Does baby signing work?

Originally published on 3/28/22

Can you really start communicating with a baby before he can talk?

Yes! The motor skills needed for speech develop, typically, between 12 and 18 months, while the motor skills needed for signing develop between 6 and 12 months. A little one can communicate very clearly what they want or are interested in through sign months before they are able to speak.

As well, babies who are signed to from day one have an incredible ability to understand what’s signed to them, even before they are using the signs themselves. This may be because an infant’s ability to understand what they “see” develops before the ability to what they can “hear’. Babies who are born to Deaf parents can understand, at 9 months, up to 70 signs. Babies who are not signed to, e.g., you and I, understand maybe 5-6 verbal words at nine months.

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