Beginning of July, Marie Diop, a long time EC member, came to the WBFN with a young family of her acquaintances. She thought that I would be interested in meeting them, learning about their program and witnessing the results on their two-year old daughter. Indeed, I was interested, intrigued and impressed! I had to share with my friends, my children (not yet thinking of having kids of their own!) and our WBFN members what I discovered on that day!
Jennifer Lloyd explained to us why she organizes
Sign Language classes/seminars for parents of babies who have normal hearing. This sounds complicated, arduous and un-necessary: kind of an intellectual form of torture for the little ones! On the contrary! Like dealing with several languages from birth, this does not create any problem for the kids (more for the parents maybe!) It becomes the “norm” for them, it is natural. The similarities with another foreign language do not stop there. This use of another way to communicate “stimulates” the neurons: Signing has been shown to increase a child’s IQ.
The main goal though, is to foster earlier and better communication with one’s baby. This allows the little one to be able to express his/her pains, needs or wishes. No more frustrations or temper tantrums for lack of understanding and communication! How about that?
The numbers are astonishing. But I think that the best presentation may be in Jennifer Lloyd’s own words:
My baby has normal hearing, why would we teach her to use Sign Language?
Using Sign Language with hearing infants has become much more popular and widely accepted. There are tremendous benefits to doing so in addition to the sheer pleasure of communicating with your infant long before he learns to verbally speak.
Studies have shown that signing with infants promotes early communication, speeds spoken language development, reduces frustration and tantrums, and increases the child’s long term learning. Signing also has been shown to increase a child’s IQ.
Will using Sign Language with my baby delay his speech?
This is one of the most common misconceptions that I encounter. The answer is a resounding, “NO”! Signing with your child actually speeds up spoken language development as well as facilitates advanced thinking and learning skills.
At 12 months, Signing Smart children have an average of 25 signs and 16 spoken words versus the average non-signers’ 2-3 spoken words
At 18 months, Signing Smart children have an average of 79 signs and a 105 spoken words versus the average non-signers’ 10-50 words
Between 11-14 months, a majority of Signing Smart children begin using signed/spoken “sentences”, about 10 months earlier than is typical.
Are there different types of Signing?
In the United States, American Sign Language (ASL) is a true language. There are some programs that use “Baby Signs”. Some of the signs are ASL signs however some are adaptations bases on the belief that some signs are too difficult for infants. The beauty of infants is that they don’t think in the terms of a sign being too difficult. They simply create their own adaptation and the sign develops with them. I strongly advocate teaching true ASL.
Research indicates that parents who use signs capture and maintain children’s interest in a topic, which in turns fosters extended interactions. These extended interactions empower children to see the impact communication has on their world, facilitate closeness between parents and children, and foster the sense of intimacy that shared communication brings.”
All what Jennifer was explaining to me made sense, even more so when I was glimpsing at her cute little one who seemed totally at ease and who was signing on demand various names or concepts. Her curiosity , smile and calm were as much a testimony on behalf of the Signing practice than the signs themselves.
Those interested in knowing more about Signing go to or
Anne Folliet