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Sign Language For Babies & Toddlers |
Sign language signs are revolutionising the way in which parents view and interact with their hearing babies and toddlers.
Since children’s gross motor skills develop before the fine motor skills necessary for speech, it has been found that children can accurately express their wants, needs and observations - but with their hands! South African parents no longer need to wait the average 2 years for their children to speak fluently to gain insight into the minds of their little ones.
Now, many are enjoying the benefits of introducing South African Sign Language (SASL) vocabulary to their children. “It’s a fantastic way to reduce a parent and child’s frustration which usually peaks around 17-20 months and is not about replacing spoken language but rather enhancing it!”, says Meredith Bonte who pioneered the use of SASL signs with hearing children in South Africa.
Despite initial concerns that signing may delay the acquisition of speech, the 20+ years of research prove that the opposite is actually true. Dr. Joseph Garcia and Drs. Acredolo & Goodwyn have found that signing children speak on average 3-4 months earlier, since the hand movements involved in signing stimulate the language centre of the brain. In addition to this, signing children showed a 30% increased verbal vocabulary and these same children scored 10-12 points higher on intelligence tests, 8 years later. “Signing allowed Nicholas to initiate conversation and brought our whole family closer together”, says Philippa Newell who taught her son signs from 14 months.
Teaching your child some SASL vocabulary does not require any prior knowledge and is easily incorporated into your child’s daily routine.
Childcare centres too are beginning to add signing to their curriculum. “It has greatly reduced levels of frustration for both teachers and children and there are fewer incidences of biting and temper tantrums”, says Yogie Semple, who uses signing at her playgroup. “The visual and kinaesthetic skills involved in signing are also tremendously beneficial for children who are already speaking and not only form a foundation for other languages, but is great for self-esteem!”
Signing has also proved useful for children with language delays such as those with low muscle tone, Down syndrome, Autism and assists children with Attention Deficit Disorder.
To attend a Parent Workshop or order the SIGNsational KIDS Dvd with Book contact:
Meredith Bonte (011) 974-9536 or email -
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Website - www.signingkids.co.za
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