American Sign Language is like most languages. It has syntax and grammar and several elements that spoken languages lack. One example is the use of space to describe three dimensional concepts, time, and activity. Also, the facial expression, how signs are made, the speed or intensity of each sign, the direction in which the sign moves, and body language are language characteristics similar to the voice, using tones, inflections, and emphasis on accent that embodies speech.
However, a baby is only interested in communicating things that they want, need, have interest, or fear. Not all ASL signs are available to them to form with their limited dexterity and understanding. That is why years of research and contact with countless families resulted in the Baby Sign Language in 14 Days program. It gives parents exactly what they need to establish appropriate communication between them and their pre-speech babies. Knowing how to model the signs and which signs to model to your baby is a critical aspect of the babies development and your success.
How Signing With Babies Empowers Them to Express Themselves Before They Can Say Words
For many years, scientists, doctors, researchers, and educators have studied sign language as a means to assist communication in children with hearing or speech impairments and other special needs, such as Down’s syndrome and autism. However, the idea of using signing with hearing babies to enhance communication has been largely neglected until relatively recently.
My research into the usefulness of using signs grew from my need to learn the most current and best practices for raising a baby. My spouse and I were expecting a new baby and motivation to learn was strong.
Following my military service, I learned American Sign Language or ASL as it is called. While working at Central Washington University, I developed a medical ASL dictionary translating medical terms into ASL. That experience connected me to the Deaf Community.
While part of the Deaf community, I saw hearing babies of Deaf parents signing complete thoughts a year before they began to articulate words. When my baby was born, I signed with him. My amazement to the potential that signing could bring to the learning and communication process was profound.
During my post graduate studies, I decided to complete a research study analyzing the early learning capacity and learning process of pre-speech babies. Speech was, up to that point, the only credible way to assure accurate two-way communication among parent and baby. Articulating words was also the only evidence-based way to evaluate the babies understanding of complex ideas.
As I began to understand how babies learn, I discovered which signing gestures were within their capacity to form with their limited dexterity, and which ideas were best expressed clearly at which stages of development with which signs.
Although hearing babies raised by Deaf parents see ASL being used all the time, thus having constant exposure to signing in context, most parents are not and will not become fluent in ASL. My Baby Sign Language In 14 Days program was specifically designed to address several basic principles. First, the program must be relevant to the babies needs, understanding levels, and interests. Second, while the chosen signs are ASL based, Baby Sign Language in 14 Days is not formal ASL. It is a communication system using ASL signs specifically focused on parent-baby communication. Third, the program is made to avail the busy schedule of parents. And finally, the delivery of signs to your baby–how you model and present the signs, is as important if not more important than the idea of signing itself.
My concern is that many people see babies signing and/or hear about it and rush out and get a product that is not research-based. One example is many if not most programs suggest teaching a baby of 8 months or so “please” or “thank you.” Babies do not understand etiquette or appreciation until later in their development. Also, you should not TEACH your baby…my system is based on MODELING. You want your child to discover the signs and draw on their internal resources to communicate. That process is where much of their confidence will originate not to mention enhance the bonding experience through improved communication.
When an educational study is conducted to review the various strategies that result in a desired outcome, evidence must be available that supports the study’s assumed conclusion. Although this is obvious, most products dealing with early education lack credible evidence to back up claims or proposed outcomes. That is because many did not originate from research but just ideas. Ideas are fine. They spawn exploration and become a contribution when supported by evidence. However, when developing a program to establish communication via a safe, stress-free, supportive/not instructive program, my mandate is that the methods being used are researched and evidence based.
Take for example the idea of frustration. A baby’s unfulfilled expectations can result in frustration. No matter how good a parent you are, you will never anticipate your baby’s every need. The reactionary behavior displayed during the “Terrible Twos” is partly a result of their frustration. Much of this frustration may come from restricted communication and being unable to get what they want through their communication. From the time that your baby recognizes that they want something to the time it takes for you to understand their wanting can be a long, frustrating time. However, frustration levels drop dramatically when they signs. Using signs, they can convey their needs swiftly and calmly, replacing frustration with communication.
You would be surprised at how often just knowing what's going to happen next helps calm a baby and reduces frustration. Using signs, especially the signs developed in the Baby Sign Language in 14 Days program is designed to give the parent and caregiver the signs that allow you to show your child what is coming next–what to expect, and what is happening to them at the time. The signing process is an important communicative dialogue system that not only simplifies everyday situations but allows your child to understand more about the world and express themselves.
The best examples I can recall from my own experiences with my children signing were the times when they could touch their little index fingers together and show me where they had hurt themselves when I did not see how they were hurt. Also, when they knew where something was, but I couldn't find it. I would use the WHERE are my glasses sign. My son waddled over and picked my glasses out from under the couch where I would not have looked. Not only did I appreciate his help, but he felt quite proud to have contributed to my well-being.
]]>Crying is your baby’s principal means to get their needs met until more sophisticated means of communication develop. Your baby will use different crying sounds to convey hunger, fear, pain, or boredom. They use whatever means they have available to them to communicate, including smiling, watching your face, giggling, and pointing. They attempt to produce speech-like sounds long before clear spoken words emerge. Their babbling patterns will start as random sounds and develop into conversational-style rhythms. You will notice that they will babble and then offer a pause for your response—like the send-and-respond rhythm exhibited by adults. This signifies that they are developing an understanding of how two-way communication works.
Connecting signs or words with meaning at around four months old, your baby begins to focus, to be attracted to movement, and can recall objects and sounds. This is a great time for the parent and caregivers to begin to model the signs and start habitually making them and practicing being consistent. I call this time from four months to about 6-8 months the parent training time and the baby observation/learning time.
During the next few months their scope expands. They start making sense of the noise and activity around them. They are drawn to objects that interest them, especially anything that is brightly colored, that has sound, that has an interesting shape, or that moves. They begin to recognize routine patterns that emerge in daily events and to notice the signs and words that accompany those events.
Your baby begins to understand the connection between the events and the language, whether that language is expressed in words or signs. They begin to register that certain events tend to happen together, such as their laughter and Mommy’s smiles, or when Mommy approaches and feeding time begins. Their ability to recognize a link between two events, or a sign/word and an event, is a milestone in their language development.
Your baby begins to understand the meanings of words or signs at around their sixth or seventh month. They begin to grasp the connection between words or signs and what those words or signs represent.
For example, they learn that the sign/word “MILK” means the nourishment they get from nursing mom or having the bottle. At this stage in their development, they possess the ability to communicate but are still constrained by their inability to clearly articulate words.
Somewhere around their sixth month, their motor skills support gestures or signs. This is possible after observing signs being modeled starting around the fourth month and the modeling is being consistently used in context. While their mental development is progressing, they are also making strides in their physical development.
By the time they are six to eight months old, their motor skills have developed sufficiently to allow them to hold objects and move them around with a fair degree of control. This is also the time when they can begin to experiment at making signs and watching to see the response, and if their signs are received, and what reward they gets from their attempts to communicate.
Once they understand the relationship between words and signs and the things those words and signs represent, they can begin to construct language. Because they have more control over their hands than their voice, they can use their hands to form signs before they can use their voice to clearly say words.
Babies babble with their words as they begin to learn to make sound, and they will also “babble” with their hands as they begin to form their signs; baby babbling occurs in both manual and verbal forms. Your baby’s first attempts at making signs may be malformed. And often they will give a sign their own “accent,” meaning that they may make their sign a bit different from your version.
Your baby will experiment and babble with their hands prior to forming more exact signs. They will continue to attempt to make the signs and pronounce the words until they get the appropriate response or see and hear the correct version enough times to realize that their version is not the same as their parent’s. It is up to you to notice what gestures they are making and under what circumstances so that you can equate the motion to a meaning.
My sons and grandson both made the sign for “WATER” by holding up one finger to their mouths instead of the “W” hand shape because they could not yet form the “W” at their age.
At around eight months, your baby is still limited in their verbal abilities and has great difficulty pronouncing words. However, their manual dexterity has now developed to the extent that they are able to start mimicking your gestures, and they naturally gravitates towards using signs. Their ability to learn to use signs to communicate is rapid. They can now hold their arms up or point to something they desire, even though they are unable to say, “Please pick me up,” or “I want that.”
By the age of 12 months your child begins to ‘take off’ in terms of understanding and using language. Their first words may start to appear, but their motor skills are advanced enough to enable them to make many signs and develop a considerable vocabulary within a very short time.
At 16 months their vocal cords are fully formed, but they are still only able to use single words. On the other hand, they are dexterous enough to be using a great number of signs.
By 18 to 21 months old they have started to say two-and three-word sentences. And by their second year, they are using increasingly complex sentences and asking more elaborate questions. Now their motor skills are supporting the rapid and fluid movement of their signing, alongside their words.
]]>Please understand that you should not “TEACH” baby sign language to your infant. What is preferred is that you “MODEL” the signs in context so that your baby can see the signs and associate those gestures with what is happening around them.
You can support the signs with your voice saying the word along with the sign, but you should not try to TEACH your baby anything at this early stage of development. The best process is for your child to see the signs, attach the sign to what is happening, and then draw on their own internal resources to figure out what is going on and respond with communication.
That process not only allows your child to “discover” their abilities to engage and affect their environment, but it also offers an opportunity for your child to develop confidence in their ability to ask for and receive care. This is a common baby sign language challenge–to keep the signs in context, using basic baby signs at first and adding signs as your activities increase.
The benefits that come from this early communication are many. The best Step-by-Step guide for learning signs and having them ready to MODEL to your child is the Baby Sign Language in 14 Days program. It demonstrates how to teach baby signs, when to do it, techniques for modeling signs and which signs are best to start with and which signs to add on and when to add them.
A baby’s unfulfilled expectations can result in frustration. No matter how good a parent you are, you will never anticipate your baby’s every need. The reactionary behavior displayed during the “Terrible Twos” is partly a result of his frustration.
Much of your baby's frustration may come from restricted communication and being unable to get what they want through their communication. From the time that your baby recognizes that they want something to the time it takes for you to understand the need can be a long, frustrating time. However, frustration levels drop dramatically when your baby signs. Using signs, they are able to convey their needs swiftly and calmly, replacing frustration with communication.
Nothing sets off an infant quicker than the parent saying “no” to something the baby wants, without receiving a reason, explanation, or possible alternative from the parent. Signing with your baby assists you in providing an alternative to the word “no.”
For example, if my children wanted juice or a sweet snack before dinner, I would say/sign, “When you have FINISHED EATING.” Or, if they wanted to watch a movie before bath time, I would say/sign, “Yes, you can watch the movie when you have FINISHED having a BATH.”
Their request was acknowledged each time, but it was clear that they had to do something first to have their request fulfilled. I found that with time there were fewer tantrums and confrontations.
Parents and caregivers can often eliminate frustration and the resulting crying fits with simple communication. I appreciate that intuitive parents can sometimes read their baby’s cries without resorting to gestures. Yet, you may not always be right, and signing offers you a more accurate system for finding out what your baby wants or needs.
Signs minimize the guesswork and so, in turn, frees up time for more positive interactions with the child. There is something wonderful about witnessing a signing family communicating together in a warm, easy, and natural way.
It is not only immediate family members who get the benefit of reduced frustration levels. Sign language is becoming more and more a standard part of preschool curricula because it minimizes stress for children and for professional caregivers who must respond to the needs of several children at a time.
Childcare staff members have reported lower noise intensities when infants use signing rather than resorting to deafening screams or crying. They also say that signing significantly reduces incidences of behavior such as tantrums, hitting and biting.
Through signs, infants learn concepts like being GENTLE and SHARING at an early age and begin to understand kindness and cooperation. Young children can also use signs such as STOP or STAY AWAY as a strategy to protect themselves from other young children.
Obviously, where you have open lines of communication between people, you create deeper relationships. It is only natural, therefore, that when your baby can share their thoughts, feelings, desires, and observations with you, your relationship with them is transformed.
Your babies will quickly learn that using sign language achieves far more than they achieves crying. Using signs helps you meet their needs more effectively, and it will delight you when they describe something that interests them. Children will be overjoyed when they initiate conversations—and you and other caregivers will be attentive when they are able to express specific thoughts and feelings.
Understandably, being with babies is more fun and rewarding when you can communicate with them. Interacting through sign lessens the number of stressful exchanges and increases the opportunity for constructive ones, resulting in more quality time. With language comes a stronger bond between you and your baby.
As signs take hold, your child will also begin to look to you for information about the world. They learn that they can rely on you to give them that information—in a format that they can use. But this stronger bond is not restricted to the relationship between you and your child. Closer ties are also formed with siblings, the extended family, and those outside the immediate family, such as friends and professional caregivers.
When babies learn to communicate, they become active and integral community members, rather than passive observers until they have learned to articulate words.
Big brother showing his little brother how to sign MORE
]]>Consider a baby understanding the world for the first time. They use all their resources to identify all the key visual and auditory elements as cues to help them understand how the world works. The wonderful thing about the ASL language is that most of the signs look similar to the objects or concepts they represent.
Take for example the sign EAT. Bringing your close fingers and thumb up to your mouth as if putting food into it is the sign for EAT. The motion clearly identifies what it is intended to portray… eating, the act of eating, or food. (Hint for babies) When a facial expression is added to the gestures the gestures become clearer. The more animated the sender is the better the receptor has of figuring out what is meant.
No matter what language you speak or culture you are from you can use the ASL signs. You merely accompany those signs with your own words from your own language. Through repetition, the child will develop a clear understanding of the meaning to your gesture and words…no matter the language. It is important to engage with your child during that important window of development between their visual acuity… around four months, and the onset of clear spoken language… around 18 months to two years of age.
We have delivered our Baby Sign Language in 14 Days Program to countries around the globe. Parents can enjoy clear communication with your baby with this program no matter where you are living or what language you speak. If you have access to the internet, you have access to Baby Sign Language in 14 Days.
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Also, we play a game called FREEZE. When I sign the sign STAY I freeze my position and encourage my child to freeze. This game teaches the baby to stop what they are doing and freeze in a game-like activity. It may be a good idea to model this behavior so the child can watch, see, and eventually play the game FREEZE. Later in life, if the child is in a situation where they shouldn't move–where they could get hurt, you may find it’s a good time to play the freeze game. This gamelike approach to learning is a practical use of Baby Sign Language to protect your child from harm.
Another handy sign to start showing a child very young is DON'T TOUCH or TOUCH NO. This sign is very useful as you have an object that is uncomfortable to touch like sandpaper or some warm (not hot–but warm) mashed potatoes… touch them and say, “Oh, that doesn't feel so good… TOUCH NO. Once the baby has a few experiences of things they touch that don't feel comfortable they will learn the TOUCH NO sign means not to touch something.I also taught my child the sign for SHARP KNIFE and BE CAREFUL. Those signs were very useful to help protect my child from sharp objects such as knives scissors or other sharp objects. My children used some of these items, but after growing up receiving a CAREFUL warning since they can remember helped them use–but respect sharp instruments. Each time I would grab a knife, I would sign SHARP KNIFE, BE CAREFUL and then use the knife to cut something. After I was finished cutting, I would carefully place the knife down, point to it, and sign SHARP KNIFE and BE CAREFUL again. My grandson combined both signs into one motion that meant SHARP KNIFE-BE CAREFUL. Eventually whenever I picked up a knife my grandson would sign SHARP KNIFE and BE CAREFUL to me, using Baby Sign Language to instruct me on the dangers of sharp objects.
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The Correct Way to Introduce Signs to a Baby
I've been asked by many parents,” how many signs should I teach my baby?” My answer takes into consideration several important aspects. I first would ask, “how many words should you speak to your baby?” First of all, we don't expect babies to repeat everything we say when they begin talking. When babies begin to speak, they speak in one-word sentences. If they were to say “Mama” what they're doing is identifying their primary caregiver – their mother and they are responding to their understanding that their caregiver is their mother and by expressing a sound “Mama" they are soliciting a response from that individual.
Although a baby cannot articulate all the different words that we use as parents or caregivers, they will catch certain sounds or words that represent actions or items that have specific interest for the child. For example, if you were to offer slices of banana and say “banana” each time you give your baby a slice of banana, eventually the child would try to say banana. It may sound like “anna” or “bana” at first, until enough time as past allowing your child’s vocal mechanism to mature until they can pronounce the word correctly.
So, let's consider that idea when exposing a child to signs. In a family with Deaf parents, the parents sign everything. But again, the child picks up the signs that are associated with things of interest to them and they try to reproduce those signs. Knowing this helps a parent realize that babies initially speak in one-word sentences during the onset of language.
Best Practices for Parents and Caregivers
The programs I've designed for baby sign language takes this concept into consideration. By participating in activities throughout the day and associating those activities with a single gesture or sign helps the baby acknowledge and then communicate about that activity through that sign. That's why the 14 Day program I developed provides important one-word-sentence signs that babies can observe, connect with the associated action, activity, or item, and at some point, reproduce the sign when they want to refer to that action activity or item.
So, the question of how many signs to model for your baby, really depends on the type of activities you have during the day, the objects that interest your child, and the communication you want to share. A baby language capacity is a wide open and is ready to accept a large amount of vocabulary. However, the process in which you introduce and model the signs for communication is as important as the number of signs you introduce. Usually, I recommend beginning to model signs for your child (in the appropriate situations) between the 4th and 5th month. That's when a baby can focus and has the capacity to see what you're doing and start to associate the gesture you make with what's going on around them.
Remember, we speak for almost two years before we expect our child to clearly articulate the words that we want them to use to express themselves. It's important caregivers and parents have patience and model the signs for at least two to four months before expecting babies to reproduce the signs. Of course, every child is different and will respond differently. There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to communication…especially early communication.
The "Baby Sign Language in 14 Days" program I created was specifically designed for parents and caregivers to absorb the signs incrementally over a period of days and weeks, allowing them to learn and use signs on a regular consistent basis. That in turn allows your child to view the signs in context and when they're ready – express themselves through the signs. My program is based on daily activities and the kind of items that interest young children.
So, to answer the question how many signs should I model for my baby is completely dependent on your lifestyle and your surroundings. However, providing your child with plenty of vocabulary from the beginning will help them understand and use language within their own personal expressive capacity.
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I truly understand what the term “transformational experience” now means.
I was accepted by them because I knew their language. Exchanging ideas with chimps was a transformational experience.
Eventually, I gained enough trust to go in with the chimps, play games, have conversations, groom, and tease and play with them.
During that time, I was also able to meet Jane Goodall–another transformational experience.
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With all that in mind, I remember my early days in elementary school. My family enrolled me in a Jesuit Catholic school. The nuns put the class’s children with disabilities, termed “special needs,” together in the back rows. This was years before the 1974 laws that began integrating children with disabilities into public schools. The private schools were the only schools taking disabled children. My “special need” was my dark skin color in a Wisconsin school with all Caucasian children. The benefit to being a victim of that racism was that I made friends with a blind girl, Virginia, and a deaf boy, Tommy, who sat in the back rows with me.
What I came to realize over the years was that my experiences with those “special needs” children opened my eyes to the advantages that can come from blending tribes. Being exposed to sign language through Tommy and learning Virginia’s capabilities without sight helped me see the value that all people can bring to one’s life. I eventually learned sign language and became an interpreter for a while. That led to my experiences teaching ASL and having the extreme honor of having conversations with chimpanzees. Of course, the most exhilarating and joyful experience I had was signing with my pre-speech sons and daughter. I often close my eyes when I improvise piano, guitar, flute, and other instruments… so that I can see my musical path in my “mind’s eye,” as Virginia used to tell me.
The direction my education took and the following research into early learning and human development were guided by diverse perspectives from different “Tribes.” One significant result was my use of sign language with hearing babies.
This cross-cultural gift from the Deaf was profound for early pre-speech communication and for helping a child learn to engage the world. I also realized the value fingerspelling can have in aiding children learning to put letters together and read (without “learning pressure”––in a game-like activity). These “gifts” the Deaf have given us would not be possible with tribal barriers. Much gratitude and acknowledgment should be given to the Deaf for creating such a useful tool for all humanity.
Removing tribalism and integrating communities can bring a powerful result––affecting the human condition. When we open our hearts to those who are not like us, we can learn and advance from that exchange. The result need not be fear or disregard or distain, but acceptance, understanding, and humanitarian gain.
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Take a look at this blog post:
Communicating with the Chimps
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I am thrilled to introduce a new podcast featuring Dr Joseph Garcia, a renowned expert in baby sign language. With over four decades of experience, Dr Joseph's research has led to a groundbreaking discovery that sign language not only does not impede speech development but actually enhances it.
Dr Joseph's user-friendly video course, Baby Sign Language in 14 Days, is an incredible resource for parents everywhere. Join us as we delve into his expertise in both the baby-signing world and adult learning styles to learn more about this comprehensive and effective program. Don't miss out on this opportunity to enhance your baby's communication skills and learn from a true pioneer in the field.
—Peter Michael Dedes
Transcendent Minds Coach & Podcaster
About the Transcendent Minds Podcast:
Welcome to the podcast, Transcendent Minds, where I delve into the depths of human consciousness and the mysteries of the mind. My aim is to explore the intersection of science, spirituality, and the human experience through engaging interviews with top experts in fields like neuroscience, spirituality, psychology, meditation, leadership, and beyond. Hosted by cognitive behavioural therapist and consciousness researcher, Peter Michael Dedes strives to unlock the secrets of transcendent minds and push the frontiers of human potential. Join us on this journey of self-discovery and exploration, as we seek a deeper understanding of what it means to be human.
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Bellingham, WA – On Dec. 15, 2020, Dr. Joseph Garcia and Northwest Indian College Foundation (NWICF) mailed Dr. Joseph’s Fingerspelling Book to 500+ Tribal early childhood learning centers throughout the US. Other innovators working to improve the human condition are encouraged to follow suit and prioritize supporting marginalized communities.
The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted educational systems throughout the US, especially in areas of overlooked populations. Dr. Joseph’s Fingerspelling Book is a resource designed to help teachers and homeschooling parents engage first-time readers with a fun, tactile method of learning to read. This innovative learning tool will surely ease some of the difficulty for students and teachers during this challenging time.
Generally, advances in education tend to benefit those in privileged circumstances first. Marginalized and overlooked communities receive the benefits if and when they trickle down. Dr. Joseph and NWICF want the Tribal communities to be the first to benefit from his early learning developments.
In the early 1980s, Dr. Joseph, known as the Grandfather of Baby Sign Language, developed a program for using sign language to communicate with pre-speech babies. This work has had a global impact. Dr. Joseph continued investigating how people learn language and express thoughts. “My research showed that about 58% of all learners respond best to tactile and experiential learning as opposed to absorbing information through a cognitive process alone. This revelation led me to develop Dr. Joseph’s Fingerspelling Book, a book that turns learning to spell and read into a fun, game-like experience that draws on the tactile and muscle memory aspects of learning,” Dr. Joseph says.
Dr. Joseph, an educational innovator, has joined the NWIC Foundation to help them raise $50 million for their endowment and Generations Student Scholarships Fund. He said, "I am so happy to offer this new learning resource to my Indigenous family."
Northwest Indian College, a prominent Indigenous university, is taking the lead with Dr. Joseph in this initiative. “The Northwest Indian College Foundation realizes the need for family activities during the pandemic and we also recognize innovative learning and the part it plays in our communities. For this reason, we have partnered with Dr. Garcia to get his learn-to-read program to all the nation’s Tribes.” -Greg Masten, Executive Director, NWICF.
About the Author
Dr. Joseph has pioneered the effort to improve communication between people since the 1980s. His experiences in the Deaf Community inspired his groundbreaking work. His books and programs on baby sign language, medical sign language, and fingerspelling for first-time readers are wonderful resources for parents, first response and health care professionals, children, and teachers. Learn more at https://drjosephgarcia.com/
To schedule an interview with Dr. Joseph, contact Hannah Martine at hannah@drjosephgarcia.com or call (503)319-8277 or contact Dr. Joseph directly at (360)961-1306.
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]]>It's time to address the tendency among new parents using sign language with their babies to use three signs, EAT, MILK, and MORE, and then stop introducing more signs. From the baby’s perspective, imagine being trapped in a world where you can only express three things—especially at a time when the whole world is opening up and you are starting to understand the world around you. Not only is this troubling, but the WAY that many caregivers present the signs does not offer the child the ability to discover the signs and their meanings through the child’s internal resources. When infants use those internal resources, they advance their capability to affect their surrounding through their own language resources.
Children begin to build confidence and see their potential to navigate through life. Using their skills of observation and association, babies will connect the signs—when delivered in the correct format—to the various topics, feelings, emotions, and objects. It's important that the signs are presented to the baby in a way that allows that discovery and implementation process to happen.
This is the reason I developed the 14 Days to Baby Sign Language program. The program is carefully designed to present the signs in a way that allows a child to discover and draw upon their internal resources as they discover and use signs. Presenting the signs in the appropriate format allows the child to clearly associate the feeling, the object, or the situation to the gesture/sign that the parent offers. However, signs must be presented at the right time and in an opportune situation. This is the failing of many baby sign language programs. Although they offer signs to parents, there's no process describing the most efficient and effective way to introduce them and promote child development. The whole idea of signing with babies is not because it's cute. Signing really fosters important foundational language development in babies as they discover signs and start to express themselves through signing.
One mother wrote to me and told me how she had taught EAT, MILK, and MORE to her baby. One day, the baby wanted applesauce—which the mother finally figured out after a crying and screaming fit. The event began with the mother signing MILK to her son knowing he was hungry. Everytime the mother would sign MILK, the baby would cry.
The baby was crying because he wanted applesauce but didn’t know the sign for applesauce. He could not ask for applesauce. He only knew the sign for MILK. So, when the mother kept signing MILK, the baby kept thinking, “No I don't want MILK, I want applesauce!” But he didn't know how to express that so he could only cry. Mom finally offered applesauce, and everything was fine. And upon learning the sign for applesauce (apple), future “applesauce fits” were averted and the child had one more way(sign) to express his needs.
This is why it's important to offer the signs for all the things that your babies are interested in or like. That way, they can actually express their thoughts and their desires for different things. It's also important to know what frightens your baby. We taught the FEAR sign, (the SCARE sign) whenever there was a loud sharp noise or something startled us. I would sign SCARE at the appropriate time and as a result, when the baby came to a book with a picture that would frighten him, he would want to quickly turn the page. That helped me understand more about my child, his fears, and how I can help develop his ability to express those feelings.
This is why I put care and the knowledge of my many years of child development study and the cognitive process in learning language and how to best help a child navigate that process to provide them with the internal capacity to see their potential to affect their environment. It’s hard to affect your surroundings only armed with EAT, MILK, and MORE.
]]>Dr. Joseph has pioneered the global effort to improve parent/infant communication since 1988. His experiences in the Deaf Community inspired his pioneering work.
His books and programs have resulted in thousands of families using signs to communicate with their pre-speech infants. Over the years, he has found that most parents/caregivers are happy with just using the signs for Eat, More, and Milk. However, babies are curious by nature and could express much more if they had the vocabulary. So, Dr. Garcia created a practical, effective, easy-to-use method that helps parents add many more signs to their daily lives.
]]>When I first discovered the contribution the Deaf Community has made to our society through its American Sign Language, the practical applications fingerspelling had when introducing reading to young children was a hidden gem. When you tell preschoolers or kindergarteners that they can make—with their fingers—the sounds that come out of their mouths, they get pretty excited. I considered the learning dynamics involved that affect young learners and saw the potential to include fingerspelling to the developmental learning process. Voila! What an amazing tool that turns part of the learn-to-read process into a finger game. English, being a combination of Latin, French, German, and other global languages, has many words that are difficult to spell. For example, words with “tion,” “sion,” “ough,” “ph” for an “f” sound, and other elements can be difficult to spell. Fingerspelling and its muscle memory aspect can help children navigate some of the difficulty in spelling words in the English language.
By adding that muscle memory element through fingerspelling, many children benefited from the physical support fingerspelling provides. At one kindergarten where we tested Dr. Joseph’s Fingerspelling Book, the teachers commented that the students would go outside during recess, sit across from each other, and spell words back and forth. Although a learning skill was being developed, the important thing was that the children were having fun. The teachers also commented that the young children were spelling many words in the book as well as their names and just random words. A take-away from this experience is that these kindergarten children were learning to spell words while participating in a game-like activity. There was no stress involved—no expectations or demands that they learn to spell. Many of the children in this class had competency in spelling and reading first-and second-grade words while they were still in kindergarten.
I designed Dr. Joseph’s Fingerspelling Book based on my understanding of learning styles, children’s dexterity, and the love they have for being challenged at an appropriate level. It is intentionally constructed to address the learning dynamics of young first-time readers. The book challenges children incrementally. Parents and teachers are encouraged to start with the practice section. It starts with two-letter words then progresses to three-letter words and moves up to five-letter words. By the time children have gone through the practice exercises, they have learned all the letters of the alphabet. Then, the challenge is to follow along the book’s story line, through the five days of the week, spelling the words that are shown on the characters’ hands. This way, children learn the letters as they actually appear in words. There is no word spelled abcdefghijklmnop…etc. As the children connect the finger movements with their speech, the fascination with this new skill is self-motivating.
]]>When they came over for a visit last week, they saw all the filming equipment in my home studio. So, Koa and Thatcher asked if they could help with my business by making a commercial for me. Full disclosure, their comments, although a bit biased, are still genuine and they really do like my books. They even show the Fingerspelling Book to their younger siblings. Thatcher, the older boy, signed all those amazing concepts when he was a baby and is featured in my “Baby Sign Language in 14 Days” program and on the website, drjosephgarcia.com.
I’ve learned that language can be expressed in many ways. We express ourselves with music, in writing, with body movements, with dance and through various forms of visual arts. The most expressive forms of language are those that in a single word, image, movement, or sound can invoke an emotion or response from the recipient. We have some words or groups of words that solicit various levels of response. Our cultures have borrowed words and phrases from other cultures that represent what we intend to express but have no words in our own culture for those situations. Take the French term Deja Vu. It is frequently used in English to express that which there is no English word that equates the same meaning.
In American Sign Language the Deaf community has taken the concept of shared common experiences and shared emotions and equated a gesture or movement that represents that feeling, emotion, or situation that we all share. When attending gatherings with both Deaf and Hearing people, I found myself attempting to explain a sign for my hearing friends in which I must go into several examples or situations to express the subtleties that a sign or gesture represent. ASL has many signs that express what we all feel in many situations or feelings that we all share. Many are difficult to put into words. That is why we celebrate our poets who express thoughts and feelings so clearly or use analogies or metaphors to try to represent a feeling or an emotion.
American Sign Language uses motions, gestures, body language, and facial expressions to equate to the various situations, and feelings that we all share. Similar to the concept of the French using Deja vu to express the idea of having a sense or feeling like you've been someplace before even though you may not have been there.
Let’s return now to language and its use among humans. As babies are introduced to the world, they see through their eyes, hear with their ears, and feel with their sensations. From these senses they get a basic understanding of what is going on around them.
Babies understand things such as pain, pleasure, hunger, and all the very primal feelings that a young human experiences. Yet they have no words or ways to express their understanding of life mechanisms.
It takes 20 to 24 months for the vocal mechanism to mature to the point that children can articulate the various sounds in our global languages. During these months, a child can associate their situations and their feelings to the motions or gestures that they see modeled or displayed by their caregivers and can connect those gestures to the intended meaning if they are represented in context with the activities or situations that are present. This is also how children connect words to the situations.
All species have some form of communication that they use with which to express themselves. What my research indicated was that children can use some hand, arm gestures, and facial expressions combined together to express themselves much earlier than waiting for the vocal mechanism to mature and produce words.
With consistent presentation of sounds or gestures very young children can connect the words or signs caregivers use to what is happening around them. However, it's important that there's no stress put on a child to learn this form of communication. It must happen naturally and it must be presented to the child through repetition, consistency and love. The words or gestures a caregiver uses that responds to the needs of the child will stand out to the child as it satisfies their needs. This process when repeated confirms that a word or gesture/sign is connected to the action or situation that is happening. A child will associate the various gestures with what is occurring around them and start to begin to use those gestures to express themselves as they need.
Signing is the expressive vehicle that is available to them before their vocal mechanism matures and they can start to produce clear words. Children will transition from signs to speaking as their capacity to form words grows. The important thing is that they will have language far earlier than they will have words. That language will be in the form of gestures but their minds are organizing thoughts and they are learning to express their needs and desires using that structural mechanism and thought process to string together their ideas and express those ideas. That is the essence of language. Then, when the modality of expression changes from gestures to words, they already have a good basis of understanding.
Now it's just a matter of changing from signs to their spoken vocabulary. The signing gives them a chance to establish a good foundation of language and then use their signs or words to express that language. However, through signs their language foundation will have been established months earlier than waiting for just speech to take place.
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