Babies know so much more than they are able to communicate; which oftentimes causes great frustration for both babies and caregivers alike.
“Baby signs can be using gestures in order to help babies communicate,” said local speech-language pathologist, and owner of Toledo Pediatric Speech Therapy, Grace Kelly MA, CCC-SLP. She said that the baby signs can be as different or as similar as you want them to be to American Sign Language (ASL). However, because ASL uses exact signs and syntax, it is another language, whereas baby signs continue to rely on gestures.
Debunking the myths
“Babies learn communication at different stages,” said Kelly. When infants start understanding and also manipulate body parts to do things like clap and wave, is usually the time when baby signing can be taught. Caregivers and parents can start signing very early, though the children will not be able to imitate until they develop their gross motor skills.
Though many people may worry that using baby signs may delay a child’s speech development, the research has shown that babies who use baby signs do not have a delay in speech, and conversely, using baby signs does not promote earlier speaking.
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Babies may use the gestures until they are able to speak, and sometimes may continue to use the gestures with their words until eventually they phase out of using gestures altogether. When doing baby signs for your child, it is important to use the gestures with the verbalization according to Grace Kelly.
“You can’t make their voice turn on, but you can show by modeling with your hands or guide their hands,” said Kelly. She added that the tactile and visual support make a big difference for helping the babies to understand.
Some of the more popular baby signs are used for more, all done, please, drink, etc. When the children are able to manipulate their hands, they are able to imitate the motions such as fingers together touching the mouth, or rubbing a circle on their belly, etc.
Everything to gain, nothing to lose
The bottom line is that introducing your infant to baby signs can only help improve communication between them and their caregivers and family members. Grace Kelly MA, CCC-SLC has used baby signs with all three of her children.
“We’re allowing the child to have a different form of communication that is more accessible to them at the moment,” she said. When a child can feel understood and have their needs met sooner, the amount of frustration felt by both infant and parent decreases immensely. Bottom line, baby signs can help bridge the communication gap until the child is able to begin communicating verbally.
Additional resources
Grace Kelly MA, CCC-SLP has recommended the online resources to provide more information regarding baby signs and the research that has been done regarding using baby signs.
Baby sign language: A helpful communication tool: canr.msu.edu/news/baby_sign_language_a_helpful_communication_tool
‘Baby Signing’: What It Is—and What It’s Not: leader.pubs.asha.org/do/10.1044/leader.MIW.29052024.baby-signs-slp.30/full/
Signing Time dictionary: signingtime.com/dictionary/
Pictures of common baby signs to teacher: babysignlanguage.com/wp-content/uploads/chart/baby-sign-language-chart-us.pdf
Should you or your child’s caregiver have concerns of a speech delay, contact a local pediatric speech-language pathologist for an evaluation. Early intervention is always key. Happy signing!
