| money meets science and political correctness gets in | | | | resource that is specifically designed for hearing |
| the way, sometimes we lose sight of what we were | | | | babies; they are all now based on adult sign language. |
| aiming for. The evolution of Baby Sign Language is | | | | Today, Baby Sign Language virtually exists as |
| perfect example of this where an original and very | | | | American Sign Language (ASL), British Sign Language |
| useful program has evolved into something so | | | | (BSL) or Australian Sign Language (AUSLAN) |
| different it doesn't even have the same function. I pose | | | | repackaged with a stock photo of a baby on the front |
| the question - why are all flocking in droves to spend | | | | cover. Is there any benefit to teaching adult sign |
| money to teach our children the language of the deaf | | | | language to children that are not hearing impaired? Are |
| community and where did baby sign language go? | | | | we now focusing too much on teaching an adult sign |
| Baby Sign Language research started over 30 years | | | | language and losing out on the benefits that the original |
| ago, almost simultaneously taking place in two camps, | | | | Baby Sign Language program offered? |
| Joseph Garcia in one and Linda Acredolo and Susan | | | | Acredolo and Goodwyn (2004) state: "Research has |
| Goodwyn in the other. | | | | shown that signs are easiest for babies and for |
| Joseph Garcia, as sign language interpreter, had a | | | | parents when they involve simple gestures and when |
| wide network of friends in the deaf community. He | | | | they resemble the things they stand for, e.g. fingers to |
| noted that the hearing offspring of signing deaf parents | | | | lips for 'eat'; arms out straight like wings for 'airplane.'" If |
| used signing long before their spoken language | | | | you reinforce particular gestures and particular sounds, |
| developed. | | | | babies will develop their communication skills in several |
| Drs. Linda Acredolo and Susan Goodwyn conducted a | | | | different modalities. There does appear to be a short |
| longitudinal study funded by the National Institutes of | | | | period during which infants can produce more |
| Child Health and Human Development using a collection | | | | differentiated and controlled hand gestures than |
| of baby sign language gestures that they called 'Baby | | | | speech sounds, but it is a transitory phase. |
| Signs'. The study showed that babies taught Baby | | | | Is it ethical to be selling the language of the deaf |
| Sign Language understood more words, had larger | | | | community as a resource for baby’s speech |
| vocabularies and engaged in more sophisticated play | | | | development? Where are the profits of this clever |
| than non-signing babies. Parents of the babies in the | | | | marketing going; rarely do they go back into the deaf |
| study using Baby Sign Language noted decreased | | | | community. |
| frustration, increased communication, and enriched | | | | Almost all of the marketing material for these so called |
| parent-infant bonding. They revisited the families in the | | | | Baby Sign Language products display children using |
| original Baby Sign Language study when the children | | | | these resources who are clearly pre-school age and |
| were seven and eight years old. The children who | | | | older. There is good reason for this; the traditional sign |
| used Baby Sign Language had a mean IQ of 114 | | | | language signs such as ASL are quite possibly too |
| compared to the non-signing control group's mean of | | | | difficult for most very little hands to do. At 4 months of |
| 102 (Acredolo and Goodwyn, 2000). Since these early | | | | age a baby will not be able to make ballerina hands, |
| days Baby Sign Language has grown into a worldwide | | | | finger spell the alphabet. |
| phenomenon. | | | | Baby Sign Language should be simple enough to be |
| The Baby Sign Language forged ahead with these | | | | useful for the short period of time before the child can |
| two themes, one teaching the language of the hearing | | | | communicate with words. This encompasses an age |
| impaired the other teaching the original Baby Sign | | | | gap of 4 months to 30 months. The exception to this |
| Language program. There is an obvious benefit to the | | | | is if the child has a specific need to communicate with |
| offspring of those who suffer from hearing disabilities. It | | | | those who are hard of hearing or if the child is showing |
| was also clear from the original Baby Sign Language | | | | signs of developmental delay in which case traditional |
| research that there were benefits to teaching baby | | | | sign language would be recommended. |
| signs to children that were not hard of hearing or | | | | The research was clear. The benefits of early |
| otherwise at risk of developmental delay. | | | | communication with baby sign language based on |
| Since the early days however the focus has changed | | | | simple gestures included earlier speech development, |
| from simple gestures of Baby Sign Language to | | | | better language comprehension and less guessing |
| communicating with hearing babies using the official | | | | games for parents. |
| language of the deaf community. Even the original | | | | “We don’t care if people want to use |
| Baby Sign Language program pioneered by Drs | | | | formal sign language, but it’s not |
| Acredolo and Goodwyn has evolved into teaching | | | | necessary,” Acredolo said. Kids stop using signs |
| official American Sign Language (ASL). In fact, today, it | | | | as they speak more words, so the “baby |
| is a challenge to find any Baby Sign Language | | | | signs” are meant to be temporary. |