There are times when parents would do anything to communicate with their baby but both baby and parent are frustrated due to baby not being able to communicate his needs. While this parental desire may apply at any stage of child’s life, it is particularly relevant before children are able to speak and communicate with their parents.

Surprising and unnatural as it sounds, it is in fact possible to gain several important months in parent-child communication. Baby Sign Language, developed from Sign Language for the Deaf, has proved beneficial across the world in allowing parents and children to communicate earlier than would be possible with spoken language.

Will learning Sign Language delay my baby’s speech?
Absolutely not, research has shown that just the opposite is true and in many cases, babies who used Sign Language spoke sooner and had a larger vocabulary that those that did not sign. Sign Language can accelerate speech development rather than hinder it.

As a parent, why would I want to learn Baby Sign Language?
‘The most attractive benefit is purely practical,’ says Carla Resnick, Founder and Director of the Baby Hands Academy of Baby Sign Language. ‘Parents and children really benefit in the daily practicalities of life if they can communicate early on. Whether it’s hunger or a dirty nappy, the ability to get thoughts across is amazingly practical and beneficial. Baby Sign Language can change life at home dramatically.’

So, the parent - toddler communication dream is actually possible – and not only is it possible, but pretty simple too.

‘The process involves a once-off parent workshop with a trainer,’ says Resnick. ‘Thereafter, parents can learn over 160 signs provided on the Baby Hands DVD.’

What are the benefits?

Apart from the practical attractions of Baby Sign Language, there are also important long-term benefits. Children are impressively flexible mentally in the early years – it is at this stage that the rapid development of mental ability takes place. By stimulating advanced cognitive functioning and communication through Sign Language, parents are giving their children an essential cognitive foundation – one that will lay the basis for broad intellectual development when verbal communication becomes a reality. Spoken language is stored in the left hemisphere of the brain, while visual information is stored in the right side. When you speak and sign to a baby, she uses both hemispheres, thereby developing a greater portion of the brain. There is thus little doubt that Baby Sign Language is tremendously beneficial, regardless of which angle you examine it from.

‘Many practitioners across the world cite statistics which indicate that learning Baby Sign Language can increase academic performance, IQ scores and so forth,’ says Resnick. ‘However at Baby Hands we place the emphasis on developing communication ability between parent and child. Every child is unique, with its own natural abilities. Yes, there might be long term cognitive benefits, but obviously they will vary according to the personality and abilities of each child.”

For those that are worried that Baby Signing will be too complicated to learn easily, they need not be concerned. Baby Sign Language is a straightforward undertaking, building on a child’s natural tendency to point at objects it finds interesting or desirable. The first sign is developed around a particular item or need, with further signs added on in logical and simple progression. At the Baby Hands Workshop, parents will learn over 60 signs and will then have a DVD and wall chart to practice those and other signs at home.

‘This is really a simple and natural process,’ says Resnick. ‘It builds on the natural desire of parent and child to communicate, and with the correct ‘start-off’ guidance any parent can do it and enjoy all the results.’

Author:
Carla Resnick

For more information on Baby Sign Language workshops contact:
Baby Hands S.A.
084 572 9617
Visit Baby Hands SA website

Published: 1 May 2006

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