If I teach my child “baby signs,” will it delay their speech?
by Analicia Lucas, SLP
Analicia Lucas provides pediatric speech therapy services in San Diego.
There is a myth that your child will not use their voice if they rely on gestures or “baby signs” too much. But there is a lot of in-depth research showing that using signs will actually increase your child’s communication skills later on. Why is this research true? Well, gestures can reduce frustration and encourage learning. Has your child ever thrown a tantrum, perhaps because you couldn’t understand what she wanted? If speaking is challenging for her, gestures could help her to get her point across!
Dr. Elizabeth Bates, a leading researcher in language development from UC San Diego, looked into how gestures help language develop. In a New York Times article, she is quoted as saying, “It has to do with how easily one can imitate and reproduce something with a great big fat hand as opposed to the mini, delicate hundreds of muscles that control the tongue. You can also see somebody using a hand, which you can’t do with a tongue.” She saw that that the parts of the brain that control the mouth during speech and the parts of the brain that control gestures actually overlap.
Another study funded by the NIH found that children who had used a simple signing system between 11 – 23 months of age had a three-month lead in verbal skills over children who did not use signs by the time they were 2 years old. They also had an advantage of 12 I.Q. points over children who used only spoken language by age 8!
All of this research is great, but at the end of the day, what is most important is your relationship with your child. Gestures can help your relationship because they help you and your child understand one another. Remember that a child will always seek the most efficient way to have their needs met, according to their own developmental abilities. Gestures will not hinder their ability to talk; on the contrary, they will help your child reach this goal.
Childhood language expert and speech therapist Laura Mize states it very well: “Some parents are afraid that their children won’t learn to talk if they are given the option of signing…I have never seen this happen in all of my career. Children are not born ‘stubborn,’ ‘lazy,’ or simply ‘choose’ not to talk. Most of the time, there’s a reason we can suspect is the cause for a language delay, and although we may never know for sure, I am very certain that it’s not that a child is choosing to subject himself to the pain of not being able to communicate. When kids can talk, they do talk. When they can learn whatever skill has been missing, the words do come. Until then, doesn’t it make sense to give them another way to let you know what they want?” I completely agree.
Imitation is how we learn new skills! If your child is not yet imitating gestures or words, give him or her an opportunity to first copy your movements. This is a great building block for communication and many children will say words more quickly if they start out with gestures.
A good way to start encouraging imitation is to first imitate your child. If you see your child clapping, you clap, too. Laugh when your child laughs. Play the way your child plays. Make the same sounds your child makes. Do this throughout the day in situations where your child is paying attention to you. This is a great way to encourage your child to pay attention and then eventually, to imitate you.
You can also sing songs with hand movements with your child facing you. Twinkle Twinkle, The Wheels on the Bus, and Itsy Bitsy Spider all have hand motions! Kids who love music often love imitating the motions with songs.
Once your child is showing more interest in imitating you, you can try to use some signs to use at home for simple words: “more,” “water,” “juice,” “finished,” “clean up,” “bath time.” As you naturally go through activities at home, you can say and sign these words at the same time, then help your child’s hands to do what you just did. This is powerful, because you can’t make a child say a word with their mouth, but you CAN help their hands copy your movements!
If you don’t know any signs to use, you can find many resources online or even make up your own signs! As long as you’re consistent in the way you use the same gestures for the same words, your child will likely pick up on this and can use this system to ask for things (instead of becoming frustrated and crying). Again, this is just a stepping-stone on the way to speaking.
TIP: Some children will pull their hands away when you try to guide them. In this case, they may have an aversion to being touched or guided. Make sure to make the interactions fun and enjoyable, and not like a demanding test! If you have followed this advice and they are still pulling away, try waiting a month or two, then try again- or ask your speech therapist for advice.
Contact Lake Murray Speech & Language for a screening or evaluation for your child today!
Hello! My name is Analicia Lucas. I’m a certified speech-language pathologist in San Diego. I’m the owner of Lake Murray Speech & Language, a private practice that provides in-office speech therapy as well as home visits. I graduated from Baylor University for my undergraduate and Gallaudet University for graduate school. I specialize in working with pediatric, deaf & hard of hearing, and Spanish-speaking clients with many different speech and language disorders and delays. I believe that we should never give up on any child, no matter the case, and I strive to help each person I work with to reach their full potential! When I’m not working with clients, I enjoy cooking, reading, singing, playing piano, and spending time with my family.