![]() ![]() It may well be their child's main way of communicating. Parents of children who have deafness or significant hearing difficulties may need to learn a signing system, such as British Sign Language. These systems of signing are normally used with children who are struggling to communicate for a variety of reasons. If you want to use formal signing systems such as Makaton or Signalong, you will need to attend classes or a course. It's a great way of getting to know other parents. ![]() However, some people find that meeting other parents while you do it can be a lot of fun. You don't need to go on special baby signing courses to learn how to use gestures or signing with your little one. This is a good time to start signing with your baby (Acredolo and Goodwyn 2000). However, most children between the ages of nine months and 18 months start to use a combination of gestures and sounds to communicate (TP nd). You can start to sign the meaning along with what you are saying at any time. How do I get started with baby signing?Communicating with your baby begins from the moment he’s born. This way, you spend more time chatting about what interests your little one, which is a great way to help him learn to talk. If, for example, he tells you he can hear an aeroplane you can respond: "You heard an aeroplane? Yes, I can see it. When your baby can sign back, you may even enjoy a two-way conversation. They’ll enjoy this long before they know the words! Most young children will naturally pick up gestures or actions, like waving bye-bye or when joining in on nursery rhymes. Gestures are a normal part of communication. Try to make sure your baby is looking at you, so that he's concentrating on what you are saying, as well as what you are doing. ![]() Signing should be used along with normal speech so your baby can make the link between the gesture and the word. Signing is about enhancing, not replacing language. Signing may actually help your baby learn to talk and add new words to his vocabulary (Acredolo and Goodwyn 2000 GOFSD 2013). In fact, research shows the opposite is true. Will signing help or hinder my baby's ability to talk?You may worry that teaching your baby to sign will slow down his normal speech development. So, why shouldn't hearing parents of hearing babies enjoy the benefits of signing, too? After all, thought Dr Garcia, if a baby can sign for what he wants instead of screaming, mum, dad and baby will all be happier. Garcia also noticed that these babies appeared less demanding than non-signing babies because they could express their thoughts and needs more easily (Garcia 2000). He found that hearing babies of deaf parents easily copied their parents' signs and used them to communicate. ![]() The idea of taking this one step further, and teaching babies a range of signs, was inspired by child development expert, Dr Joseph Garcia. As a result, he will use gestures to let you know what he wants before he can talk (GOFSD 2013, TP nd). Your baby's understanding of language and ability to make gestures develop much faster than his ability to speak. So, it's not surprising that babies can learn how to sign. Think of a baby pointing or waving "bye-bye", or asking to be picked up by raising his arms. Babies are very good at picking up on these gestures and, using them to communicate (TP nd). How does baby signing work?When we talk, we often use gestures as part of our communication. How can I use the signs I've learned with my baby?.How do I get started with baby signing?.Will signing help or hinder my baby's ability to talk?. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |