I worked for many years as a sign language interpreter in the public shoool system. My work included kids from pre-school age to university students. Often people who don't know sign language want to argue that if you teach a baby to sign they will never learn to speak. My experience has taught me just the oppposite. I have spent many hours with children while they recieve speech therapy at school. I can honesly say that 100% of the kids who were taught sign as a baby did much better with thier speech. They also did better with reading and most other academics. If you have a new Deaf baby, please do not listen to those who will try to make you believe sign language will harm your baby.
Babies are often frustrated because they can not express all that they are thinking. In recent years I have worked as a mental health consultant to Head Start. I have witnessed more tantrums than most people will see in a life time. But when language is delayed or lacking, there is always a pattern of tantrums. I have used sign language to build a language bridge for both hearing and deaf tots. When a child learns they can esxpress themselves with sign, when verbal words are slow to come for what ever reason, it always results in a happier more confident child.
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