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 every 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 every 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
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
My Smart Hands
Austin
Sign Language Classes
Babies Toddlers Families
Babies Toddlers Families
info@mysmarthands-austin.com
