FREQUENTLY
ASKED
QUESTIONS
Will teaching my baby
American Sign Language help if my child does not
have a hearing problem?
Yes. Sign language is not only for babies with
hearing loss, it is also for hearing babies.
Sign language in hearing babies allows them to
communicate their thoughts and needs to you even
though they are too young to verbalize their needs.
Babies can learn basic hand gestures much, much
earlier than they learn to speak.
I think my baby is colicky.
Can this really help me?
A "colicky" baby can mean many things. When a
baby cries, our instinct is to find out why.
It could be that they are wet/dirty and need
changing. It could be that they are hungry.
It could be that they miss us and are looking to
reconnect with us through touch (they simply want us
to hold them so they feel secure). Whatever
the reason, imagine how much easier it would be if
your baby cried, you walked over to the baby and
asked, "What's wrong, sweetheart?" Your baby
(having been taught a few basic signs) looked up at
you and made the hand gesture associated with the
word "milk". Knowing exactly what your child
needs, you get your baby some milk - no more crying!
What if I don't know American
Sign Language? Is this for me?
You do not need to already know American Sign
Language in order to teach it to your child.
Even if you only learn 10 signs, you will alleviate
so much frustration with your child that you will
actively seek out more signs and more ways to
communicate. Learning 10 signs will literally
take about 10-30 minutes!
Won't it take me a long time
to learn a new language in order to teach it to my
baby?
Again, it may take 10-30 minutes to learn about 10
signs using American Sign Language. Even if
you have never seen even 1 sign before in your life.
As you teach each sign to your baby, you will be
reinforcing the knowledge in yourself, thereby
teaching both of you at the same time.
My baby is already over 1 year
old. Is it too late for us to start?
No, it is never too late to start. My children
signed until they were between 2-3 years of age
(even though they were increasing their spoken
vocabulary at the same time). Now that my
children are 4 and 6 years old, they are having fun
learning the alphabet. They are both learning
to read and spell, so why not learn to read and
spell in 2 languages? Of course, we always use
a couple of old favorites - the sign for "I love
you" is always given to me while I am on the phone
and the kids have to be quiet. Also, when we
are out in public, using a subtle "toilet" sign will
let me know if I need to plan a restroom stop in the
near future! |
