FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
(Answered by Dr. Joseph Garcia - Courtesy of Sign2Me.com)
1. How will sign language affect our baby's language development?
Through signs, babies learn that their thoughts can be conveyed symbolically. For example, a baby may think: "All I have to do is touch my fingers to my lips and my parents will understand that I'm hungry!" Babies also learn that language can be used to influence others. "I can get Dad to put more crackers on my plate if I sign MORE." Signing lets babies begin to explore and understand the basic functions of language at a very early age.
Babies can use signs to choose the topic of conversation. This allows them to direct an adult's attention to the things they want to investigate. "All I have to do to get my parents to tell me more about airplanes is make the sign for AIRPLANE."
In addition to giving babies an early understanding of the functions of language, signs help reinforce the meaning of spoken words, especially when words and signs are used simultaneously. Children in multilingual environments also benefit from signing. Many families use signs as a common link between two (or more) different languages spoken in the home.
(Added comments by SIGNING SAYS: Keep in mind that when you incorporate ASL as a form of communication, you will still use verbal language, whether it be English, Spanish, Vietnamese, French, etc... For more information about multi-language use, refer to Question #3.)
2. Does signing with babies delay their speech development?
Research clearly indicates that babies who sign tend to have a stronger command of verbal language and also begin speaking at an earlier age than babies who don't sign. I have had countless parents and caregivers confirm these findings with their personal experiences and observations.
3. Can we introduce signing in a bilingual environment?
Many families use signs as the common denominator for teaching several spoken languages. Initially, as speech begins, your baby may mix various words from different languages together in one sentence. Research indicates that eventually young children in these environments usually straighten everything out and become fluent in several languages. It is very unlikely that you will overwhelm your child if you blend the languages within the fiber of your day using experiential learning and teaching. Make the languages a part of everything you do.
4. Can we make up our own signs?
Even though the SIGN with your BABY program is based on American Sign Language signs, there will always be a need for identifying special family members, friends, pets, toys. We encourage parents to use the initialized first letter of the person or object, that you are wanting to identify, signed over the heart for recognition. For example: Aunt Mary - use the sign for Aunt and add the manual alphabet letter "M" over the heart to denote Aunt Mary. Favorite Stuffed Puppy "Barky" - use the sign for baby, add the sign for dog and then add the manual alphabet letter "B" over the heart. Giving of name signs for people or objects is the exclusive right of the deaf community and in respect, we will use the "accepted form" of assigning name signs. However, I advise you to document these "home" signs so that others who interact with your baby can learn to use and recognize them.
5. What is the optimal age to introduce signs to our baby?
I suggest you begin learning the signs anytime. Your baby will be ready to learn signs around the eighth month. The SIGN with your BABY products will guide you through this process. Starting earlier will not hurt the process but it may frustrate you if your baby does not produce any signs in the first few weeks or even months. A baby needs to develop enough memory, dexterity and cognition before he or she can start producing signs. It is never too late to start.
(Added comments by SIGNING SAYS: Our theory on this is to get a head start learning the correct signs and strategies and to begin signing soon after birth. Not only will it reinforce your signing skills and make you more confident with what you are doing, but because of the early exposure, your baby will be accustomed to you signing. You're also establishing a routine wherein adding signs will become second nature to you and you'll feel less awkward. Parents tend to give-up prematurely with signing, if they are always "looking up" the signs everytime they need one.)
6. How long will it take for our baby to produce the signs?
That depends on several factors that I discuss in detail in the book: how old your child is, how frequently the caregivers use the signs, and how interested the child is in communicating.
The further along children are in their development, the sooner they may begin to produce signs. My research suggests that babies from 8-12 months of age frequently need to watch someone sign to them consistently anywhere from several days to several months before they sign back. Every child and every situation is different. Babies between the ages of 12 and 24 months may start signing within days (or weeks) after the first signs are introduced. Be patient. Before long, you will experience the joys of witnessing your child's first expressive sign.
7. What scientific research supports the idea of signing with babies?
The first SIGN with your BABY research was conducted in 1987 as part of my Masters Program at Alaska Pacific University. The process of learning and teaching signs was part of my masters and doctoral program. Additional research in this area is continuing today at Ohio State University. See the following: www.newswise.com/articles/view/10852 . A recently released longitudinal study was conducted at the University of California at Davis by Drs. Linda Acredolo and Susan Goodwyn. The study, which followed babies through their eighth year, indicated that signing with babies has many benefits including a strengthened parent-child bond, increased interest in books, enchanced verbal language development and higher IQs. For additional research please visit our 'Research Page' at www.northlightcommunications.com/research.php .
8. Why is our baby not signing even after we have been using signs for a while?
I do not advocate teaching signs to babies. I advocate augmenting your spoken language with signs, giving your baby the opportunity to draw from their inner resources. Babies should observe the physical dimension signs give to language and then produce the signs when they are ready to express themselves. Force feeding signs or housing grand expectations by the parents are counterproductive to the communication process. Over-anticipating your child's needs will also prevent your child from drawing on his/her inner resources to attempt to communicate with you. Allow a few seconds or moments for your child to attempt to communicate with you after you have followed the correct process and age-appropriate timetable for signing.
(Added comments by SIGNING SAYS: One thing that needs to be clarified is that you will not be teaching American Sign Language, but will be using American Sign Language vocabulary. Learning ASL requires much more than knowing just the signs. It involves the study of grammar, syntax, facial expression and body language and, contrary to belief, ASL signs are not word-for-word English translations. ASL is a conceptual language. Think of it as painting a picture with your hands, but without actual paint.)
9. Why is the SIGN with your BABY program based on American Sign Language?
Since the birth of the United States, ASL has been evolving to become the accepted language in North America. It is now standardized throughout the United States and Canada. The advantage of using a standardized sign language as a foundation is that most people who share knowledge of that language will be able to identify and respond to the signs that your baby knows. ASL structure is compatible with the nature of language development in infants. One sign can relate an entire concept. Young children begin communicating using one-word sentences (or in this case, one-gesture sentences) to express complete thoughts or needs. ASL signs are also very iconic, in many cases resembling the objects or activities they represent. SIGN with your BABY provides a foundation for continued learning of ASL in later years.
(Added comments by SIGNING SAYS: ASL, like English, French, German..., is a legitimate language. Unlike a number of other infant/baby signing programs that use gesturing or made-up signs, ASL is our nation's 3rd most used language, followed by English and Spanish.
Programs that promote non-ASL signs claim that infants cannot physically produce ASL signs. They only truth to that is, they may not be able to sign certain words exactly, in the beginning. Of course not, but they will after their fine motor skills are fully developed, and with consistent modeling. For example, many parents use "baby words" like baba for bottle, wawa for water in the early stages of parentlng. Why? Because, in the beginning, it is difficult for infants to control mouth/tongue formations to correctly pronounce these words. But, do parents always use baby words? Definitely not. Why? Because, what parent wants their child to grow up pronouncing words incorrectly? The general public wouldn't understand them. The exact same reasoning is stated for using ASL.
10. Was this program developed for deaf children?
No, my SIGN with your BABY program and products were developed for hearing babies and hearing parents. However, because the program is based on American Sign Language, it is also useful with deaf children. Many professionals are recommending it for use with special needs children.