The article I linked is about a small amount of research that has been done on the benefits of teaching a baby sign language.
When I had my first son, I had just finished taking SLG102 (the second semester of American Sign Language) at GCC. I had heard, very briefly, about the benefits of teaching a baby sign language, but at the same time, I had also heard that teaching a baby to sign could potentially delay speech. I went back and forth a lot about whether or not I should try to teach him any and eventually ended up teaching him a very limited vocabulary of simple words such as please, thank you, more, hungry, and thirsty. I figured that by only giving him a limited vocabulary, I would be able to communicate basic needs, while at the same time avoiding the potential of speech delay.
In the article, it talks about how even as the babies grew older and used less sign language in their lives, they were better able to communicate than those babies that were only given "verbal training". I found that interesting because of the articles I had read previously about the negatives of signing; while at the same time, not so surprising. Giving babies the ability to communicate effectively at such a young age is a great advantage. In the article it specifically mentions the reduced stress on both parent and child when you are able to understand just what is upsetting your child. I would like to see more research done on the topic, especially since it explicitly states that the study it tracked used a very small number of children.
Language is what rules the world, without language, we wouldn't be able to relay ideas or thoughts to other people. By teaching babies sign language, we are giving them the opportunity to understand and communicate at a much younger age than with just verbal communication. I am excited to see the potential that could come of more extensive research on the topic and the affect it could potentially have on our children.
In the article, it talks about how even as the babies grew older and used less sign language in their lives, they were better able to communicate than those babies that were only given "verbal training". I found that interesting because of the articles I had read previously about the negatives of signing; while at the same time, not so surprising. Giving babies the ability to communicate effectively at such a young age is a great advantage. In the article it specifically mentions the reduced stress on both parent and child when you are able to understand just what is upsetting your child. I would like to see more research done on the topic, especially since it explicitly states that the study it tracked used a very small number of children.
Language is what rules the world, without language, we wouldn't be able to relay ideas or thoughts to other people. By teaching babies sign language, we are giving them the opportunity to understand and communicate at a much younger age than with just verbal communication. I am excited to see the potential that could come of more extensive research on the topic and the affect it could potentially have on our children.
When my sister had her first baby, she was really into teaching her sign language. Like, they would sit there with flash cards and do crazy stuff to this poor girl. Then they got bored and stopped as soon as she began talking. According to my old ASL instructor, that's usually what happens. Baby sign language becomes more of a fad that's quickly forgotten as soon as they can say "mama". It'd be super interesting to see what could happen if they continued to teach them!
ReplyDeleteI found your article extremely interesting. I know someone who taught their child to sign before she could speak, now she does both! Like you, I was also intrigued to hear that long after the signers stopped signing, they were still ahead of the non-signers.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting topic and it was cool to read about your own experience with it. I think you did the right thing by teaching your son limited words because you were unsure of the affect it would have on his speech development. I'm sure that his experience with signing will be beneficial for him down the road.
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