This section covers the most frequently asked questions.

How do I get started?
How will sign language affect our baby's language development?
I've decided to use ASL. Do I have to learn the whole language?
Is it too late to sign with my baby?
Should I use ASL (American Sign Language) or should I make up my own?
When should I start signing with my baby?
Will it be difficult for our baby to learn and understand the signs?
Will signing delay my baby's speech?

How do I get started?
Getting started is simple. Check out Seven Steps to Signing Success
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How will sign language affect our baby's language development?
Babies who sign learn that they can convey their needs and thoughts symbolically and that language can be used to influence others. For example, a baby might want more milk and realizes that if he gestures the sign for MILK, Dad will get up and go pour him another glass. That is a powerful realization for someone who has so many needs and so few ways to convey them. Until a baby has learned to sign, crying, grunting, and pointing were his only options.

This means that signing lets babies begin to understand the basic functions of language at a very early age. In addition, using both spoken words and signs together helps to reinforce the meaning of spoken words. This helps babies increase both their signing repertoire and their spoken vocabulary.

Babies who can use signs can also be the initiators of conversation because they can choose the topic. For parents, this provides a window in to the child's mind. For example, on an evening stroll, your child might express an interest in the MOON and STARS. You can then start a conversation about these and maybe even a tradition of going to look for the moon every evening.

Children in multi-lingual environments also benefit from signing. Many families use signs as a common link between two (or more) different languages spoken in the home. Even if you did not start out speaking both languages in the home consistently, signs can help bridge the gap between the two languages. Instead of having to “translate” between the two languages, you can use sign as you speak either or both languages and babies understand the connections.
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I've decided to use ASL. Do I have to learn the whole language?
Not at all. You are actually just using ASL signs and will not be learning this rich and expressive language. Since your goal is to communicate with your hearing child during a time when your baby cannot speak, you are using the ASL signs to facilitate this. The best way to do this is to speak with your child as you sign and sign only a few words in each sentence. Make sure you emphasize speaking and signing so that your baby understands that the goal is communication!

As you work with your baby, you may become more interested in the Deaf community and in ASL. Check with your local community college or Continuing Education Program for a beginning ASL course, visit a nearby Center on Deafness, and seek out the many excellent online resources for information on Deaf culture and your local Deaf community.
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Is it too late to sign with my baby?
No. If your child still doesn't have a large spoken vocabulary you baby can benefit from communicating with sign language to get needs taken care of. Even children who are speaking love learning sign language so it truly is never too late to start. Often, older brothers and sisters have even more fun signing than babies do and will go on to learn more ASL on their own. You can even check to see if there are classes in your area for older children.
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Should I use ASL (American Sign Language) or should I make up my own?
You do not have to use ASL, but using ASL has some advantages. First, you can quickly learn the signs and don't have to figure them out and then try to remember them. Second, your baby can communicate with others who know ASL signs When babies learn "home signs" and gestures, it greatly decreases the likelihood that the child will be able to communicate with other families, caregivers, and children. Third, by using ASL signs, your baby has the basis for a second language that she can continue to learn later in life.
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When should I start signing with my baby?
You can start any time. However, most babies will not sign back 7 months or older. Many deaf parents sign to their babies from birth and some parents don't find out about the wonders of signing with their babies are 12 months or older.
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Will it be difficult for our baby to learn and understand the signs?
No. Most babies learn signs quickly. ASL is iconic, meaning that the sign resembles the object or concept it represents. This makes the gestures easy to learn and remember. And often, one gesture conveys an entire English sentence. For example, by making the gesture for putting on a coat, you can tell your baby that you are going to put on his coat.
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Will signing delay my baby's speech?
No. Decades of research have shown that signing does not delay speech. Actually, there is research that suggests that it speeds up speech in many children and increases vocabulary and articulation in most babies. If your baby is a late talker, signing helps reduce the stress of not being able to communicate, so waiting longer for the first precious words is more bearable for both parents and children. And speech-Language professionals, pediatricians, and educators are supporting the use of signs to encourage early language development.
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