Editing Baby sign language

{{Short description|Signed language systems used with hearing infants/toddlers}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2016}}
[[File:Child using sign language.jpg|thumb|A child signing the concept of "bird"]]
'''Baby sign language''' is the use of manual signing allowing [[infant]]s and [[toddler]]s to communicate emotions, desires, and objects prior to spoken [[language development]].<ref name="ParentingScience.com">{{Cite web|url=http://www.parentingscience.com/baby-sign-language.html|title=Baby sign language: A guide for the science-minded parent|website=www.parentingscience.com|access-date=2016-02-14}}</ref><ref name="Fitzpatrick Grandpierre et al" /> With guidance and encouragement, signing develops from a natural stage in infant development known as [[Gestures in Language Acquisition|gesture]].<ref name="Iverson Goldin-Meadow">{{Cite journal|last1=Iverson|first1=J. M.|last2=Goldin-Meadow|first2=S.|date=2005|title=Gesture paves the way for language development|journal=Gesture and Language Development|volume=16|issue=5|pages=367–371|doi=10.1111/j.0956-7976.2005.01542.x|pmid=15869695|s2cid=16877963 }}</ref> These gestures are taught in conjunction with speech to hearing children, and are not the same as a [[sign language]].<ref name="Capone McGregor" /> Some common benefits that have been found through the use of baby sign programs include an increased parent-child bond and communication,<ref name="Mueller Sepulveda" /> decreased frustration,<ref name="Mueller Sepulveda" /> and improved self-esteem for both the parent and child.<ref name="wanting the best" /> Researchers have found that baby sign neither benefits nor harms the language development of infants.<ref name="Fitzpatrick Grandpierre et al" /><ref name="Kirk Howlett et al">{{Cite journal|last1=Kirk|first1=K. E.|last2=Howlett|first2=N.|last3=Pine|first3=K. J.|last4=Fletcher|first4=B. C.|date=2013|title=To sign or not to sign? The impact of encouraging infants to gesture on infant language and maternal mind-mindedness.|url=http://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/83741/1/To_Sign_or_Not_to_Sign._Kirk_Pine_Howlett_Fletcher..docx|journal=Child Development|volume=84|issue=2|pages=574–590|doi=10.1111/j.1467-8624.2012.01874.x|pmid=23033858|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref name="Nelson White Grewe" /> Promotional products and ease of information access have increased the attention that baby sign receives, making it pertinent that caregivers become educated before making the decision to use baby sign.<ref name="Fitzpatrick Grandpierre et al" /><ref name="Nelson White Grewe" />

== Overview ==
[[File:Eat finish en.jpg|thumb|Sign for "eat" and "finish"]]
Baby sign involves enhanced gestures and altered signs that infants are taught in conjunction with spoken words with the intention of creating richer parent-child communication.<ref name="ParentingScience.com" /> The main reason that parents use baby sign is with hope that it will reduce the frustration involved in trying to interpret their pre-verbal child's needs.<ref name="Mueller Sepulveda" /><ref name="wanting the best">{{Cite journal|last1=Howlett|first1=N.|last2=Kirk|first2=E.|last3=Pine|first3=K.J.|date=2011|title=Does wanting the best create more stress? The link between baby sign classes and maternal anxiety|url=http://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/83784/1/Howlett_Kirk_Pine_2011_Baby_Sign_Maternal_Stress.doc|journal=Infant and Child Development|volume=20|issue=4|pages=437–445|doi=10.1002/icd.705|hdl=2299/6402|hdl-access=free}}</ref><ref name="Pizer Walters Meier" /> It can be considered a useful method of communication in the early [[Child development stages|developmental stages]], since speech production follows children's ability to express themselves through bodily movement.<ref name="Fitzpatrick Grandpierre et al" /><ref name="Volterra Iverson Castrataro">{{Cite book|title=The development of gesture in hearing and deaf children|last1=Volterra|first1=V.|last2=Iverson|first2=J M.|last3=Castrataro|first3=M.|work=Advances in the Sign Language Development of Deaf Children|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2006|editor-last=Schick |editor-first=B.|location=New York: New York|pages=Chapter 3|editor-last2=Marschark|editor-first2=M.|editor-last3=Spencer|editor-first3=P. E.}}</ref><ref name="Teaching Gestural Signs - review" />

Baby sign is distinct from [[sign language]]. Baby sign is used by hearing parents with hearing children to improve communication.<ref name="Capone McGregor" /><ref name="Doherty-Sneddon">{{Cite journal|last=Doherty-Sneddon|first=G.|date=2008|title=The great baby signing debate|journal=The Psychologist|volume=21|issue=4|pages=300–303}}</ref> Sign languages, including [[American Sign Language|ASL]], [[British Sign Language|BSL]], [[Italian Sign Language|ISL]] and others, are natural languages, typically used in the Deaf community.<ref name="Fitzpatrick Grandpierre et al" /> Sign languages maintain their own [[grammar]], and [[sentence structure]].<ref name="Porpora guide">{{Cite book|title=The Complete Guide to Baby Sign Language|last=Porpora|first=T|publisher=Atlantic Publishing Group Inc.|year=2011|isbn=978-1-60138-393-8|location=Ocala:Florida}}</ref> Because sign languages are as complex to learn as any [[spoken language]], simplified signs are often used with infants in baby sign.<ref name="Capone McGregor">{{Cite journal|last1=Capone|first1=N. C.|last2=McGregor|first2=K.K.|date=2004|title=Gesture development: A review for clinical and research practices|url=https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00617908/document|journal=Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research|volume=47|issue=1|pages=173–186|doi=10.1044/1092-4388(2004/015)|pmid=15072537|s2cid=7244799 }}</ref><ref name="Mueller Sepulveda" /> Teaching baby signs allows for greater flexibility in the form of sign and does not require the parent to learn the grammar of a sign language. Baby signs are usually gestures or signs taken from the sign language community and modified to make them easier for an infant to form.

It is common for the difference between symbolic [[gesture]]s and baby signs to be mistaken. [[Gestures in language acquisition|Symbolic gestures]] are a form of communication that children adopt before they develop the ability to produce spoken language.<ref name="Iverson Goldin-Meadow" /> This includes pointing to what they want or using a hand motion in conjunction with a word which allows greater communication for infants. Writing on the topic, Jane Collingwood states that "Infants from about six months of age can begin to learn the basic signs, which cover such objects and concepts as "thirsty", "milk", "water", "hungry", "sleepy", "pacifier", "more", "hot", "cold", "play", "bath", and "teddy bear"."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://psychcentral.com/lib/teaching-your-baby-sign-language-can-benefit-both-of-you/|title=Teaching Your Baby Sign Language Can Benefit Both of You {{!}} Psych Central|date=2016-05-17|work=Psych Central|access-date=2017-04-27|language=en-US}}</ref> Typically, developing children will produce their first gestures between the ages of 9 and 12 months without any prompting or assistance from a caregiver. Infants learn how to use their [[body language]], [[eye gaze]], and [[hand gestures]] as a way to attract attention and communicate. Once children gain some language production, they will couple language with gesture to further communicate.<ref name="Iverson Goldin-Meadow" /> Gesture remains present in all individuals at any age which is a distinguishing factor from baby sign.

==Pros and cons==
===Suggested benefits===
Baby sign promotes communication before a child is able to verbally communicate with others.<ref name="Volterra Iverson Castrataro" /><ref name="Teaching Gestural Signs - review">{{Cite journal|last1=Johnston|first1=J. C.|last2=Durieux-Smith|first2=A.|last3=Bloom|first3=K.|date=2005|title=Teaching gestural signs to infants to advance child development: A review of evidence|journal=First Language|volume=25|issue=2|doi=10.1177/0142723705050340|pages=235–251|s2cid=145633685 }}</ref> Since gestures are part of normal speech, teaching baby sign allows infants to learn an aspect of communication that is used with language. It is not, however designed to replace language.<ref name="Iverson Goldin-Meadow" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.babycentre.co.uk/baby/development/stimulatingdevelopment/babysigning/#4|title=Baby Signing|date=September 2014|access-date=2 March 2016}}</ref> This demonstrates that infants are able to learn gestures before mastering verbal skills.<ref name="Seal DePaolis" /><ref name="Daniels - effect of" /> Therefore, those who learn these simplified signs may enhance their [[cognitive development]] by gaining language skills through both visual and auditory modes.<ref name="Daniels - effect of">{{Cite journal|last=Daniels|first=M.|date=1994|title=The effect of sign language on hearing children's language development|journal=Communication Education|volume=43|issue=4|pages=291–298|doi=10.1080/03634529409378987}}</ref>

In an article in ''The Psychologist,'' Gwyneth Doherty-Sneddon has considered in detail the theory behind the growth of this phenomenon and some of the claims made by its supporters.<ref name="Doherty-Sneddon" /> Doherty-Sneddon points out that baby sign is not entirely new.<ref name="Doherty-Sneddon" /> Variations have been used by speech and language therapists for decades with children who have impairments to either their speech, cognitive abilities, or both.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Clibbens |last2=Powell |last3=Atkinson |first1=J. |first2=G. G. |first3=E. |date=2002|title=Strategies for achieving joint attention when signing to children with Down's syndrome.|journal=International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders|volume=37|issue=3|pages=309–323|doi=10.1080/13682820210136287|pmid=12201980}}</ref> It is widely recognized that communication is at the heart of cognitive, social, emotional, and behavioral development in children. Baby sign may assist in improving these significant developmental functions.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Mind in Society|last=Vygotsky|first=L. S.|publisher=Harvard University Press|year=1978|location=Cambridge, MA}}</ref>

Baby signs create mutual attention between the parent and child leading to further elaboration of what the infant is communicating.<ref name="Goodwyn Acredolo Brown" /> A study collected self-reports from mothers who had engaged in a baby sign training workshop, to clarify whether or not signing with their child would create added [[parental stress]] and/or enhance parent-child communication.<ref name="Mueller Sepulveda" /> Overall the parents did not express feeling heightened stress or frustration from the baby sign training process but rather they reported a greater ability to understand their child. This richer [[communication]] was found to lead to a more positive interaction with their child which overall benefits the establishment of an earlier parent-child bond.<ref name="Mueller Sepulveda">{{Cite journal|last1=Mueller Sepulveda|first1=V.|last2=Sepulveda|first2=A.|date=2013|title=Parental perception of a baby sign workshop on stress and parent- child interaction|journal=Early Child Development and Care|doi=10.1080/03004430.2013.797899|volume=184|issue=3|pages=450–468|s2cid=144886033 }}</ref><ref name="Pizer Walters Meier" />

Children who learned enhanced symbolic gestures performed better on both expressive and receptive verbal language tests compared to those who had not been encouraged to learn such gestures.<ref name="Goodwyn Acredolo Brown" /> [[Receptive language]] means being able to recognize words and signs, while [[expressive language]] involves the process of forming words or signs.<ref name="Goodwyn Acredolo Brown" /> Research has shown that enhanced gesture input for hearing children is the first step toward successfully mastering gesture use, and the use of representational form and symbolic communicative function.<ref name="Volterra Iverson Castrataro" /> Improved symbolic gestures may contribute to language development by providing children with increased knowledge of concepts by explaining the functions of the objects that they are exposed to.<ref name="Volterra Iverson Castrataro" /> In support of expressive language development studies have shown that learning symbolic gestures can lead to advanced verbal development and accelerated language acquisition.<ref name="Volterra Iverson Castrataro" /><ref name="Goodwyn Acredolo Brown" /> An effective baby sign workshop also resulted in the improvement of numerous areas of development by comparing the child's results before and after the workshop.<ref name="Effects on development">{{Cite journal|last1=Mueller|first1=V.|last2=Sepulveda|first2=A.|last3=Rodriguez|first3=S.|date=2014|title=The effects of baby sign training on development|journal=Early Child Development and Care|volume=184|issue=8|doi=10.1080/03004430.2013.854780|s2cid=145641690 }}</ref> Some of these areas included communicative, cognitive, social, adaptive behavior, physical, and fine motor skill development of children.<ref name="Effects on development" /> This enhancement however, is short-lived (from between 12 and 15 months of age).<ref name="Volterra Iverson Castrataro" /> Doherty-Sneddon argues, however, that this timescale represents only a general norm.<ref name="Doherty-Sneddon" /> The enhancement and advantage is far more extended in the many toddlers who do not speak until well after their second birthdays.

Doherty-Sneddon also states a key issue is ensuring that sufficient and appropriately designed research is available to back the claims made in relation to baby signing.<ref name="Doherty-Sneddon" /> A literature review concluded that although benefits were reported in 13 of 17 studies, various weaknesses in the methods used for baby sign studies leave the evidence unsupported.<ref name="Johnston, Durieux-Smith, Bloom">{{Cite journal|last1=Johnston |last2=Durieux-Smith |last3=Bloom |first1=J. C. |first2=A. |first3=K.|date=2005|title=teaching gestural signs to infants to advance child development: A review of the evidence.|journal=First Language|volume=25|issue=2|pages=235–251|doi=10.1177/0142723705050340|s2cid=145633685 }}</ref>  Certainly, research into the effects of baby signing needs better control groups, such as children who are involved in equally interesting and fun activities based around adult and child language interaction, but not baby signing. This suggestion for further research implies that it may not be the baby signs themselves that facilitate language development but rather the underlying benefit being active, [[joint attention]] that is stimulated by baby sign.<ref name="Goodwyn Acredolo Brown" /><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Clibbens|first1=J.|last2=Powell|first2=G. G.|last3=Atkinson|first3=E.|date=2002|title=Strategies for achieving joint attention when signing to children with Down's syndrome|journal=International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders|volume=37|issue=3|pages=309–323|doi=10.1080/13682820210136287|pmid=12201980}}</ref>

Therefore, the enhanced joint visual attention during parent-child interaction empowers the infant to focus the topic and context of the conversation, clarify concepts, and creates added practice with symbolic interaction.<ref name="Goodwyn Acredolo Brown">{{Cite journal|last1=Goodwyn |last2=Acredolo |last3=Brown |first1=S |first2=L |first3=C. A.|s2cid=11823057 |date=2000|title=Impact of symbolic gesturing on early language development.|journal=Journal of Nonverbal Behavior|volume=24|issue=2|pages=81–103|doi=10.1023/A:1006653828895}}</ref> These underlying mechanisms of baby sign are proposed to create benefits for the infant such as; enhancing vocabulary, advancing cognitive development, reducing tantrums and frustration, and improving the parent-child relationship and communication. More specifically language development is improved by advancing comprehension, promoting [[literacy]] and successfully allowing the infant to express their needs so the parent becomes more responsive and observant of their baby.<ref name="Goodwyn Acredolo Brown" /><ref>{{Cite book|title=Child psychology|last1=Balter |last2=Tamis-LeMonda|first1=L |first2=C|publisher=Psychology Press|year=1999|location=New York|pages=116–139}}</ref>

=== Why it may be neither beneficial nor harmful ===
Researchers have suggested the possibility of parents and experimenters being overly liberal in attributing sign or word status to early attempts at communication by children.<ref>{{cite book|last=Pettito|first=Laura A.|title="Language" in the pre-linguistic child. The development of language and language researchers|year=1988|publisher=Lawrence Erlbaum|location=Hillsdale, NJ|pages=187–221|editor=Frank S. Kessel}}</ref> Puccini and Liszkowski found that when infants associate labels with objects, they use verbal cues more frequently than gestures to make these associations.<ref name="Fast Map">{{cite journal | last1 = Puccini | first1 = D. | last2 = Liszkowski | first2 = U. | year = 2012 | title = 15-month-old infants fast map words but not representational gestures of multimodal labels | journal = Frontiers in Psychology | volume = 3 | page = 101 | doi = 10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00101 | pmid = 22493588 | pmc = 3318184 | doi-access = free }}</ref> The process of further facilitating gesturing with baby signs is suggested to possibly cause interference toward children's mapping of these words. This may be a result of infants lacking enough attention to take in these two types of information and process it at the same time.<ref name="Fast Map" /> It is suggested that these labels, and further through the facilitation of baby sign, that it is unlikely that baby sign is facilitating speech development in infants.

Baby sign programs encourage parents to improve their communication skills between themselves and their infants before they have developed speech.<ref name="Kirk Howlett et al"/> Kirk and colleagues have found that the results of their study with hearing infants provided no evidence to support that a child's [[language development]] would benefit from learning baby sign. They also found that children who participated in baby sign had similar language development to children who did not learn baby sign. It is suggested that participating in baby sign may be an unnecessary effort with infants when being motivated by the hopes of advanced language learning for the child. However, it was found that mothers who used baby sign with their infants encouraged increased independence with them and supported a higher level of independence for their child.<ref name="Kirk Howlett et al"/> Another conducted research study has shown that there are no significant differences found with language acquisition between infants who are receiving or not receiving exposure to baby sign, including reaching language milestones.<ref name="Seal DePaolis">{{Cite journal|last1=Seal |last2=DePaolis |first1=B. C. |first2= R. A.|s2cid=144534523 |date=2014|title=Manual activity and onset of first words in babies exposed and not exposed to baby signing|journal=Sign Language Studies|volume=14|issue=4|pages=444–465|doi=10.1353/sls.2014.0015}}</ref> Although no support for using baby sign was found in this study, there was also no negative effects found to be associated with language development when using baby sign with your child. It is possible that baby sign is working in support of infant's spoken language, but was not found to further their later language development.<ref name="Seal DePaolis" />

The results of multiple studies regarding baby sign have found that the advantages provided do not go beyond children over the age of two years old.<ref name="Johnston, Durieux-Smith, Bloom" /> The results of this literature review have not shown support that baby sign increases a child's linguistic development. When teaching a child baby sign, an infant's attention is directed away from what they are interested in and is redirected towards the adult and the desired sign. This interaction has been claimed to increase joint attention between parent and child, but has yet to be studied enough in research literature.<ref name="Johnston, Durieux-Smith, Bloom" /> It has also been proposed by researchers that baby sign may increase parental stress rather than decrease it because of busy lifestyles that may be disrupting interactions between parents and children. Teaching baby sign outside of research settings does not allow for the parent to raise questions or concerns to trained individuals.<ref name="Mueller Sepulveda" /> Reaching fundamental linguistic milestones and the natural course of children's language development has been suggested to be disrupted because of the unnatural intervention in language development that baby sign provides, supported by the lack of support in prior studies which have been analyzed.<ref name="Johnston, Durieux-Smith, Bloom" />

==Learning baby sign==
There are numerous concepts to keep in mind when encouraging baby sign. Caregivers should ensure that they have their infant's attention, maintain consistency with what sign is used and how it is used in relation to an item, repeat signs often, encourage the infant, and be alert to recognize when the infant is signing back.

When it comes to infants who have not yet acquired language abilities, signs are an easy and readily accessible form of communication.<ref name="Teaching Gestural Signs - review" /><ref name="Cesafsky">{{Cite web|url=http://www2.uwstout.edu/content/lib/thesis/2009/2009cesafskym.pdf|title=Baby sign language: Hindering or enhancing communication in infants and toddlers?|last=Cesafsky|first=M. J.|date=2009|access-date=14 February 2016}}</ref> Prior to infants learning specific signs or developing language skills, they acquire the spontaneous use of [[Gestures in language acquisition|gesture]].<ref name="Iverson Goldin-Meadow" />  An infant's first gesture may appear between 9–12 months of age, often classified as pointing. Gesturing gradually increases as infants connect pointing to word meaning, making a gesture-plus-word combination that will evolve into a two word combination.<ref name="Iverson Goldin-Meadow" /> It is thought that gestures may be easier for infants to remember than a name alone since a gesture is representative of what the child can picture happening, when thinking about the item.<ref name="Teaching Gestural Signs - review" />

To determine how infant communication is influenced by [[Gestures in language acquisition|gesture and speech]], Iverson and Goldin-Meadow conducted a study.<ref name="Iverson Goldin-Meadow" /> Infants in the study used eye gaze, body position, and vocalization to attract and direct their target audience's attention, while gesturing to items. Results looked to see if the gestures that children use are related to the word they say while doing the gesture. Iverson and Goldin-Meadow found that infants gesture for items that they did not have the ability to express with words. When words were produced by the child, they typically were ones that the child had already been gesturing for. This shows that gesture is directly linked to the words that children will produce.<ref name="Iverson Goldin-Meadow" />

[[Gestures in language acquisition|Symbolic gesture]] is the specific term that encompasses baby sign. This form of gesture aids in communication through the use of hand movements that represent an item or feeling.<ref name="Gongorra Chamarrita">{{Cite journal|last1=Gongora|first1=X|last2=Chamarrita|first2=F|date=2009|title=Infant sign language program effects on synchronic mother-infant interactions|journal=Infant Behavior and Development|volume=32|issue=2|pages=216–225|doi=10.1016/j.infbeh.2008.12.011|pmid=19233477}}</ref> Infants are quick to note if there is a connection between an item and a symbolic gesture. Once they make the connection infants will imitate actions that are produced by the caregiver. Consistency from the caregiver is crucial during the teaching and feedback stage in order for infants to learn from repetition.<ref name="Cesafsky" /> This repetition applies to how the caregiver uses the sign and in what way the sign is associated with the object or emotion. If the association changes then the child will have a harder time understanding how the symbolic gesture links to the item. One way for caregivers to ensure the infant associates the symbolic gesture with the object or emotion is to gain the infant's attention, and say the name of the object at the same time that the sign is performed.<ref name="Teaching Gestural Signs - review" /><ref name="Cesafsky" /><ref name="Gongorra Chamarrita" />

Infants watch their caregiver during everyday routines and situations. This observation allows infants to learn symbols by borrowing the actions from the observed routine.<ref name="Gongorra Chamarrita" /> A natural association occurs between signs and items, allowing infants to explore and express new ideas prior to language development. Infants will learn to associate a word with the general motion that they carry out while using an object, such as throwing a ball. After this association children begin to make connections with the word and motion alone, in this case a throwing gesture. Infants now can make the throwing gesture to alert caregivers that they wish to throw a ball, thus increasing their non-verbal communication. Representative abilities such as these are further used by infants to demonstrate emotional feelings as they associate a motion or sign with a feeling.<ref name="Gongorra Chamarrita" />

Further studies demonstrate that increasing the use of gesture, not necessarily use of a sign language, can increase the richness of a child's linguistic development.<ref name="Volterra Iverson Castrataro" />  It is suggested that learning signs happens over a period of time, inferring the importance of caregivers being patient with children as it takes more than a brief interaction between parent and child.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Bonvillian|first1=J. D.|last2=Siedlecki|first2=T.|date=2000|title=Young children's acquisition of the formational aspects of American Sign Language: Parental report findings.|journal=Sign Language Studies|volume=1|issue=1|pages=45–64|doi=10.1353/sls.2000.0002|doi-access=free}}</ref> Parent-child interactions are vital to the learning of baby sign since the infant looks to the caregiver for guidance. By consciously demonstrating the sign to the infant, the caregiver and infant are sustaining [[joint attention]] which increases communication. When caregivers aid infants in creating the sign with their hands, they are further increasing encouragement, repetition, and communication.<ref name="Teaching Gestural Signs - review" /> It is the caregiver's job to not only teach specific hand signals, beyond what infants naturally pick up, but to provide support and feedback to infants when signs are produced correctly.<ref name="Gongorra Chamarrita" /> Through making a connection, and parental encouragement of that connection, infants can learn and actively engage in baby sign language.<ref name="Teaching Gestural Signs - review" /><ref name="Gongorra Chamarrita" />

In 1998, a program was conducted at A. Sophie Rogers Infant-Toddler Laboratory School in Ohio State University by Kimberlee Whaley. Certain signs used in American Sign Language were taught to infants, along with their teachers, to establish whether these signs could be used to increase effective communication with the very young children. From about the age of 9 months, the children began to use the signs they had learned; these included words like "eat", "juice", "more", "now", and "sleep". The program found that children would also use the signs they learned in the classroom to communicate with parents at home.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/signlang.htm|title=Infants Use Sign Language to Communicate At Ohio State School|last=Grabmeier|first=Jeff|date=25 January 1999|publisher=[[Ohio State University]]<!--Wikipedians do not use "The" as part of Ohio State's name; it is considered a marketing gimmick, and routinely deleted.-->|access-date=2 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100614041005/http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/signlang.htm|archive-date=14 June 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> Based on this study, learning baby sign appears to be a beneficial tool for children if implemented in schools and day cares.

==Media and Internet influences==
Due to promotional products, easy access to baby sign tutorial videos, and representations in popular culture, parental attempts at signing with their baby may be more focused on the popularity social aspects instead of an intention to potentially enhance their child's communication skills.<ref name="Pizer Walters Meier">{{Cite journal|last1=Pizer |last2=Walters |last3=Meier|first1=G. |first2=K. |first3=R.|s2cid=145358173 |date=2007|title=Bringing up a baby with baby sign: Language ideologies and socialization in hearing families|journal=Sign Language Studies|volume=7|issue=4|pages=387–430|doi=10.1353/sls.2007.0026}}</ref>

A study examined the degree to which information about baby sign found on the internet was based on research.<ref name="Nelson White Grewe" /> Results found thirty-three websites that all promoted baby sign and the benefits associated. Over 90% of the information referred to opinion articles or promotional products encouraging parents to sign, with little to no basis in research. Although websites claim that using baby sign will reduce tantrums, increase infant's self-esteem, satisfaction, feelings of accomplishment, increase parent-child bonding, and decrease frustration, the sites do not provide enough research-based evidence to support these claims.<ref name="Nelson White Grewe">{{Cite journal|last1=Nelson|first1=L. H.|last2=White|first2=K. R.|last3=Grewe|first3=J.|date=2012|title=Evidence for website claims about the benefits of teaching sign language to infants and toddlers with normal hearing.|journal=Infant and Child Development|volume=21|issue=5|pages=474–502|doi=10.1002/icd.1748}}</ref>

Another study examined internet information found using Google Scholar as well as a few academic databases. Researchers examined whether results claimed baby sign encouraged developmental, social, cognitive, and language skills while achieving a greater bond between parent and child.<ref name="Fitzpatrick Grandpierre et al">{{Cite journal|last1=Fitzpatrick |last2=Thibert |last3=Grandpierre |last4=Johnston|first1=E. M |first2=J |first3=V |first4=J. C|date=2014|title=How handy are baby signs? A systematic review of the impact of gestural communication on typically developing, hearing infants under the age of 36 months|journal=First Language|volume=34|issue=6|pages=486–509|doi=10.1177/0142723714562864|s2cid=143811768 }}</ref> The goal of asking this question was to find information that allows parents, caregivers, childhood educators, and clinicians to make informed decisions about the amount of emphasis to place on baby sign. When all the cited material was gathered there were 1747 articles with only 10 articles providing research regarding infant's developmental outcome in connection to baby sign.<ref name="Fitzpatrick Grandpierre et al" /> Consensus gathered from these 10 articles states that baby sign, as used by the commercially advertised product authored by Acredolo and Goodwyn, does not benefit language production or parent-child relationships. However, there is also no evidence from these articles that baby sign is in any way harmful to infants.<ref name="Fitzpatrick Grandpierre et al" /> Through these two studies it is illustrated that websites may not contain 100% research based information. Individuals looking for information regarding the pros and cons of using baby sign should ensure they are accessing sites backed by research and not opinion.

Commercial products available to parents participating in baby sign workshops or implementing it at home, are found to be comparable to the quality of products used in research studies.<ref name="Johnston, Durieux-Smith, Bloom" /> It is suggested that parents be cautious of baby sign products as it is difficult to assess the credibility of commercialized products for facilitating baby sign.<ref name="Johnston, Durieux-Smith, Bloom" />

==Images==
<gallery>
File:Mom dad en.jpg
File:More drink en.jpg
File:Play now en.jpg
File:Tired sleepy hurt en.jpg
File:Yes no en.jpg
File:Young boy.jpg|Young boy asking for food
</gallery>

==See also==
*[[Child development]]
*[[The Connected Baby|''The Connected Baby'' (documentary film)]]
*[[Language acquisition]]
*''[[Signing Time!]]''
*[[Manual babbling]]
*[[Gestures in language acquisition]]
*[[Baby talk]]

== References ==
{{reflist|2}}

==Further reading==
* {{Cite thesis|last=Cesafsky|first= M.|title=Baby Sign Language: Hindering or Enhancing Communication in Infants and Toddlers?|url=http://www2.uwstout.edu/content/lib/thesis/2009/2009cesafskym.pdf|year=2009|publisher=[[University of Wisconsin-Stout]]|access-date=28 February 2013}}
* {{cite magazine|last=Dickinson|first=A.|date=16 October 2000|title=Signs of the Times|url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,998221,00.html?iid=sr-link3|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|volume=156|issue=16|page=93|access-date=28 February 2013}}
* Garcia, Melissa Ivonne. 2013. "The Impact of Baby Sign Language on Motor Development in Typically Developing Infants and Toddlers." Order No. 1539940, The University of Texas at El Paso. [https://sonoma.idm.oclc.org/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.proquest.com%2Fdissertations-theses%2Fimpact-baby-sign-language-on-motor-development%2Fdocview%2F1415436630%2Fse-2%3Faccountid%3D13949. https://sonoma.idm.oclc.org/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.proquest.com%2Fdissertations-theses%2Fimpact-baby-sign-language-on-motor-development%2Fdocview%2F1415436630%2Fse-2%3Faccountid%3D13949.]
* {{cite journal|last1=Goodwyn|first1=S. W. |first2=L. P.|first3=C. A.|year=2000|title=Impact of Symbolic Gesturing on Early Language Development|journal=Journal of Nonverbal Behavior|volume=24|issue=2|pages=81–103|last2=Acredolo |last3=Brown|s2cid=11823057 |doi=10.1023/A:1006653828895 }}
* {{cite journal|last1=Nelson|first1=L. H.|first2=K. R.|first3=J.|year=2012|title=Evidence for Website Claims about the Benefits of Teaching Sign Language to Infants and Toddlers with Normal Hearing|journal=Infant and Child Development|volume=21|issue=5|pages=474–502|doi=10.1002/icd.1748|last2=White|last3= Grewe}}
* {{cite journal|last1=Pizer|first1=G.|first2=K.|first3=R. P.|year=2007|title=Bringing up Baby with Baby Signs: Language Ideologies and Socialization in Hearing Families|journal=Sign Language Studies|volume=7|issue=4|pages=387–430|doi=10.1353/sls.2007.0026|last2=Walters|last3= Meier|s2cid=145358173}}

==External links==
{{Wikibooks|American Sign Language}}
* [http://www.signingtime.com/ ''Signing Time'' – PBS Show Teach Signs to Children]

{{sign language navigation}}

[[Category:Sign language]]
[[Category:Childhood]]
[[Category:Infancy]]
[[Category:Language acquisition]]