Emily Patterson from Primrose schools recently contacted me regarding a paper she co-wrote. It is about the importance of sign language, not only in early childhood education, but also to open up career opportunities later. I thought it was very informational and thought provoking as a new mother and I hope you enjoy!
One of the keys to surviving in a tilted economic system in which opportunities to achieve a decent standard of living will be limited is versatility – and the ability to communicate articulately in a variety of ways with the widest possible audience. This includes bilingual ability as well as the ability to communicate in non-verbal ways for the benefit of the disabled – primarily the deaf.
At the same time, a growing shortage of qualified interpreters fluent in American Sign Language has led to more career opportunities – and if current trends continue, it’s likely that skilled ASL interpreters will have little problem securing lucrative employment in a society where such a commodity is destined to be in short supply.
Signing Before They Can Speak
A great deal of research has clearly demonstrated that the early years – ages 2 to five – are the best time to educate children in different modes of communication and language. This goes beyond the spoken word (though it is an optimal time for children to learn a second language); many young children have an aptitude for signing as well.
This is not as odd as you may think. As you know, many indigenous peoples around the world, including American Indian nations, have used sign language for centuries to facilitate communication with other tribes with whom they do not share a language. Some paleontologists and anthropologists theorize that Neanderthals – who apparently lacked the vocal mechanism to produce many spoken words – depended a great deal upon hand gestures to communicate.
In fact, recent research suggests that sign language is innate. An article published in the Boulder Daily Camera in 2003 presented strong evidence that babies as young as six months old communicate with their hands:
“…by 6 to 7 months, babies can remember a sign. At eight months, children can begin to imitate gestures and sign single words. By 24 months, children can sign compound words and full sentences. They say sign language reduces frustration in young children by giving them a means to express themselves before they know how to talk.” (Glarion, 2003)
The author also cites a study funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development demonstrating that young children who are taught sign language at an early age actually develop better verbal skills as they get older. The ability to sign has also helped parents in communicating with autistic children; one parent reports that “using sign language allowed her to communicate with her [autistic] son and minimized his frustration…[he now] has an advanced vocabulary and excels in math, spelling and music” (Glarion, 2003).
The Best Time To Start
Not only does early childhood education in signing give pre-verbal youngsters a way to communicate, it can also strengthen the parent-child bond – in addition to giving children a solid foundation for learning a skill that will serve them well in the future. The evidence suggests that the best time to start learning ASL is before a child can even walk – and the implications for facilitating the parent-child relationship are amazing.
Co-written by Emily Patterson and Kathleen Thomas
Emily and Kathleen are Communications Coordinators for the network of Georgia child care facilities belonging to the AdvancED® accredited family of Primrose child care schools. Primrose Schools are located in 16 states throughout the U.S. and are dedicated to delivering progressive, early childhood, Balanced Learning® curriculum throughout their preschools.
This was really interesting! We are just starting to teach Bella to sign so it was neat to read this.
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Very interesting. One of my friends has a nanny that has taught her daughter how to sign. It seems to be working really well for them. Erika, have you started teaching Dylan to sign? If not, will you? If so, how is it going? I have heard that our library offers a class on teaching children to sign, but I haven’t done any research to look up when/where. I know it’s very early for Addison but I think I might go to the class while I am still off from work – hopefully I’ll remember it when she’s ready! Do you or Emily know if there are there any good online resources to learn more?
I haven’t really started signing with Dylan yet because I don’t really know many myself. I know milk and more, but that’s about it. I know some Gymboree Play&Music centers incorporate baby sign into their classes.
I also found the following websites which have information:
Signing With Your Baby
Baby Signs
Baby and Sign Language
The second two I referenced above have links for finding a local class… the first one seems to give a lot of information on doing it yourself. I just googled baby sign, which I realize anyone can do and, admittedly, I have not done nearly enough research on the subject, but I plan to do more (make some calls, etc.) and will write a follow up post soon! 🙂
Interesting, thanks for sharing!
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