Research on Baby Sign Language shows that Signing Babies Verbalize Sooner
When I first heard about using sign language with babies, I was pretty skeptical. I already knew sign language, but it had never crossed my mind to use it with a baby. After a lot of research, I decided that when I had my first child, I would try it out. Now after having three children and using sign language with my oldest two, I can honestly say it’s one of the best things I’ve done for them. My third child is only 1 month old, but I am definitely going to continue using baby sign language with him.
One article I found was done by Linda Acredolo and Dr. Susan Goodwyn, which showed in a long term study that “children using standardized language measures, children at 24 months using simple signs to communicate, were on average talking more like 27 or 28 month old.”
The study alsoshowed a “three-month advantage over the children who were not signing. Also the infants using signs were putting together significantly longer sentences. Then at 36 months the children using signs on average were talking more like 47 month old which translates to almost a full year ahead of non-signing children”.
It almost sounds too good to be true, but from personal experience I know that it really does work. Both my son and daughter have been months ahead of the average. I had people coming up to me in the grocery store and they’d ask how old my daughter was. When I’d tell them 15 months, they’d stare at me in shock… because at that point she was saying full clear sentences. I can’t tell you how secretly pleased I was!
If anyone is trying to decide if they should use sign language with their child, do the research and find all the resources you can. That’s what I did, and the evidence was overwhelming that the benefits are amazing.
If you have any questions about my experience with my family using baby sign language, feel free to email me. signing4baby@hotmail.com .
Andrea Burton Ploehn, Co-Founder Signing 4 Baby
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