Baby Sign Language: What you need to know before you get started
You may have heard someone talking about the benefits of using “baby sign language” with babies/toddlers but you don’t really know what it is. Or maybe you’ve bought a book, but don’t know where to get started. Or maybe a doctor or therapist has suggested it to you, but you wonder why it was recommended. Read on and hopefully your questions will be answered.
What is “baby sign language?”
“Baby sign language” is when a child uses simple gestures with their hands to say words and communicate with their caregivers. These simple gestures (or “signs”) have been taught to them by their caregivers to help them communicate more easily while they are learning to talk. The parent may have learned the signs from a book/video, looked them up on the internet, learned them from a friend, or even made them up. Babies/ toddlers using “baby sign language” will still be trying to learn to speak and the signs help them talk faster.
Why do people use signs with babies and toddlers?
Using signs allows a child to communicate what they want without having their speech be well understood. When children are learning to talk, they understand a lot more than what they can say. Moving your mouth for speech can be hard! Think about trying to say the word ball. You have to close your mouth, push your lips together, and turn your voice on to make the “B.” Then you have to open your mouth just the right amount to make the “A” before quickly closing it again and sliding your tongue to make the “L.” It’s a lot. For someone who is just learning to speak, they may have a hard time with some or all of those steps. If the child wants to say ball in sign language, they simply bring their hands together like in an open clap. For many young kids, it is physically easier to make this gesture with their hands than it is to move their mouth correctly to say the word. When kids can use a sign in addition to trying to speak, it helps the people around them understand them faster. If the child is easily frustrated, having the option to be quickly understood by using a sign can be extremely helpful.
Does using sign language keep kids from learning to talk?
Not at all. In some cases, kids actually learn to talk faster. The purpose of “baby sign language” is NOT to replace the family’s home language, but rather to give the child another option to help them be understood. For typically developing children who use baby signs to help with their communication, they will still be trying to speak at the same time that they sign. When their speech gets good enough that people can understand them without the sign, the child will naturally just phase it out. For children who have speech production issues [click here to learn about speech versus language], they may use signs longer because without them, people do not understand what they are trying to say. “Baby sign language” is simply a stepping stone to give a baby/toddler another way to communicate while they work on their talking.
Is “baby sign language” the same as American Sign Language?
No. “Baby sign language” is not an actual language. It is simply a way to say a regular spoken word with a sign instead. In the United States, many baby signs have been inspired by real signs taken from American Sign Language (ASL.) ASL is a fully developed language used by members of the Deaf community to communicate. It has unique word order, thousands of unique signs, and its speakers skillfully use hand shape, hand movement, space, and facial expressions to communicate all of the things that a speaker of a verbal language would communicate. In contrast, baby signs are often simplified versions of some ASL signs. They have been adapted to be easily signed by a young child and can directly replace the English word (or whatever language is spoken in your home.) Some signs (like milk) very closely resemble the original ASL sign; while others (like bus) are not the same.
The goal of “baby sign language is not to teach a child ASL and integrate a child into the Deaf community. If your child is deaf, has a significant hearing loss, or you know someone who is Deaf with whom you’d like to communicate, then “baby sign language” is not what you are looking for.
How do I teach my child to use baby signs?
The best way to teach signs is to use the signs yourself and use them often. When you see your dog, you can say “There’s our dog!” while signing dog. When you hear something outside, you can label it (“Oh, you heard an airplane!” while signing airplane.) You can use signs for actions too (“Let’s wash your hands” while signing wash.) Even when asking a question, make sure you show what you mean so they can learn the word (“Do you want a cracker?” while showing the cracker box and signing cracker.) The reason you have to use the signs too is because it is not realistic to expect a child to just copy you once and then use the signs on their own. You have to show them how to do it, and show them often. Make sure that you do the sign the same way each time.
I showed my child a sign, but they copied it wrong.
This is extremely common and totally normal. Sometimes you show your child a sign and then they turn around and copy it wrong or even come up with their own version. It’s perfectly fine if your child uses their own sign for something. Again, the point is not to teach your child proper ASL, but rather to help them communicate with you. So if they invent their own sign for cereal and you know what it means, just roll with it! There is no reason you have to do the signs a certain way, just whatever works for your family and your child’s caregivers.
Using baby signs can help kids feel less frustrated by being understood more easily. Remember:
Use the signs yourself, and use them often
Say the word while you are signing
It’s okay if your child doesn’t copy the signs “correctly”
Using signs will not keep your child from talking and may even help them talk faster
Using Baby Signs is not the same as teaching a signed language like ASL
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Written By:
Stephanie Burgener-Vader, MA, CCC-SLP
© 2020-2023. Stephanie Keffer, MS CCC-SLP. All Rights Reserved.The content offered on ToddlerTalk.com is for informational purposes only. Toddler Talk is not engaged in rendering professional advice, whether medical or otherwise, to individual users or their children or families. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor, speech language pathologist, or other health professional. By accessing the content on ToddlerTalk.com, you acknowledge and agree that you are accepting the responsibility for your child’s health and well-being. In return for providing you with information related to home speech and language practice, you waive any claims that you or your child may have as a result of utilizing the content on ToddlerTalk.com.