Tiny Fingers

Baby Sign classes are now being offered at our Mansfield location. By Ann Callis, single mother of 2 teen-age sons. She has watched as sign language has enhanced thier development for years. They have been watching thier Mom "talk with her hands" ever since they were small.

Ann Callis, received her Bachelors of Science Degree in Elementary Education with a concentration in English from Kent State University in 1993 and her Associates’ Degree and Licensure to interpret for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing in 1995 from Ashland University.  She has since re-certified every 5 years, as per Ohio state law.  Ann believes starting children learning the beautiful language of sign at an early age helps promote a healthy bonding and understanding between parents and children, and gives children an understanding of communication that can be used daily when words are not readily available at the time.  Sign Language brings out children’s creativity, animation, and enthusiasm while learning and using a skill in communicating with friends, family and community!

Read on about the benefits of baby sign language has on I.Q., Speech and Language.  

* Intelligence throughout life has a very large language component.  So if you get a jump-start on language and that continues, it’s natural it would show a gain,” said Dr. Linda Acredolo, co-author of Baby Signs:  How to Talk With Your Baby Before Your Baby Can Talk To You with Dr. Susan Goodwyn.  “In addition, babies who sign are differentiating and learning things earlier.  And there’s a confidence element: perhaps by using signs, children become comfortable asking questions earlier”, she said.

* We tell parents as walking is more efficient than crawling,  talking is more efficient than signing.  When a child is ready to talk, he or she will,” said Michele Sanderson, Program Director of the signing program at A. Sophie Rogers’ Laboratory School at Ohio State University.

* Signing can have long-term positive effects on children’s intelligence.  One study found that 19 8-year-olds who learned signing as babies had an average IQ score of 114, while a sample of 24 children who never learned signs averaged 102.  (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution July 3, 2001)

* Take advantage of your child’s optimal “Windows of Opportunity”:

By the age of two, a child’s brain contains twice as many synapses and consumes twice as much energy as the brain of a normal adult.  The number of synapses in one layer of the visual cortex rises from around 2,500 per neurons at birth to as many as 18,000 about six months later.  And while these microscopic connections between nerve fibers continue to form throughout life, they reach their highest average densities (15,000 synapses per neuron) at around the age of two and remain at that level until the age of 10 or 11.  (TIME, February 3, 1997)

* Children who learn sign language may have more brain capacity later, learn to speak sooner, and do better on future IQ tests.  (The Daily Oklahoman, March 1999)

* 11-month-olds who learned sign language out scored non-signing peers in language abilities, standard IQ tests and vocabulary comprehension tests after second grade.  (The Daily Oklahoman, March 1999)

* An answer to the comment, “If he learns to sign, he’s not going to talk”:

Research has shown that babies who learn to communicate with sign language are quicker to speak than their non-signing peers.  Signing creates a more verbal environment, because babies initiate conversation about subjects that interest them, and their parents more consciously repeat words.  Earlier exposure to successful communication actually drives babies to want to speak sooner.   (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, July 3, 2001)

* Hearing babies speak their first word, on the average, when they’re 13 months old and speak two- or three- word sentences by the time they’re 20 months old.  In contrast, some babies can start signing words such as “more” and “milk” at 8 months and can build vocabularies of dozens of signs within months.  (The Blade - Toledo, Ohio, September 9, 2001)

If you sign with your baby, you will:

• reduce frustration with communication

• strengthen your parent-infant bond

• jumpstart language development with signs

• stimulate intellectual development

• enhance infant self-esteem

• realize that signing with your baby is as easy as waving bye bye!
  . . . and gain insight into your baby's world!

Baby sign language has radically affected the lives of many families.  Most children  begin to communicate through speech at 15-18 months of age.  With the use of sign language, families are now developing closer bonds with their children as they begin to communicate as early as 8-12 months of age!

Ann says the child who can not hear works so hard to talk, to the hearing world, teaching our children how to sign is one way we can help out those children who can not hear. If this interests you and you would like more information on our Tiny fingers class please fill out a registration form http://www.mommyandmefitnessfun.com/enrollment-form.html and we will have an instructor contact you with class details.  

Unlock the thoughts, observations and wants of your child’s mind with the gift of American Sign Language!