Baby Sign

[pne]

I had read about some families' use of Baby Sign—using manual gestures in addition to words to communicate with very young children, under the theory that the children are capable of language in abstract but acquire manual dexterity earlier than they acquire sufficient control over the vocal apparatus to produce reliable speech (if I understand the premise correctly). Apparently, it helps children communicate with their environment earlier, more effectively, and more successfully than with speech.

It sounded interesting, and I considered doing something like that with Amy; at eighteen months, she has a couple of words but not very many, and is still often reduced to pointing, dragging your hand to something interesting, or merely giving up in frustration when she's not able to communicate her wishes, and at least one site I browsed suggested that while many start early (one place said seven months, another even at birth), even a later start will help the child.

That kind of brought up the question of what system of signs to use. American Sign Language? British Sign Language? German Sign Language? Some commercial system/something proposed by a particular website [for example, one with simpler signs designed to require less dexterity from a baby than an existing general-purpose sign language]? Something I think up myself?

On the other hand, I doubt the idea would ever take off since I rather dislike learning vocabulary (it's my least favourite part of language acquisition) and I fear I'd have to learn a fair number of words in order for the project to be useful. If I use some ready-made system, I'd also want a useable dictionary handy for me to look up new words in (and if I grow my own, I'll probably want to notate them somewhere to remember what sign I used for what thing).

Do any of you have experience with Baby Sign in any way, shape, or form?

Comments

[marikochan.livejournal.com]

I've read about it in academic papers, but never used it or, really, seen it used. Your premise seems to be correct, though from what I understand there's a good bit of controversy about that point; I think at this point a lot of the evidence is anecdotal, though studies seem to be increasing.

My understanding is that most American parents using Baby Sign use a simplified form of ASL -- I don't know what parents outside the US use, but I'd assume that it would be a simplified form of the local sign language. My understanding is that it's usually not a sign language as such -- usually one-word utterances, with most of the attention being paid to vocabulary. (My guess is that this is because speaking and signing children start expanding their utterances at about the same age, because of similar cognitive development, and so by the time a Baby Sign user got around to multiple-word utterances, he or she'd be speaking anyway.) Given the relative dearth of consensus, I think you'd probably do as well making up your own system as using an established one, and it'd probably be cheaper. Others may disagree, though. *grin*

FWIW. I'd be interested to hear the results if you do try it out!

[pne.livejournal.com]

My understanding is that it's usually not a sign language as such -- usually one-word utterances, with most of the attention being paid to vocabulary.

So I imagine -- basically no grammar and only "content words", since that's what the child will be producing if it produces any language at all.

[caelum.livejournal.com]

My cousin used (and is using) ASL with her two children, 7 and 1. It does indeed have many benefits in regards to behavioral development: instead of getting frustrated that she can't express herself, the baby can make it clear what she needs. This cuts down on the whining and crying that most toddlers are prone to. Charlie (the 1-year-old) even tells his mother when he's dirtied a diaper, in case she doesn't catch it first, and asks when daddy's coming home from work. And ASL comes in handy when in a public situation-- the older child (while freakishly well behaved for a 7-year-old) does sometimes act up, and her mother can use signs to tell her to settle down without making a public scene.

Nothing but good things to say about baby signing.

[entirelysonja.livejournal.com]

A lot of my friends use it with their kids, and I think it's a bit silly. I generally find it pretty obvious what Erika is trying to tell me -- pointing and dragging me around seems like a fairly effective communication technique, and those words she does have help as well.

Of course, since we're already doing bilingual German/English stuff here, I didn't really feel a burning need to add more complexity to the situation.

[nassus.livejournal.com]

My friends have been using a very cut down version of australian sign with their son since he was about 6 months old. It's definately helped with the frustration content as far as helping the communication as he has an extra way to express himself and is more likely to use general body langage effectively (which I think may be a result of this). His language development seems pretty normal though I've heard that it can slow languaged development if used too much (in too much detail). But for basic stuff it seems to work brilliantly.

[fridoline.livejournal.com]

I would probably consider to what extent I want to use the signs. As a help for the most basic needs (food, drink, sleep, love, play, wet/dirty nappy) or as constant addition to all (early) speech.

If it's just for the bare necessities, making up ones own signs should do fine, and one would not need a whole dictionary to keep track of the ten words or so. For a larger project however one would of course need more material, patience and motivation.

Perhaps a short term trial period of two or three weeks would shed more light on the confusion.

[noidd.livejournal.com]

My cousin and her husband communicate in ASL as he is Deaf. Their child therefor is going to be bi-lingual ASL and English.

Their child's spoken skills are not there yet (way too young) but the signed communication is. It's facinating to watch.

[noidd.livejournal.com]

LJ ate my last paragraph :-P

Without a doubt we will be bringing our children up bi-lingual ASL / English. ASL as a language was an order of magnitude easier for me to learn than any spoken language.

[pne.livejournal.com]

I've always thought that being brought up bilingually is a gift, regardless of the languages in question, but I've never thought about non-oral languages. Sounds wonderful, though!

Something else to bear in mind about ASL...

[noidd.livejournal.com]

I know you're a great fan of linguistics, I highly recomend you pick up a gestured language or two.

ASL as an example is a language with a syntax and structure completely different to English. It is not how I assumed when I started learning it the english language mapped into signs.

Object Subject Verb.

My Car - I - Drive.

[rizen.livejournal.com]

My cousins taught their children some ASL early on. I'm not sure they caught it any earlier than they would have done with spoken language, but I notice that they didn't speak as much as toddlers. Because they could just sign with their parents, they often just didn't use words, and assumed everyone else could sign too.

[pne.livejournal.com]

they [...] assumed everyone else could sign too.

Good catch.