Sign Language For Babies example essay topic

Kim Berry Berry 1 English 1 C K. Simpson Sign For A Better Understanding You d better stop crying, or I ll give you something to cry about, which is a phrase used in some households across America. The phrase illustrates one of the most common problems concerning infants and parents; A lack of communication. The inability to understand infants comes primarily from the fact that they do not have fully developed facial muscles, which are necessary for speech. Child maltreatment, frustrated children, and frustrated parents, these are all consequences that can occur from a lack of communication.

A commonality of parents who murder their own children at the early stages of life have often used the excuse, the baby was crying and they could not get it to stop. Communication begins at the moment people are born, but most babies do not speak until the age of two. Generally, caregivers and babies spend the first two years of life in a guessing game concerning the needs of the infant. A simple way to avoid the problems surrounding a lack of communication is to teach infants sign language, which can be implemented at the age of eight months, and parents who have adopted this practice have witnessed numerous benefits from the program. By empowering infants with an effective form of communication like sign language, babies are able to understand words earlier, babies and parents enjoy a stronger bond, and babies whine and cry less. A study funded by the National Institutes of Child Health and Human development states, the benefits of a stronger parent / child bond alone make the signing process worthwhile.

(Garcia 1) Furthermore, Dr. Burton White states, I was amazed to find validated reports that children as young as nine months old could be taught to acquire as many as seventy-five signs by then. In contrast, the typical child that was simply learning ordinary [verbal] language, was lucky to understand five or six words Berry 2 and generally said nothing at all. (Garcia 3) What a remarkable difference! It is easy to understand how being able to understand and communicate effectively would benefit anyone, baby or not. Yet, some people remain skeptical about the program.

Some believe, that if children are taught sign language they will use their hands to speak instead of using their voice. On the television show 20/20, Perry Peltz states that, Studies on the baby signs method used by the Oklahoma group show that children who use baby signs speak earlier and have more to say when they do. (Ford 6) The study also pointed out that infants drop the use of signing, as their facial muscles develop, and they start using words in place of signing. In effect, these children are better at communicating then non-signing babies. When a parent teaches sign language to their baby, they have to invest a lot of time and effort into the task. This time spent is usually rewarded with the baby signing back in only a month.

The most used sign for infants are more, hot, pain, and milk. Imagine that a baby is hungry, or in pain, or simply wants more of something to eat; Sign language provides that infant with the necessary tools to convey those ideas. Thus, the parent and child can spend their time more effectively battling tasks like building blocks, reading a book, or cuddling when the mood is right. The more time the parent and infant have enjoying one another, rather than trying to interpret each cry, creates a happier union for both. Maltreatment of children is one the most disturbing crimes of our era. Most of the maltreatment cases in America go unreported for their lack of sensationalism, but nevertheless children across America are being abused each day.

Parents neglect, threat, beat, and mame their children, and how can it be avoided In an article on the web that discusses Dr. Garcia and his book Sign With Your Baby the author states, A parent who is communicating with their baby may be less likely to neglect or abuse them. It is possible that parents who get into the habit of communicating with their babies through sign may Berry 3 develop into parents who listen more to their speaking children and adolescents. Subsequently, these parents may be more responsive to their children's needs, which would hopefully result in healthier, more well-adjusted, adolescents, and adults. (Garcia 2) The fact that communication is key to anyone's success is evident. Furthermore, utilizing something as simple as sign language to ease the pain of abused children is a worthwhile endeavor. Another reason parents should utilize the program is brain development.

Signing and using words at the same time may be stimulating both hemispheres of the brain. Also, when a parent is teaching signing, they will speak to their babies more, which will help them understand the language earlier. Finally, some studies that were done in support of Dr. Garcia's book, Sign With Your Baby, have shown that the average IQ for signing babies was 114, while the non-signing baby was 102. The study also conveyed that signing babies shared a greater interest in books, and by the age of two they possessed a vocabulary of fifty more real words.

(Garcia 2) While raising a child parents should provide the best environment they can for their infants. By teaching their children sign language they are increasing their children's abilities to communicate more effectively, which will aid them as they embark into adulthood. Parents and their children are confronted with numerous challenges on a day to day basis, and by teaching signing to babies we are lessening the multitude of challenges that the lack of communication can create. Parents who teach sign are utilizing a tool, which has primarily been for the benefit of deaf children, which is forming a bridge between silence and understanding.

Anyone who has engaged in any kind of relationship can begin to understand how harmonious that relationship was based on the level of understanding by both participants. Sign language for babies is a beneficial tool that should be introduced internationally, and might have an overwhelming effect on future generations. Berry 4 Work's Cited Ford, Jack, and Peltz, Perri. Baby Signing ABC News: 20/20 11 Oct. 1998. Garcia, Dr. Joseph. Sign With Your Baby 1 Jan. 2000.

Garcia, Dr. Joseph. Garcia, Dr. Joseph.