Press Room

To Sign or Not to Sign
by Marian Hyatt

To sign or not to sign, that is the question. Since 1996, signing for hearing impaired infants has become much in demand by parents through infant and parenting groups and by caregivers. But, it has not been without controversy. It has had news and talk show coverage. Two concerns were that signing would interfere with normal speech development and that babies are already born communicators.

Why teach sign language?
There are many misconceptions about the capabilities of cognitive learning. Infants are born with intelligence. There is a lot going on in their minds, but they do not possess the skills to use spoken language. Babies enjoy the whole experience of communicating, and search for new and better ways to do it. Infants will use whatever mode of expression is presented to them. Just as crawling encourages children to walk, sign language nudges them towards talking.

Signing represents the shape of objects or mimics an activity or movement. When we sign, we reinforce language skills through association by connecting the signs with the verbal words. By observing young children, it is evident that they have the ability to use their hands to produce simple gestures long before their vocal chords have matured. For example, waving bye, bye, reaching for things, pointing, and motions for songs that are familiar to them (e.g.. twinkle, twinkle little star or head and shoulders knees and toes).

By enhancing their communication skills and expanding on their learning with sign language, we open a window into their thoughts. Babies can express their needs and thoughts, and things they want to share with you.

Signing with Infants
We have incorporated American Sign Language for hearing impaired children in our infant program at Kids World Child Care Centre in Welland, Ontario. Our first step was to draft a letter to parents explaining sign language. We outlined the benefits and included pictures of the signs that we planned to start with. We also explained how we would integrate these signs into our program.

A good time to start introducing signing is between the ages of 6 and 7 months. However, you could start earlier or later. The first signs to teach and use are the signs for milk, more and eat because they are the easiest to make. By taking advantage of everyday activities and needs, you can introduce these signs to an infant. This could be just before you start an activity, during an activity or just as you finish. For example, show babies the sign for eat just before each feeding. If they run out of food, introduce the sign for more. Give a pause before you offer more to them. The sign for milk, whether in a cup or bottle, is shown to the infants before and after they drink.

When introducing signing, position the baby directly in front of your face, creating a sight line between you. It is best to continue these three signs for about a month before you introduce new ones. As quickly as a child learns, you can add more signs: e.g., all gone, cookie, banana, animals and family members (mother, father, brother, sister).

During a reading activity, a child may show particular interest in a picture of a cat or a dog, and the child will look at the picture, then look at you. This is a perfect time to introduce the sign for the animal. Begin to combine words such as more milk, cold water, where shoes, play hide seek, where bear etc.

One evening, one of our parents was engaged in active play with her infant. When she stopped hugging and kissing, her infant made the sign for more. She was so excited it brought tears to her eyes. The child had shared a thought expressing his desire for the activity to continue. This brings tears to my eyes when I realize the connections signing make. We are bringing both home and child care together. Through loving play, we are empowering infants to link movements with communication.

Preschool Signing
Preschool children enjoy American Sign Language as well. There are many ways to incorporate signing into daily activities. Learn the alphabet or use signs for themes you are exploring. Try singing with signs, using familiar songs. Use signs for a few words, or pick out a key word and sing and sign the word at the same time. At story time, sign words about the things and characters in the story as you read. Children are eager to learn and find it fun to expand their knowledge in a new way.

You do not have to be an expert to sign and it is simple to learn. The only real requirement is for you and the children to have fun! A visit to your local library will give you materials and pictures for signing.

Try starting with a book like Nursery Rhymes from Mother Goose Told in Signed English, by Harry Bornstein and Karen L. Saulnier. The signed system borrows signs from American Sign Language. Each word has the sign drawn above, which allows you to visually see the word with the sign. I suggest that you choose key words to present while reciting the rhyme. This will enhance preschoolers’ discovery of new vocabulary and give them new ways to experience favourite verses or rhymes.

The Internet offers many excellent resources. Follow the links from the index page at Lesson Tutor at www.lessontutor.com/ASLgenhome.html for some great ideas and instructions. At www.handspeak.com/baby find an online ASL dictionary plus a special section on baby signing.

To all early childhood educators who have the privilege of working with infants: never underestimate their learning potential; they have the greatest minds. Thanks to our hearing impaired community, who shared American Sign Language with us, we are able to open doors to new learning.

Marian Hyatt is an early childhood educator who teaches at Kids World Child Care Centre in Welland, Ontario. Her intriguing photos were submitted for last year’s Shoot for Cover contest.