An estimated 500,000 people use American Sign Language (ASL) on any given day. Sign language is a form of human communication necessary for some and may provide significant developmental advantages to young children, deaf and hearing alike.
Benefits of Sign Language for All Children
National Institutes of Health:
“Existing research suggests that there may be benefits to teaching signing to hearing infants who have not yet developed vocal communication.” If possible, speak or sing while signing.
“Infants who learn baby sign language are thought to gain psychological benefits, such as improved confidence and self-esteem. Parents say that signing is rewarding and aids bonding because of the need to make more eye-to-eye and tactile contact.”
“Typically, most babies can begin signing in the range of 8-12 months of age. Rebelo suggests that interested parents begin using sign language when their baby is 6-8 months old but says not to worry if your child is older since there isn’t a magical window that closes.”
“Parents should expose a deaf or hard-of-hearing child to (sign) language as soon as possible. The earlier a child is exposed to and begins to acquire language, the better that child’s language, cognitive, and social development will become. Research suggests that the first few years of life are the most crucial to a child’s development of language skills, and even the early months.”
Gooru Mirror makes using sign language possible for children out on a walk or run in a stroller.
