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scholar
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Has anyone here done it? How did it work for you? Which book/DVD did you use? I am sitting awake with my very unhappy baby and thinking anything that helps her communicate earlier is great, but since I don't know sign language, it might be a lot of work. Everything I have seen online is really positive, but alot of it seems biased.
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ketchupqueen
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I tried when my first daughter was little, and with my second as well, just signing as I said words (every time I said the word I wanted them to learn.) The only one either of them picked up at the time was "milk" (for nursing)-- Emma at 2.5 months, Bridget at 5.5 months.

But now that she's older, my toddler is learning at an amazingly fast rate by watching Signing Time! (and of course reinforcing the words we learn to sign by practicing and using them.) I'm hoping that as the baby sees Emma and me signing she will want to sign with us, too, and pick some of it up.

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Frisco
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I don't care how famous they are, don't let them use permanent markers.
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Noemon
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Beaten to the punch by Frisco!
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Megan
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Yeah, that's definitely what I thought when I first saw the thread title, too. [Wink]
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Hank
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I thought this was going to be a question about whether OSC would sign your baby. I was greatly concerned.
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Christine
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I use some baby signs with my toddler, now 16 months, but I feel the need to warn you that *most* babies will not pick up sign language until they are about 10 months old. Baby signing really should be renamed "toddler signing" because it's a bit of false advertisement. It does have benefits and I do recommend it, but to be honest I suggest not even starting until your baby is 7 or 8 months old because you may lose patience and energy if you start too soon and it really can work for the right baby at the right age.

I started doing "milk" for nursing and "toilet" for diaper change at 3 months old. At 10 months, when all the books said you could expect the first sign, I was fed up and ready to quit. Finally, my parents as teachers visitor told me that she didn't care what the books said, she saw dozens of babies and almost none of them did a sign until they were a year old. So I kept going and finally, just before his first birthday, he did milk, shortly followed by eat. He now does milk, eat, toilet (diaper change), water, nap, all done, and me...and of course he points a lot, which is natural sign language.

What sign language really does, IMHO, is to hep fill the gap between the age when babies/toddlers can start to understand language and when they can make themselves understood. Verbalization is much more difficult than gesturing and they can learn to gesture faster and more easily. Most 12-month-olds know only a handful of words and don't use them regularly to communicate. My niece, for example, knew a ton more words than my son did when we went to visit (they're a month apart and girl babies really do learn to speak faster than boy babies...I was told in no uncertain terms no to compare my son to girl babies his age). Anyway, she knew many more words than he did but she didn't use them and was much more likely to throw herself on the floor in a fit than my son, who would walk up to me and sign what he wanted.

I found this book at the library and later bought it:

http://www.amazon.com/Sign-Your-Baby-Quick-Reference/dp/0966836723/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-1985361-1545227?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1174311909&sr=8-1

It uses ASL as a basis for the baby signs but keep in mind that you can adapt the signs for your needs (and your child probably will). My son couldn't spread his finger right for the water sign, for example, so he just taps his cheek with his palm. We know what he means. :=)

Check out your library first because that should save you money. You can definitely look at the theory and the "how to" to see if it's something you think could work in your household. Like I said, I think it's great, but don't fool yourself into thinking that your *baby* will sign with you.

A couple of other things since I reread your post:

1. How old is your baby?

2. It's not hard to learn the signs for baby sign. You don't have to learn a whole language, just a few key words.

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TomDavidson
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We signed with Sophie when she was little, and indeed she picked it up at around seven months and continued using it until about thirteen months. She never progressed beyond some very simple signs -- "more," "milk," "wet," "sleepy," etc. -- but we found them very helpful, and they don't appear to have negatively impacted her language skills. Quite the opposite, actually.
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Euripides
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quote:
Originally posted by TomDavidson:

but we found them very helpful, and they don't appear to have negatively impacted her language skills. Quite the opposite, actually.

That's good to know. It was my first concern.
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Christine
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quote:
Originally posted by Euripides:
quote:
Originally posted by TomDavidson:

but we found them very helpful, and they don't appear to have negatively impacted her language skills. Quite the opposite, actually.

That's good to know. It was my first concern.
It's many people's first concern but studies have shown that Tom's experience is not alone. Baby signing does help language and communication development.
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Tante Shvester
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I didn't teach my baby signs, but I taught him to read by 6 months old. He could point to the word that he wanted to communicate to us.

Oh, I know you're dubious, but it be so! My mother-in-law taught me how. Apparently it was the vogue back in the 50's.

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brojack17
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My daughter was one of the kids who pointed and screamed. One of our friends started signing so we tried it. IT WORKED!!!!! Since she could tell us she wanted milk, cookie, cracker, fish (goldfish), sleep, please, thank you, etc. it really cut down the screaming.

We just did words, not phrases or sentences. Simple enough for everyone to sign. We went here
http://commtechlab.msu.edu/SITES/ASLWEB/browser.htm
and picked out the words we wanted to use. I ended up using it on our last daughter also. She still signs sometimes just for fun. She always says the word too. Her favorite is socks and shoes. When she is sleepy, I will sign "sleep" to her. Her answer is always no.

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ketchupqueen
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Oh, scholar, I have some baby sign flash cards (mostly for parents) in a box of books somewhere. If you want them, let me know and I'll send them.
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scholar
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My baby is only 2 and a half months. So, it sounds like a bit young. One of the sites advertised for as young as 6 weeks, so I wasn't sure how old she needed to be. My husband is somewhat against it because he worries she won't learn to talk. One of our friends kids seemed to take forever to learn to talk and they used the point and scream method of communication (whatever he pointed at, his parents quickly got him). I told him that isn't the same as baby signing, but he was unconvinced.
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anti_maven
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We thought about signing, but as our son seemed to be a natural chatterbox our procrastination rendered it unnecessary.

Interestingly, the BBC has a childrens show aimed at preschoolers and children with special needs where they use the Makaton language. It is is not really for babies, but the following might prove interesting:

Makaton official site

BBC - Cbeebies - Something Special

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breyerchic04
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A little girl I babysit learned signing at her daycare. Mostly she did more until you fed her again [Smile]
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ketchupqueen
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quote:
Originally posted by scholar:
My baby is only 2 and a half months. So, it sounds like a bit young. One of the sites advertised for as young as 6 weeks, so I wasn't sure how old she needed to be. My husband is somewhat against it because he worries she won't learn to talk. One of our friends kids seemed to take forever to learn to talk and they used the point and scream method of communication (whatever he pointed at, his parents quickly got him). I told him that isn't the same as baby signing, but he was unconvinced.

I believe studies have shown that signing does not delay language development and in fact can help promote it. Check out the link I posted before, I think they may link to some research on it.

2 1/2 months is rather young, but it is not too early to start signing things to your child, as you talk to him (her?) as long as you don't EXPECT a response for up to a year. 2 1/2 months is also when Emma started signing "milk" (I had been using it since birth), although she never did pick up any others (and dropped milk when she started saying "na-na" at 5 months, although she now knows it again.)

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ketchupqueen
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According to this,
quote:
A recent NIH study shows that children who learn to sign may experience:

Reduced frustration and tantrums
Increased bonding with parents
Enhanced speaking, spelling, and reading skills

I will go look for the study.
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ketchupqueen
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Haven't quite found it yet, although I did find a page that lists research into baby signing.
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TheGrimace
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the latter half of my 17 nieces/nephews have had great success with learning a couple signs as a transition into talking. the main ones used were just some combination of "milk" "more" and "water" I can't speak off-hand to the ages when it was stressed and picked up, but it has worked wonders in general and I think has helped ease them into talking. all my siblings have been very happy with the practice, as have I [Smile]
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TheGrimace
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sorry for the double post, but i forgot to mention that when I first saw this thread I was just picturing a thread about people having celebrities sign their infant children rather than pictures or whatnot =p
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TomDavidson
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Almost everyone I talk to recommends the following:

1) Begin signing for common things like "diaper" and "milk" and "sleep" at around 2 1/2 months. Say the word aloud while you do it.

2) Sign at the things you see your kid interested in. If she sees a bunny, say "bunny" and make the sign.

3) Don't force their hands into shapes, but show them slowly how to make the shape if you see them trying.

In Sophie's case, she had "milk" down early, but it was the only sign she'd use for nearly half a year. "More" quickly followed, and then a bunch of other ones. By the time she had a truly functional vocabulary of signs, though, she was more interested in speaking.

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Christine
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quote:
Originally posted by scholar:
My baby is only 2 and a half months. So, it sounds like a bit young. One of the sites advertised for as young as 6 weeks, so I wasn't sure how old she needed to be. My husband is somewhat against it because he worries she won't learn to talk. One of our friends kids seemed to take forever to learn to talk and they used the point and scream method of communication (whatever he pointed at, his parents quickly got him). I told him that isn't the same as baby signing, but he was unconvinced.

Babies learn some sign language naturally, most notably: pointing. Rest assured, if you do nothing else, your baby will point and scream. [Smile]

I didn't mean to suggest that you couldn't start signing at 2.5 months. It won't hurt. I regretted starting that young, personally, because even though I started so early my son did not learn to use any signs until he was 11 months old and it was very frustrating for me. (He recognized their meaning far early, btw. He recognized "milk" and "toilet" and reacted to them as early ast 6 months old, he just didn't use them to communicate.) I almost quit because I started so young and so that's my only caution. If you do start now, you should still have reasonable expectations. I mean, you talk to your baby now but you probably don't expect to hear any words back for many months now. [Smile]

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Amanecer
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More anecdotal evidence: My neice is 18 months and has signed since she was about 8 months. It's fantastic and incredibly useful. The pointing and crying only happens when she is unable to communicate what she wants. Plus now that she's able to speak more words, her parents will say the name of the word as she signs it. She's started picking that up and will sign and speak when she can. Her vocabulary is rather simple, but the effect is tremendous.
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sweetbaboo
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I taught my daughter a few signs (more, water, thank you) just because I couldn't stand the point and scream method she was using (she was obnoxiously loud). She would most often point at what she wanted, sign "more" and then sign "thank you". Somehow the thank you made my day after so many spent in frustration of the point and scream thing. I wished I had known about it to start much earlier with her (I think that I started around 8-9 months when she started cruising!! Gah!) Good luck.
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DDDaysh
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I've heard it worked well from friends (who all had girls) and tried it desperately with my son for about a year (from about 9 months until he was nearly two). It didn't work at all, even though I was fastidious about using it constantly, starting with only a couple of signs.

I am thinking maybe it's a girl thing. Everyone I know who has had it succeed had girls, but maybe that's just coincidence. I know that my son learned absolutely none of it. On the other hand, he is a very ODD child. We are afraid he may have a form of autism, so that could be part of it. He's 3 now and speaks in sentences mostly (though he's VERY hard to understand), but will rarely answer questions.

Good luck with your daughter. It's not all that hard, and it's worth a try. I spent about $40 on a book and CD set at B&N called. It was nice, and came with a handi little sheet with alot of common signs.

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Mighty Robot Lords
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quote:
Originally posted by Frisco:
I don't care how famous they are, don't let them use permanent markers.

I found this a little late. I was actually going to say something along the lines of, "But pencils are pointy!" Too late now.

There should be a finger snapping smiley. [Dont Know]

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Christine
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quote:
Originally posted by DDDaysh:

I am thinking maybe it's a girl thing. Everyone I know who has had it succeed had girls, but maybe that's just coincidence.

Boys tend to develop language at a slower rate than girls, which is why I have been told that it is a mistake to compare baby boys to baby girls on that skill. But that does not mean that boys can't learn signs. It may be that my son learned them later than some of the girls around here, but he learned it.

More anecdotes:

My neighbor has three kids: girl, boy, girl. The first two (girl and boy) took to it easily and well. The last (a girl) just wasn't into it. She even knew the signs but wouldn't do them. She thought it was funny. I was talking to her about this a few months ago and she has a friend who is a deaf interpreter who was embarrassed that she couldn't get either one of her kids (boy and girl) to sign.

Point is that some kids won't take to this, but that's not a gender thing, it's probably a personality thing. [Smile]

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sndrake
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quote:
Interestingly, the BBC has a childrens show aimed at preschoolers and children with special needs where they use the Makaton language. It is is not really for babies, but the following might prove interesting:

Coincidentally, I was watching Countdown with Keith Olbermann and the host of this show made his "worst person in the world" list. It has to do with this story:

TV presenter's sex stumble

quote:
ANGRY parents have accused BBC TV character Mr Tumble of greeting watching toddlers by saying "I'm f****** you" in sign language.

But the CBeebies character has defended his greeting, saying his gestures mean "I'm happy to see you".

Mr Tumble was caught out when Jamie Miller, who works for the Royal National Institute for the Deaf, was watching the show with his five-year-old daughter Katie.

“Katie, who is learning sign language, asked what the gesture meant. I didn’t know what to tell her,” he said.

Mr Miller, who said the signs for "happy" and "f******" are quite similar, contacted the BBC five times but Mr Tumble continues to open the show by saying with "I'm f******* you".

The BBC has defended Mr Tumble - presenter Justin Fletcher - saying he uses Makaton signals, which are different to British Sign Language.

RNID spokeswoman Kate Sidwell said: “We advised the BBC that using Makaton would cause confusion.

“Makaton is used more for children with learning difficulties — it is essentially a different language.”

In British Sign Language “happy” is shown by gently brushing the palms against each other. The swear word is made by brushing the hands together between the thumb and first finger.

First, I'm not at all sure why a "special" sign language had to be created.

Second, since kids are likely to be sloppy with their signing and the signs are similar, the most reasonable response of the show (and the creator of Makaton, quoted in another story) would be to change the sign.

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anti_maven
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According to the Toddling Tornado "Miffer Plum" (Mr. Tumble) can do no wrong...

Maybe, just maybe, he is happy to be "ahem"ing us...

[Wink]

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Kwea
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Christine, you broke the page! [Wink]


My wife can sign ASL, and we have talked about baby signing. She thinks it is the coolest thing, and when we have children she completely plans on doing it with them.

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ketchupqueen
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quote:
First, I'm not at all sure why a "special" sign language had to be created.

I would tend to agree-- often the British signs are easier, to me, than ASL in the first place, but in any case, I have seen parents of very young or disabled children teach them correct ASL anyway-- and then accept the sign they choose to make back, whatever it is. In fact, I've done it with my kids-- neither of them signed exactly right back to me, but both of them did have a consistent sign, and I knew what it meant. If the parent and the other people the child interacts with know what the sign is even if it is not exactly perfect, then it can be explained to other signers (or often they can figure it out); most kids are eager to communicate, and will try their hardest and improve at signing the more you do it with them, same as kids learning to speak. You don't teach a kid who says "pwead" for "treat" and "sumpin" for "something" to speak by starting to use "pwead" and "sumpin" in your everyday conversation with them-- you listen to them, and repeat back the correct words as you respond to their request. Signing, to me, works the same way. If my baby signed "thirsty" by running a fist or an open hand down her throat instead of one finger, I would be thrilled that she was signing instead of screaming, and sign and say "thirsty" back to her correctly, then give her a drink. But that's just my opinion... No offense to people who use modified signs with their baby. I'm just not sure why they have to have a whole, simplified language instead of adapting in individual circumstances.
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Christine
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quote:
Originally posted by ketchupqueen:
quote:
First, I'm not at all sure why a "special" sign language had to be created.

I would tend to agree-- often the British signs are easier, to me, than ASL in the first place, but in any case, I have seen parents of very young or disabled children teach them correct ASL anyway-- and then accept the sign they choose to make back, whatever it is. In fact, I've done it with my kids-- neither of them signed exactly right back to me, but both of them did have a consistent sign, and I knew what it meant. If the parent and the other people the child interacts with know what the sign is even if it is not exactly perfect, then it can be explained to other signers (or often they can figure it out); most kids are eager to communicate, and will try their hardest and improve at signing the more you do it with them, same as kids learning to speak. You don't teach a kid who says "pwead" for "treat" and "sumpin" for "something" to speak by starting to use "pwead" and "sumpin" in your everyday conversation with them-- you listen to them, and repeat back the correct words as you respond to their request. Signing, to me, works the same way. If my baby signed "thirsty" by running a fist or an open hand down her throat instead of one finger, I would be thrilled that she was signing instead of screaming, and sign and say "thirsty" back to her correctly, then give her a drink. But that's just my opinion... No offense to people who use modified signs with their baby. I'm just not sure why they have to have a whole, simplified language instead of adapting in individual circumstances.
Well, I had a good reason for using modified sign language in my home. I'm sure it's not a common reason, but here is is...I am visually impaired and certain signs are difficult for me to discern. I did use ASL as a starting point, but I modified each sign we use in our home to be big -- to use the hands instead of the fingers, for example -- so that I could use the signs to communicate. For me the point is not to teach him another language or even part of it, it's just to bridge the communication gap during these tough transition months. If he wants to learn proper ASL, he'll have to do it the hard way. [Smile]
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ketchupqueen
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And that's fine, like I said-- but does the necessity of exceptions and modifications in individual homes mean that we should create a whole new language, or just make modifications and exceptions as necessary?
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