| We live in an exciting knowledge-based economy | | | | found speaking and comprehending words at |
| where technology and education have made | | | | levels almost compared to what is normally |
| information more freely available to common folk | | | | expected at the age of four! They also scored |
| than ever before. The only problem is: Are we | | | | well on tests of memory, mental development |
| open-minded enough to harness the information | | | | and fantasy play. |
| made available to help us make educated | | | | In fact, a ten-year study at the University of |
| decisions? | | | | California at Davis found that seven-year-olds |
| One such piece of free valuable information: 20 | | | | who signed as babies scored an average of |
| years of painstaking research has proven that | | | | twelve points higher on the standard IQ test than |
| children who use sign language have enhanced | | | | members of a control group who didn't sign as |
| language, mental, social and emotional | | | | babies. |
| development, as compared to children who do | | | | Marilyn Daniels, who has done extensive research |
| not. | | | | on hearing children who have been taught sign |
| There is now a growing international movement | | | | language, explains that this is because there is |
| which teaches babies to "talk" to you even before | | | | increased neuron connectivity when babies use |
| they can actually talk! Did you know that infants' | | | | sign language. As such, there is increased |
| gross motor skills (ability to grasp objects at 3-4 | | | | stimulation and brain activity resulting in denser |
| months) much develop faster than their fine | | | | brain development. |
| motor skills (articulation). As such, babies can | | | | INCREASED VOCABULARY |
| actually use their hands to "communicate". | | | | Marilyn also performed studies to determine |
| One fundamental reason for using sign language | | | | whether adding sign language to the curriculum in |
| with your child, is not to miss out on positive | | | | pre-kindergarten classes would improve the |
| two-way communication during the periods when | | | | students' comprehension of the English vocabulary. |
| babies' articulators are not fully formed yet. | | | | Research concluded that the children who |
| Laura Dyer, Speech Pathologist, in her book "Look | | | | received sign instruction showed significant |
| Who's Talking: How To Enhance Your Child's | | | | improvement in English vocabulary for students |
| Language Development Starting At Birth", states | | | | who received the sign language instruction. |
| that typically developing children ages 8 to 22 | | | | In fact, the National Institute for Child Health |
| months benefit from learning sign language | | | | & Human Development studied 140 families |
| because these children can use signs to represent | | | | with eleven-month-old babies for two years. They |
| words that are too difficult for them to say. | | | | compared families who used signs with their |
| Recent research has proven that teaching your | | | | babies with families who did not. The children in |
| baby sign language will provide dramatic benefits | | | | the families that used signs performed better in all |
| to both children and parents: | | | | tests, scoring higher in intelligence tests, had larger |
| INCREASED IQ | | | | vocabularies and engaged in more sophisticated |
| Dr Linda Acredolo and Dr Susan Goodwyn | | | | play. |
| compared babies who used sign with babies who | | | | CONCLUSION |
| had not. Their research shows that the babies | | | | Sure, learning sign language is going to take effort, |
| who used sign had a faster rate of cognitive | | | | especially for hearing adults. However, after |
| development than babies who didn't sign. Later, | | | | enduring nine arduous months of child-bearing, |
| when the same two groups were compared at | | | | many parents will want to give the finest |
| two years of age, the signers knew about fifty | | | | education to their children. |
| more spoken words than the other babies who | | | | Teaching your children sign language when they |
| hadn't learned sign. | | | | are babies will help to lay a good foundation to |
| At the age of three, the same signing group was | | | | their success in future. |