Baby sign

[Cumberland]

Re: Baby sign

We did with both girls and I found it very helpful and fun too. There was no pointing and ' eh eh eh eh eh' grunting when they wanted something.

[SuzySunshine]

Re: Baby sign

Thanks guys - we're just planning to do the basics so that we can communicate with her until she can talk. I have a feeling she's going to be a talker (I wonder where she would get that :huh: )so I'm not concerned about delay at this point.

Re: Baby sign

We have signed with all our boys and it hasn't had any ill effects.
The oldest had/has a large vocabulary early on, the second...well he has other challenges, and then the youngest has been signing for about the past 4 mths. It is basic- eat, more, please, thank you, drink, and all done. It is nice to know that he 'gets it' and can let you know what he wants.

[Michele]

Re: Baby sign

So I know we've talked about this before....but I bought Daegan more videos and the kid's a freakin' signing addict! I don't know if he just has a crush on Rachel (of Signing Times) or if he really likes the way the videos look....but he's learning so many signs! Faster than I can keep up with!! At least this new daycare class thinks it's neat! He can talk, but sometimes, he's shy and doesn't want to....or he has his mouth full or whatever and then signing works well. I also like that I can communicate with him across a room now if I need to without yelling. (Maybe I said that already.) (Russ too. )

[spotty_dog]

Re: Baby sign

LOL. I bet Eddy would love Signing Times, we watched the first baby one briefly when he was just over a year and he was enthralled though he already had all those signs. I always look for the videos on the library shelf but of course they're always checked out. I should just bite the bullet and buy some. We've hit a point where I point out a new object or concept and he's looking at my hands for clarification and I don't have the slightest clue where to begin offering him a sign!

[houseelf]

Re: Baby sign

I have a question about delayed speaking due to signing. Is the delay comparable to children raised in true bilingual environments who demonstrate delays in both languages until about the age of five or six when they are able to distinguish which vocabularly and grammar belongs to each language? Or is there speculation that signing truly delays spoken language acquistion negatively?

I guess that I'm having a hard time wrapping my mind around the fact that introducing your child to some knowledge could inhibit development. Anyone?

Kelly

[spotty_dog]

Re: Baby sign

I have no idea what the research shows. I think that in Eddy's case, introducing sign helped him to grasp the concept of communication, and I think that making physical motions is an easier skill to pick up than is making verbal noises. (After all, almost every social animal communicates with body language, it's a fairly low-level and innate ability.) And I think it helped him to understand the value of specific words, because I would simplify my language in order to be able to use the signs he knew. I don't think it's any coincidence that "light" was his first sign and "yight" one of his first words!

However, since I'm just plastering ASL signs on top of spoken English language, and not using it as a whole language, I think that might be affecting Eddy's grasp of the need for grammar. Also, because he can get his point across crystal-clear with one syllable and a gesture, he doesn't need to learn to enunciate to be understood.

So no, if there truly is a delay, I don't think it's the same mechanism as bilingual children. I'm pretty sure that hearing children raised in Deaf culture speak fluently in ASL before they acquire skill in spoken language. I think it's just a more natural way to communicate, maybe.