Sign language helps babies communicate Sign language helps babies communicate (February 13, 2004)

Being able to express themselves eases frustrations
by Teresa C. Brown

A 12-month-old child played quietly as his mother sat riveted to a television news program. It was the morning of Sept. 11 and the United States had been assaulted with four terrorist aircraft hijackings. To the amazement of his mother, the child, using the simple hand and arm motions of American Sign Language, demonstrated an acute awareness of the news report. "Airplane, hot," signed the child after watching a fiery news clip.

To Mary Ann Walker, the story underscores the benefits of teaching sign language to pre-speaking-age infants. That mother and child were students in Walker's baby sign language class.

Signing allows very young children to communicate, easing their frustrations. Signing comes naturally to children, Walker said. "Most parents and children use 16-25 signs regularly," she noted. She has been teaching a baby sign language class for about three years in Hayward and will be holding her second Pleasanton class starting Tuesday through Amador Valley Adult & Community Education.

The class is for hearing parents and infants, and parents do not have to be experts, she said. She explained that she teaches parents simple signing. "We're not doing complete sentences or anything like that," she said.

"We teach 65 signs and how to sign several songs and some things like that we naturally do with kids," she said. "Kids love to finger play." Between the ages of 1 and 16 months, babies start pointing at everything, Walker said, adding that she teaches signing that is relevant to children's lives.

Most of the signs involve what Walker called "maintenance care." Students learn signing for "eating," "change" (the diaper) and "more" (for more food or more play). As the child gets older, one of the best signs is "help," Walker said, explaining it can be a child's way to say, "I am stuck" or "I can't find something."

While the infants do accompany parents to the class, the adults are the students, Walker said. She limits class size to 20 students, who often include both parents and sometimes grandparents or caregivers.

The more people using sign language around the child, the quicker the child will pick it up, she said. Children will also learn at an individual pace.

"It depends on where they are in fine motor coordination, brain development and in terms of understanding that signs have meanings," Walker explained.

On an average, a majority of 12-month-olds will start signing within two weeks, and 8-month-olds can within six weeks, Walker said, adding that a lot depends on how committed the parents are to teaching sign language to the child.

But communicating with the child can be fun and can reduce frustration for both adults and children. "It's exciting when you see kids and then see them a few weeks later really signing," Walker said.

She recalled a class with several children in it who belonged to the same play group; two little boys in particular often played together. Before the start of one session, when the second boy arrived, his playmate signed "friend," much to Walker's delight. The baby sign language class is open to parents with children 7-18 months. It will be held 6:15-7:45 p.m. every Tuesday, Feb. 17-March 23, through Amador Valley Adult & Community Education at Horizon High School, 245 Abbie St. The cost is $20 per person, which includes a book, or $30 per couple. For more details or to register, call 426-4280.

E-mail a friend a link to this story.