Research and Benefits of Baby Sign Language

Long and thorough studies have been done by Dr Acredolo, Dr Goodwyn, Dr Brown and Dr Marilyn Daniels to name a few. Their findings indicate that there are enormous benefits to exposing young children as early 6 months and as late as 12 years old to sign language.


Sign Language is a fun way to interact with your child

Using sign language is a new and exciting way to interact with your baby. You will always remember and probably record your baby's first words in sign language before you record your baby's first spoken words.


Babies who sign tend to be happier and less frustrated

Babies who learn sign language are able to communicate their wants and needs so it makes sense that they would be happier and less frustrated. Dr Marilyn Daniels supports this idea. Given that babies have an awareness of their wants and needs before they can form words and sentences. Sign language empowers them by providing them with the tools to express their wants and needs with specific hand movements and gestures so parents and caregivers can understand and respond appropriately.


Signing and speaking encourages whole brain development and memory skills

Dr Daniels is Professor of Speech Communication, she states that babies eyes develop very early and when information is taken in with eyes, the right brain is being used. All languages are stored in the left brain so when babies are exposed to sign and speech, both the right and left brain are being used. She says, "this is a wonderful advantage because you are using both herrispheres of the brain, building more synapses (junction of two nerve cells) in the brain.


Sign Language can increase IQ by 12 points

A study was performed by Acredolo and Goodwyn (2000) they took a group of 100 children of the ages of 11 months and divided them into three groups. All three groups were from a middle class average income earning level with an equal number of boys and girls in each group. Parents were encouraged to sign to their children in one group. The parents of another group were not given sign language tools for their children and a third group were asked to expose their children to written vocabulary around the house. This group was selected to rule out a theory that children under research conditions would outperform a group not involved with research and assessment tasks. The findings indicated that the children who were exposed to sign language from 11 months to 36 months outperformed the two non-signing groups by 12 points on the WISC-3-Intelligent test at the age of 8 years old.


Sign Language can strengthen fine motor skills

When young babies begin using sign language to communicate, their signs are generally not precise or fine. Over time and with practice and repetition, babies begin to improve the precision of commonly used signs. This practice stimulates the parts of the brain that are responsible for fine motor skill development. In due course, the development will transfer in other contexts as well.


Sign Language is a fun way for children to get excited about different languages and cultures

When a child is exposed to another language they also receive exposure to different ways of experiencing life through the eyes of another culture. Sign Language is inviting and accessible. It provides an opportunity for children to experience success in learning another language. This early success can build the enthusiasm a child needs to enjoy a lifetime of learning other languages and cultures.


The benefits of learning music and sign language

Dr Jayne Standley wrote "The research on music enrichment for infants and toddlers has been prolific. We know that music participation teaches music skills, perception and cognition. Simultaneously it also promotes child development areas such as, listening skills, language development, motor coordination, cooperative social skills and reciprocity, demonstrating the power of music to be a highly beneficial reinforcer for children from the moment of their birth"

tinyhandstalk brings the benefits of music and sign language together by teaching songs in sign language.