Baby Sign Language - Testimonials from happy parents.

Baby Sign Language Parent Testimonials

I started teaching my daughter baby signs when she was about 7 months old. At first I got frustrated at first because I didn't seem to be getting any positivefeedback from her. Finally, when she was about 10 months old, she started doing the sign for "light", which I hadn't taught her until the day thatshe started signing it. She loves to do the sign "light" and at 13 months,still does it all the time. Once she started signing "light", it was onlyabout two weeks until she started doing five more signs: "dog", "milk","eat", "bye-bye", and "snow." By eleven months, she had really gotten the hang of signing and I was so happy that I had stuck with it.
Doing baby signs with Meredith has been such a wonderful experience for both of us. It's been wonderful for her because she's able to tell me what she wants. The first time she did the sign for "milk" and I responded by going to the refrigerator to get her a bottle, she lit up and had thebiggest smile. It's been wonderful for my husband and I because we've enjoyed having a window into her world, realizing how excited she gets to be able to tell us something and it has greatly reduced the frustration level for us all.
Now, at 13 months, Meredith has about 12-15 signs that she usesconsistently. The skeptics in our family that were unsure about baby signs are now just as excited as we are when they see Meredith signing. Teaching baby signs is a lot of hard work and takes a lot of patience and consistency, but the rewards are immeasurable. --Elaine

Caleb signs 'more'

�More�, �more�, �more�, �more�, �more�. Caleb clearly (and frequently) requests �more�. What, you may ask, does an 18 month old want more of? More cheerios, more tickling, more crackers, more songs, more pizza, more spinning, more cookies� more EVERYTHING!!
I began signing some words to Caleb when he was about 7 months old. We started with �eat� and �more� (two VERY important concepts to a baby). He got �more� first around 10 months, and picked up �eat� shortly thereafter. I have tried other signs with him, like �water� which he does alright with, and �ice� which he didn�t pick up at all (he thought I was saying �eyes� and pointed to those).
He gets more verbal every day and often says �mo� as he signs �more�, �ee� as he signs �eat�, �buh� as he uses our home sign for peanut butter (one finger making a �spreading� motion on the other palm), and many other words accompanied by pointing.
I had prior experience with sign, and it seemed very natural to me to use it with Caleb. My mother-in-law was very against the idea at first, because Caleb is a �normal baby� and can hear well. I am happy to say that she also appreciates his signing now. It is so easy to tell when he is hungry rather than just bored.
I feel that sign gives him a means of communication that he would otherwise be frustrated by, and communication gives you power. He is happy when he can tell us what he wants. And making him happy, well, that makes me happy too. �Deena

Brian signing 'more'

We started teaching Brian to sign when he was about seven months old, after reading Joseph Garcia's book. Within 4-6 weeks, he was signing milk.
By his first birthday, he'd added more signs, including water, more and ceiling fan. For a while, we had a hard time keeping track of all the signs he was using (I think he eventually got up to 50). At 13 months, he signed his first sentence.
I had given him a piece of apple in the kitchen, and then returned to the living room. After he finished it, he walked in and deliberately signed "more apple." We even got him to repeat it after getting out the video camera. His ability to communicate with us before he could effectively do so verbally was an amazing asset.
He rarely became frustrated, and we avoided a lot of the tantrums associated with that. He clearly realized that he was getting through to us, and I think that helped make him a very happy baby and toddler.
When we first started signing with him, family members and friends were a little skeptical; one even thought that we would delay the onset of speech. Once he started signing, though, it was so obvious that he was able to communicate with us that all the skepticism disappeared.
And it certainly didn't delay the onset of speech, he started using spoken words "on time" and now at two years, eight months, he is very verbal. In fact, after reading something that said 3-year-olds should be using four- and five-word sentences, I started counting. He regularly speaks in long sentences--one was about 15 words: "Please turn on the light in my room so that I can get my zoo."
He seldom signs spontaneously now, but if we ask him how to say a particular word "with your hands," he often remembers. He loves to watch the documentary about Koko the signing gorilla, and will sign along with her, as well as when talking about her.
The signing pictures were taken at 17 months. They show Brian signing more, milk, gorilla, and music (he was listening to music on the computer). --Katie
Brian signing 'milk'

Brian signing 'gorilla'

Brian signing 'music'

My daughter Shae Lynne is 2.5 years and has a speech delay from long term tube feedings. I have been teaching her signs for over a year and they have been the best I have done. Here are a few pictures of her doing signs that you can use.
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Shae Lynne's Signs Story
Shae Lynne was born on May 16, 2000. It was apparent from her birth thatshe had some sort of medical condition as she wouldn't eat, obviously wasn't growing and was throwing up constantly.
After months of struggling with these issues we finally had a diagnosis:GERD (Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease). We had to accept the reality of Shae Lynne needing a surgically inserted feeding tube in order for her to grow and it became apparent she would not be eating on her own any time soon.
I had read much about the correlation between oral feeding and learn tospeak so I knew that the motor skills developed by learning to eat solids, chewing and swallowing were very much involved in learning to form words and sounds. This would probably mean she would need speech therapy and would be a late talker. She never really even babbled much.
I had also read much about sign language and more specifically the ability of babies to learn signs before they were able to speak. I had thought several times about starting to work on this with Shae butnever really new where to start and I thought it was a lot of work.
When Shae Lynne was almost two years old and only saying mama(non-specifically) we started speech therapy. Her speech therapist immediately started signs with her and encouraged me to start.
I enthusiastically jumped right in and it was the best thing I everdid. She is now just over 2.5 years and has over 100 signs in her vocabulary.
She gets so excited when she can communicate her thoughts, wants and needs with us and I can't even imagine her frustration had I not started this.
Initially I started with a few words here and there (please, thank you,help, more etc) and slowly introduced new ones as I learned them. It has been a lot of work but I am a true believer in the benefit of baby signs and think everyone should be doing it.
Why not take the opportunity tocommunicate with your child as early as possible? My only regret is notstarting them sooner with her and should I have another child in the future there is no doubt in my mind that I will introduce signs immediately.
--Roni

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My son, Jacob, is now 18 months. We started using this baby sign language program when he was about 8 months. He now makes more than 30 signs, and speaks more than 50 words! He's been able to communicate with us since he was about 10 months old. He learned eat, more and nurse first, then we started adding new signs when it seemed appropriate. Nurse seemed to be his favorite sign, and he often signed it to his great-grandmother, then would laugh! He was making jokes at about 14 months! Maybe one day your child will want to communicate with an ASL speaking person or become a highly paid Sign Language Interpreter! It's so fun to communicate with your child, and we've found it relieves a lot of frustration for your child when they can simply ask for what they want. I plan to use this with all of my children!

My name is Christene. My husband and I have been teaching our daughter Alexandra to sign. This is our story.)

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I have been interested in sign language my whole life. I am far from fluent in American Sign Language (ASL), but I have always known the basics. When I was pregnant with my daughter I looked at research discussing the benefit of teaching sign language to infants.

I searched the internet for information and came across the website of Joseph Garcia, the author of "Sign with your Baby".

I was really excited by his studies and I purchased his Complete Learning Kit, which includes a book, training video, and reference guide. I chose his system because it uses ASL as it's base. It is an actual language, something she can use her whole life. Before my daughter was born my husband and I 'studied' watching the video and reading the book. We wanted to learn the signs and be ready to start teaching her early on.

When Alexandra was about 2 months old we started signing to her on a regular basis. We began with a few signs (more, milk, eat) and that is all we showed her until she started signing back. She made her first sign at 7 months of age and we were so proud and excited by her accomplishment.

We slowly added new signs when she showed interest in something. She is 19 months old now and can sign at least 24 words.

Her current signing vocabulary consists of: more, milk, eat, bread, banana, water, change, bath, all done, shoes, socks, bed, book, baby, potty, bye, fan, ouch, I love you, fish, monkey, lion, bird, cat (and there are probably more I am forgetting).

Our family and friends are always impressed by how much she is learning. She seems to enjoy it so much and she is able to tell us things that she can't yet say out loud. She doesn't get frustrated because she is able to communicate with us. If she wants something she lets us know.

It is so easy and helpful, it really benefits everyone involved. I recommend signing to every parent I know and cannot praise it enough. Some people are worried that signing delays speech. We haven't found this to be true at all. She has a large vocabulary for her age that is extended even further through signing.

I just purchased 3 "Signing Time" videos for my daughter, made by Two Little Hands Productions - "My First Signs", "Playtime Signs", and "Everyday Signs". They are videos geared toward young children teaching sign language in a fun way. I can't wait to receive them. I'm sure my daughter will learn even more signs and enjoy seeing other children sign 'to her' on the screen.

I plan on continuing with sign even after Alexandra has an extensive vocabulary, and I will encourage her to keep it up and pursue it further as she get older. It is an excellent tool and a wonderful language that she can use her whole life.

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I'm enclosing two pictures of Alexandra signing. I couldn't decide between the two. One is her signing 'more' the other is her signing 'book'.

I also wanted to add that my daughter Alexandra turned 20 months old today and can now sign 60 words. I mentioned the Signing Time video series in my email and they have been a wonderful tool for teaching more signs rapidly.

Hi,My name is Joanna Sansoni. My husband Greg and I have a little boy (now 4) named Ethan. When we took Ethan to his pediatritian for his 18 month check-up, he asked us how Ethan was doing as far as speaking.

We told him that he only knew a few words (less than 10) and that became a concern to him. Ethan was one of those babies that pointed and grunted when he wanted something. As a stay-at-home mom, I came to know everything he wanted/needed, and gladly gave whatever it was he wanted to him.

Some doctors might say that boys are slower to reach milestones compared to girls, but our doctor was concerned and suggested we get in touch with a program called Early Intervention. They came to our home, and did an evaluation on Ethan just a few days later. They told us he had a speech delay, and recommended services. They suggested Ethan be seen by a speech pathologist for an hour, two days a week.

So at 18 months old, our son began speech therapy with his teacher Erin--who came right to our home to work with Ethan. She was wonderful.

She taught Ethan, but also showed us the techniques necessary for facilitating speech. We would frequently point to our mouths when we spoke to Ethan to show him how to say certain words. That got him to look at us, and our mouths, but he still wasn't making progress as far as speech. Then she told us about sign language.

We came to understand that signing was much easier for a child to do, especially Ethan. I bought a book, and began learning. Erin would also show Ethan signs when she was here working with him. Ethan picked up on it right away.

And though he didn't perfect the signs, they were consistent. We started with simple, yet useful signs like "more" or "drink". In just a few months, he knew more than 100 signs. We were very pleased with his progress, and he was now able to communicate with us. It wasn't long after that that he started combining signs like "more cookie please".

This was right around his second birthday. I was excited to take Ethan for his 2 year check-up and report to Dr. Sobrin (Ethan's pediatrician) how well he was doing, and thank him for suggesting the program to us. I did so, and told Dr. Sobrin all the signs Ethan knew, and that he was now able to communicate with us. But to my surprise, Dr. Sobrin was less than impressed. He was of the philosophy that teaching a child to sign hindered his ability to learn speech.

This was very surprising to me. We had done alot of research regarding signing, and would have expected our doctor to know all the benefits signing provides a child. But he didn't. I didn't let that discourage me, though. I continued teaching Ethan to sign, and Erin still came to visit him twice a week.

It wasn't until Ethan was 2 1/2 years old that he began speaking. All of a sudden, he started speaking! And he hasn't stopped since. He will be four years old March 8th. He still knows his signs, and he uses them frequently. He finished the Early Intervention program in the Fall after his third birthday (last September). He no longer qualified for speech therapy in the home.

He currently attends pre-school at Small World Daycare in New Paltz, NY three days a week. There, his teacher Autumn is teaching the kids sign language. She is currently working on the alphabet. Ethan also attends a music class called Kindermusik. I'm happy to say that in that program, they also show the kids signs.

Signing is everywhere, and it has enriched our lives in a way I can't quite describe. It provided a means for our son to communicate with us when he couldn't use words. For that, we will be eternally thankful.

--Joanna

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Baby Sign Language Parent Testimonials

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