and stuff and she has come far. But I am starting with my 16 month old now. I feel aslong as you speak what your signing he will catch on because they follow what we do.Good Luck!

Hi S.,

My sister has twins who will be 7 this summer. She started them young (not positive about the exact age) and currently they can now talk and sign.... they have a new brother (he just turned 1 last week) and I believe she is planning on teaching him also
I think its a wonderful idea :)
Please let me know if you would like more info

Hi S.,

We taught both of our children about 20 basic signs like apple, bath, cereal, hungry, milk, more, sleep, cheese, down, up, etc. It was wonderful. I think it helped decrease the frustration levels of both parties. We started consistently using signs around 6 months, but it took a month or two for them to start signing back to us. My 2 y.o., who is fully verbal, every once in a while will still use a sign when he is speaking to me. It's very cute. I don't even think he realizes he is doing it -- it's just implanted in his brain. I would highly recommend doing it. Some people worry that it will delay their verbal abilities. It completely disagree. I think it helped my children recognize how to use words and they were anxious to start verbalizing the words with the signs.

N.

I signed with my daughter. Started showing her the signs for things at about 7 months but she didn't start signing back till 9 months. Start with only a few at first and then once they start picking them up you can expand the "vocabulary". Always say the word when you are signing too. Have fun!

Yes, we used it with our daughter who is 17 months old now. We started doing it around 6 or 7 months, but she didn't start doing it back until 10 months. I guess that is normal. We have done the basics and there is a lady at daycare who has also been helping. My daughter knows more, eat, all done, change, please, thank you, monkey, dog, hat, milk, flower. The more, eat and all done were the first ones she learned. She might have more under her belt, but I can't think of all of them right now. She speaks some basic words now too and sometimes does it with the sign and sometimes without. The hardest part was for my husband and I to remember to do the signs even if they weren't directed to her as this gave her an opportunity to see that we can talk to each other with them too, not just her.

Good luck!

Absolutely. It makes a world of difference in that age where they can understand but not communicate verbally yet. You can/ should start using the basics with him about now. about 8-9 months of age he will start using them more on his own and it is a life save from that age until he can speak the words on his own. its also great for when you are in a place where u need to be quiet- you can 'talk' to him non-verbally asking 'are u hungry'? do u want a bottle/ nurse? etc..

Now my son is 4 and he loves Signing Time and can do quite a few signs and does the whole alphabet seamlessly.

More. Milk. Eat. Drink. Change Diaper. Those are the ones to start with. :) There are alot of books/ dvds explaining and showing the signs and I know I saw one I bought a few years ago and really liked at the Library so that would be a great option. I think its called Signing For baby..

J. C

I started with my son Ean around that time. I bought the book Baby Sign for Dummies and watched videos on-line. I started with the sign "Milk". It took a while but Ean is 17 months and he speaks about 15-20 verbal words and signs 9 of the basics and we are working on more. It makes it much easier for him to be able to tell me he is thirsty or hungry. He also tells me when he is all done and whether he wants more. He even signs "please and thank you". The book helped as a reference for more words.

My daughter was never interested in learning to sign before she could talk, but my son (currently 10 months old) knows and uses the signs for EAT (two different signs: one for eating solids, one for nursing), DRINK, MORE and ALL DONE.
I pored over the book "Baby Signs" with my daughter and started doing signs at 6 months, but she never got into it. WIth my son, I started doing signs just before he turned 9 months old and he picked them up right away. If you're interested, "Baby Signs" is a good book, but save your money and get it out of the library, learn the basic signs and teach your son those around 8-9 months.

Hi S.,

I taught all of my children the basic signs. My husband and I were chuckling yesterday because our youngest will be 2 on the 22nd. She hasn't signed in months and I wasn't moving fast enough for her apparently. She kept verbally saying "More milk." When I didn't immediately get up, she started signing "more, more."

I am also a speech pathologist and when I worked with the younger ones, I would teach them sign as well. It decreases frustration and makes their attempts at communication easier. I would just recommended pairing a verbalization with it as well so they are practicing both modes of communication. (ex: teach the sign for "more" and have the baby say "MMMM") It's a starting point.

Good luck. I think you will like it.
C.

we used the sign for "more"...it is super easy for them to understand...and worked great.

We had a wonderful experience with signs for our first daughter and are continuing to do the same for our baby--who is now a year! We started at around 9 or 10 months but it did take another month or two before they started to do them. Just try to remember to do the signs throughout the day-- milk, more and eat are really the easiest and just one random day you'll see your baby do the sign and know what they want--its just so cool! Our older daughter was a late talker so the signs really, really were wonderful for her to communicate with us for many months. She had quite an extensive sign vocabulary that forced us to learn quite a bit. I highly recommend a couple of dvds, "My Baby Can Talk, First Signs". Just look on Amazon.com and they also have a second dvd--around $15 and well worth it--and the signs they teach are actually ASL. We had fun communicating about other things like train, bird, bath... It was a very fun thing that our entire family got into and I really would encourage anyone to give it a try!

My husband and I taught both of our children sign language. We really enjoyed the process too. We used a book and a DVD ( http://www.mybabycantalk.com/ ). There are a lot of DVD's and books to choose from though. The one rule that I think really helped me was to keep with it! It might seem as if your child is not "getting" it, but they are! It took months before either of them started to sign, but once they did, there was no stopping them! Both of my children started signing at around 10-11 months. They both knew at least 20 + signs and were both early talkers. I am not sure if the sign language had anything to do with that, but I am a supporter of teaching infants to sign. Good luck!

signing is such a huge help - do it! My son learned more, again, milk, thank you, please, and some other ones too. I got the Baby Signing Times video and we learned them together.
I have a friend who uses it with her daughters- well past our level and it works great for them when they are frustrated and cannot find words.

I thought it was wonderful! By having those basic signs, you can communicate- less whining and frustration on both sides! There are good books for kids and adults to learn how to teach it. Take it slow and have fun! I started to show my son signs while saying the words around 6 or 7 months to familiarize him with the "language" but they really can't sign until 9 or 10 months.

Hi S.,

We taught our son to use signs also. We started out with milk and more around 6 months old and he caught on great. As he got a little older he started using the sign for more as the sign for please but I didn't find it to be a big deal as long as I knew he was asking please for something. It's fun to watch them learn it and it really helps them to communicate with you.

T.

I did some really basic signing with my daughter. All that really ended up catching on (because I didn't pursue it that strongly) were the sign for eat and more. They were very useful though! We had a picture book that showed a lot of useful, basic signs that can help babies communicate. It was so nice before my daughter could talk that she could tell us when she wanted to eat. The way I did it was that every time I asked her if she wanted to eat or if she wanted more, I just used the sign and she eventually caught on.

My niece did signing with her son. It was nice that he could ask for things w/o any words, and what a valuable tool for them later in life. My sister did have some trouble a few times when she stayed with him because he was asking and she wasn't understanding and he got frustrated. No big deal, but I guess any caregivers need to know that could happen and ask him to speak to them.

S.,

I taught both my daughters to sign when they were about 6 months. I read the book, Sign With Your Baby by Joseph Garcia. The book was really easy to follow, and my girls learned them really easily. It was a great experience. My only regret was that I didn't keep it up after they learned to talk. Good luck!

My two-year-old grandson learned sign language at his daycare center. It is wonderful! He was able to "tell" us through sign language that he wanted milk or that he was all done eating long before he could speak the words. Even now, if we ask him to say "please" he will sign the word. Enabling the child to communicate through sign language takes away a bit of frustration (which shows up as crying or tantrums). I'd recommend it for all little ones. We love it!

Grandma L.

I started with my son at about 6 months and I have to admit that I slacked off after about a month. But by one year he was signing more and milk. And at 16 months, he has about 12 signs that he uses and has also started speaking those words. I used the Idiot's Guide to Baby Signs. It uses real American Sign Language signs.