Frequently Asked Questions
Why Sign with my Baby?
While most babies start talking between 1 and 2 years of age, they can understand and want to
communicate much earlier. Since babies have control over their hands long before they
develop verbal skills, signing enables them to express what they are not yet able to say. This
reduces frustration resulting in fewer temper tantrums. Signing also exposes your child to more
words at an earlier age, helping increase language development.
When will my baby start signing?
Every baby develops differently, and babies start signing at different ages. Most babies make
their first signs between 7-10 months. The key is consistency, the more your baby sees you
signing the better! Tara started signing with her son at 5 months, and he started signing back a
couple signs by 10 months. Laura's daughter Fireese signed her first sign at 9 months, and by 12
months had a vocabulary of over 50 words. Most babies at 12 months have a vocabulary of 0-
10 words.
Will signing delay speech?
Research shows that babies who use sign do not show any delay in speech. In fact, the opposite
seems to be true. Babies who are taught sign language tend to speak sooner and have larger
vocabularies. When signing with your baby you are always talking to them so they are
continuously being exposed to verbal language. Babies want to talk and when they are able to
do so they will. In the meantime, signing gives them a bridge of meaningful communication.
What do I do when teaching signs to my baby becomes
frustrating?
This can definitely happen! We tend to be a society of immediate results, we are the ‘fast food’
generation, we want what we want and we want it now! The key is to try and make it fun and
make it a natural part of your daily routine. If parents get frustrated they should keep in mind
that their children aren’t going to talk right away but we still continue to talk to them. Just
because they aren’t signing right away doesn’t mean they won’t pick it up soon. Try to make
signing fun, sign and sing songs, sign and read a book, play games using signs etc. And remember
not to be too hard on yourself. If you have a few days that you are frustrated then leave it for a
day or two and then pick it up again when you feel renewed. Yes, it is important to be consistent
but if you aren’t having fun and it feels like a chore then take a break for a moment. That way, in
a couple of days when you pick it up again you may have a new feel for it.
How do I transition my baby from using sign language to
talking?
There is really no transition needed. This process usually happens naturally. The more the child
begins to speak the less they tend to rely on the signing. Very few babies will talk and sign at the
same time for any length of time. Most babies will realize that words are words and signs are
signs. Some may use words and signs at the same time for a little while but generally the signs
will begin to drop off. This is also usually a result of the parents. Parents often slow their signing
once the child begins to speak, there is not the huge need to continue when the child can easily
pick up words.
However, I highly encourage parents to continue to sign with their child. It is a great tool that
you can use even with older children. At the very least I would encourage parents to teach their
child the ASL alphabet and begin to teach reading using the ASL alphabet. When you do this you
are using all three teaching modes that teachers are encouraged to use with their students (the
VAK method of teaching, visual, auditory, kinesthetic). Signing with children covers all learners
in the VAK system. Signing is visual because they can see the letter being made. It is auditory
because they can hear you saying the letter/word. And it is kinesthetic because they can make
the letter/word themselves. We take in language as a sound on the left side of our brains and we
take in sign language as an image on the right side of our brains. By using sign language you are
working both sides of the brain. Not to mention that sign language is the third most used
language in the United States and the fourth most used in all of North America. How could
continuing to learn a useful language be bad!
Are there tips for baby to pick up sign language faster?
The most important thing for parents to do to help their child pick up signs faster is to be
consistent in their signing. It is more important for parents to sign each and every time they say
a word than to sign 30 words once in a while. I always tell parents to start with a few signs that
they are comfortable with and use on a regular basis, such as the word ‘milk’. Every single time
you say the word ‘milk’ make the sign. The baby will pick this sign up faster than if you only sign
it ever few times you say the word. You can sign as many words as you want and introduce as
many as you’d like however, make sure you are consistent.
It is also important to keep in mind that all babies are different, some are going to pick it up
faster than others. I started signing with my daughter when she was 4 months old but she didn’t
start signing back until 9.5 months. However, I’ve had parents in my class who started signing
with their baby at six months and the next week they started signing back. Others have not
signed until eleven or twelve months.
How do I make sure family members and other caregivers keep
up signing?
Family members who are not as inspired to sign with your baby as you are may become more
motivated once your little one begins to produce signs. The caregiver will not want to be in a
position where the baby is clearly asking for what he/she wants through sign and they have no
idea what it is. The child will quickly get very frustrated with the caregiver’s lack of
understanding. This will be one way that the caregiver will be motivated to sign with your child.
Another way you can help in this process is by providing the caregiver pictures of the
commonly used signs you use. You can print off pictures, buy flashcards or signing stickers and
place them around the house where those signs would be used. Don’t overwhelm your caregiver,
just introduce them to one or two new signs each week.
Encourage your caregiver to view signing as a fun, interactive and educational tool to use with
your child. Just as they would read a book or sing a song to your child, this is just another
stimulating activity they can add into their day. Once your child is signing back you will find that
most people in his/her life will feel more inspired to sign as it is a way to interact with the little
one.
What are the benefits of signing with toddlers and preschoolers?
Even once children start speaking, signing still has advantages. Children who learn ASL also
learn to read sooner. This is because they can see the link from the manual alphabet to written
words helping them see the pattern of language. Children also love learning sign language
because they are active while they learn. You can incorporate signs into songs you child like
such as ‘The Itsy Bitsy Spider’, ‘Old MacDonald’, ‘Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star’ etc. Using ASL in
school programs incorporates many of the multiple intelligences. Children are active learners
and ASL is one way to involve students in their education. See Video
Why Sign with my Baby?
While most babies start talking between 1 and 2 years of age, they can understand and want to
communicate much earlier. Since babies have control over their hands long before they
develop verbal skills, signing enables them to express what they are not yet able to say. This
reduces frustration resulting in fewer temper tantrums. Signing also exposes your child to more
words at an earlier age, helping increase language development.
When will my baby start signing?
Every baby develops differently, and babies start signing at different ages. Most babies make
their first signs between 7-10 months. The key is consistency, the more your baby sees you
signing the better! Tara started signing with her son at 5 months, and he started signing back a
couple signs by 10 months. Laura's daughter Fireese signed her first sign at 9 months, and by 12
months had a vocabulary of over 50 words. Most babies at 12 months have a vocabulary of 0-
10 words.
Will signing delay speech?
Research shows that babies who use sign do not show any delay in speech. In fact, the opposite
seems to be true. Babies who are taught sign language tend to speak sooner and have larger
vocabularies. When signing with your baby you are always talking to them so they are
continuously being exposed to verbal language. Babies want to talk and when they are able to
do so they will. In the meantime, signing gives them a bridge of meaningful communication.
What do I do when teaching signs to my baby becomes
frustrating?
This can definitely happen! We tend to be a society of immediate results, we are the ‘fast food’
generation, we want what we want and we want it now! The key is to try and make it fun and
make it a natural part of your daily routine. If parents get frustrated they should keep in mind
that their children aren’t going to talk right away but we still continue to talk to them. Just
because they aren’t signing right away doesn’t mean they won’t pick it up soon. Try to make
signing fun, sign and sing songs, sign and read a book, play games using signs etc. And remember
not to be too hard on yourself. If you have a few days that you are frustrated then leave it for a
day or two and then pick it up again when you feel renewed. Yes, it is important to be consistent
but if you aren’t having fun and it feels like a chore then take a break for a moment. That way, in
a couple of days when you pick it up again you may have a new feel for it.
How do I transition my baby from using sign language to
talking?
There is really no transition needed. This process usually happens naturally. The more the child
begins to speak the less they tend to rely on the signing. Very few babies will talk and sign at the
same time for any length of time. Most babies will realize that words are words and signs are
signs. Some may use words and signs at the same time for a little while but generally the signs
will begin to drop off. This is also usually a result of the parents. Parents often slow their signing
once the child begins to speak, there is not the huge need to continue when the child can easily
pick up words.
However, I highly encourage parents to continue to sign with their child. It is a great tool that
you can use even with older children. At the very least I would encourage parents to teach their
child the ASL alphabet and begin to teach reading using the ASL alphabet. When you do this you
are using all three teaching modes that teachers are encouraged to use with their students (the
VAK method of teaching, visual, auditory, kinesthetic). Signing with children covers all learners
in the VAK system. Signing is visual because they can see the letter being made. It is auditory
because they can hear you saying the letter/word. And it is kinesthetic because they can make
the letter/word themselves. We take in language as a sound on the left side of our brains and we
take in sign language as an image on the right side of our brains. By using sign language you are
working both sides of the brain. Not to mention that sign language is the third most used
language in the United States and the fourth most used in all of North America. How could
continuing to learn a useful language be bad!
Are there tips for baby to pick up sign language faster?
The most important thing for parents to do to help their child pick up signs faster is to be
consistent in their signing. It is more important for parents to sign each and every time they say
a word than to sign 30 words once in a while. I always tell parents to start with a few signs that
they are comfortable with and use on a regular basis, such as the word ‘milk’. Every single time
you say the word ‘milk’ make the sign. The baby will pick this sign up faster than if you only sign
it ever few times you say the word. You can sign as many words as you want and introduce as
many as you’d like however, make sure you are consistent.
It is also important to keep in mind that all babies are different, some are going to pick it up
faster than others. I started signing with my daughter when she was 4 months old but she didn’t
start signing back until 9.5 months. However, I’ve had parents in my class who started signing
with their baby at six months and the next week they started signing back. Others have not
signed until eleven or twelve months.
How do I make sure family members and other caregivers keep
up signing?
Family members who are not as inspired to sign with your baby as you are may become more
motivated once your little one begins to produce signs. The caregiver will not want to be in a
position where the baby is clearly asking for what he/she wants through sign and they have no
idea what it is. The child will quickly get very frustrated with the caregiver’s lack of
understanding. This will be one way that the caregiver will be motivated to sign with your child.
Another way you can help in this process is by providing the caregiver pictures of the
commonly used signs you use. You can print off pictures, buy flashcards or signing stickers and
place them around the house where those signs would be used. Don’t overwhelm your caregiver,
just introduce them to one or two new signs each week.
Encourage your caregiver to view signing as a fun, interactive and educational tool to use with
your child. Just as they would read a book or sing a song to your child, this is just another
stimulating activity they can add into their day. Once your child is signing back you will find that
most people in his/her life will feel more inspired to sign as it is a way to interact with the little
one.
What are the benefits of signing with toddlers and preschoolers?
Even once children start speaking, signing still has advantages. Children who learn ASL also
learn to read sooner. This is because they can see the link from the manual alphabet to written
words helping them see the pattern of language. Children also love learning sign language
because they are active while they learn. You can incorporate signs into songs you child like
such as ‘The Itsy Bitsy Spider’, ‘Old MacDonald’, ‘Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star’ etc. Using ASL in
school programs incorporates many of the multiple intelligences. Children are active learners
and ASL is one way to involve students in their education. See Video
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