Thursday, August 28, 2008

To Sign Or Not To Sign?

I think this has become less of an issue over the years as parents have learned the benefits of sign language, but many speech pathologists used to run into resistance (and occasionally still do) when suggesting sign language to parents. Many parents fear that teaching their child sign language will delay their speech development. I think the feeling is that if a child knows how to sign to get what he needs then why would he ever bother to learn to speak? This is simply not the case. In fact, the opposite is true--sign language actually fosters language development. Children are typically capable of sign language long before they can speak the words but as their speech and language develop the signs phase out until no longer needed.

Sign language can be a great tool for those transitional months just before your child begins to use words consistently. It can decrease frustration and tantrums for both parent and child. If you're interested in trying sign language with your baby but don't quite know where to start I would suggest choosing a few simple words that would be concrete and frequently used throughout the day with your child. Some popular choices are milk, more, water, all done. Choose what works for you. You can then go to this website created by Michigan State University to see how to make the signs. There is an alphabetical list of words that when clicked on will show a video of someone doing the sign. Once you have chosen a small list of words and learned the signs you then begin to use the signs in combination with speaking. You must be consistent and use the signs every time you speak the word. It will not take long for your child to learn to use the signs themselves. I predict you will be pleasantly surprised at how quickly this happens and how great it is to be able to communicate effectively with your baby. Good luck and don't hesitate to ask if you have questions. Happy signing!

6 comments:

Priscilla said...

I totally agree with this! My friend and I have used this with our children since they were young (as they were able to learn hand cordination, they started signing) and have noticed that as their speech developed, they quit using the signs as much. My friend is an interpreter at ISU so she teaches it to her kids just for communication. I teach it so I can understand my kids since I can't hear very well! Jared is the only one who still shows interest in learning more signs.

Oh- do you have an opinion on orthodontists using expanders in young children? I swear it messed up Caleb's speech to the point that I couldn't understand him. To me, it never returned to normal. Kaitlyn is using expanders now but she has made more of an effort to enunciate with the expander. I'm a little worried that when it comes off, the tongue placement will feel weird and still change the speech pattern. Maybe the expander changes the shape of the mouth too much. I don't know. No one's ever done a study on it and my doc never noticed it before- beause he's never worked with a deaf mother before!

Jessica said...

I have never had someone ask about an expander before. I only have personal experience with my braces/retainers. I remember having to change my speech patterns slightly to adjust for the difference but once they were gone my speech patterns went back to normal. I would guess that most kids would adjust easily to the expander and then quickly return to normal once it had been removed. But I suppose it's possible to have changed their mouth pretty significantly and if it was in for a long time perhaps their speech patterns have changed permanently. But I'm guessing that most people wouldn't notice because they're not as attuned to it as you would be. That's an interesting question. I'll have to start paying more attention to that.

Shelby and Johnny Family said...

i've been doing signs with sol (he's 13 months) and just these past few days he's started signing 'more' and 'all done'. it's so cute! he's been doing 'milk' for a while now. i think it's also important to pair the word with the sign, because it just gives the child more models. (sorry, did you already say that?) great post. i can't wait to see more!!

Priscilla said...

Hey- one more question- one of our foster kids (the younger one) can't say her r's. (And her name starts with R!) I know that's pretty common in kids that age but we're trying to figure out how we can teach her that. I'm not sure that alone is enough to warrant requestig speech therapy for her. What do you think? Does missing your two front teeth make a difference in the formation of the sound? She's missing her front teeth. You can either make a post answering that or you can e-mail me at priscillah@cableone.net (or just answer here!)

Jessica said...

Priscilla--The development of the “r” sound actually ranges widely in kids. It’s normal for some kids to not have their “r” until age 9. In fact, at least here in Mesa Schools, they won’t even treat an “r” problem until third grade. I would probably suggest not worrying about it for a couple more years. And missing the two front teeth really shouldn’t affect her ability to make an “r” sound. Keep me posted though and let me know if you continue to be concerned about it.

Priscilla said...

Oh- it's not really a concern, I just can't understand her very well! I have to put my hand under her jaw when she talks (most of the time) to understand what she is saying. Sometimes Eric misunderstands what she is saying too. I just hoped there might be something to help her along or to practice. We've tried to identify a word that has the "r" sound that she can say. We found one (can't remember what it is right now) and have tried to help her use that "r" sound in a different word but she slips right back into the old way of speaking. Oh well.