Baby Sign Language has been shown to be very beneficial for a baby’s language development. So much so, that the typical parameters of children’s language are changing thanks to the child’s ability to express themselves through baby signs from 6 months of age.
So how can a parent know if their child’s language, listening comprehension, and speech are developing normally? All children develop their language, listening, and speaking skills at different rates. Below you will find a table based on the typical language development of a non-signing child, but this does not take into account the use of infant sign language with children. Please note that this table is a guide only.
Your child’s age
Typical Language Development:-
At the age of one:
Turn head toward source of sound.
Watch your face when you talk.
Respond to familiar sounds, such as the car in the driveway, the dog barking, the doorbell ringing, the telephone, etc.
He responds to his name.
Understands simple instructions like “no.”
Try to repeat their sounds or familiar sounds from their environment.
Use one or more meaningful words.
Babbles (says “ba-ba” or “ma-ma”).
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At 17 months:
Point to objects, pictures, and people.
Most of the vocabulary is mainly nouns, ie. People, place, animal or thing.
Try to imitate easy words.
By The Age of the Colon and says the name to simple parts of the body like “nose”.
Begins to combine words like “more milk.”
You can name a number of objects in your environment.
You can use some pronouns like “He”, “My” or “I”. However, “my” and “I” are often confused.
Understands simple sentences such as “show me your eyes (nose, mouth, hair).”
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At three years:
Speech is more accurate and can be understood by familiar adults.
Use sentences of three to four words.
You are using some past tense like “jumped”.
Use correctly the pronouns I, you, I.
Recognize your own needs such as hunger or thirst.
Having favorite books and TV shows.
You know about three prepositions like “in,” “on,” or “under.”
You are using some plurals like “socks” or “shoes”.
So how does baby sign language change the above milestones?
The main difference is your baby’s ability to begin to sign sooner than her vocal abilities allow. By the age of two, while non-signing babies combine words like “more milk,” parents of signing babies have experienced two-word communication through baby sign language as early as 14 months of age. This is a 10 month gap in communication. Dr. Acredolo and Dr. Goodwyn further highlighted these benefits in a study in which three-year-olds with signs had developed the language and vocabulary skills of a four-year-old.
This does not mean that a signing baby will necessarily speak sooner than a non-signing baby, but rather that they will have the ability to communicate their thoughts, wants, and needs through signing while preverbal.
This ability for children to communicate their needs and wants makes children less frustrated and research has shown that it has great benefits for language development and vocabulary building.
Give your child a head start on language development with Australian Sign Language for Babies.