A new kind of baby talk
Studies have shown that sign language helps babies’ brains to develop sooner, school officials say.
YOUNGSTOWN — Babies understand more than we think they do.
Karen Vernon wholeheartedly believes that — so much so that she took it upon herself to teach her son sign language when he was a year old.
The Columbiana woman wishes Spencer, now 5, could have taken a class like the one now being offered at his school.
He attends the Montessori School of the Mahoning Valley, on Lynn Avenue, where Baby Talk I and II classes help parents communicate with their babies through sign language.
On a recent Wednesday morning, children as young as 5 months, along with family members, attended the first class. It’s taught by Karen Wenzel, a teacher of the deaf and sign language interpreter, and Barbara Ricks, the school’s speech pathologist.
Ricks said studies have shown that babies who sign end up with higher IQs, develop language and vocabulary skills earlier, and are able to avoid some of the frustration of the “terrible twos” because they are given a way to communicate.
When parents use sign language, combined with verbal communication, the learning tends to happen quicker, she said.
“Kids are visual by nature,” Ricks said. “They’re always watching.”
Because signs can be difficult to interpret by reading a book, Wenzel said, taking a class is always a better option.
Vernon agrees, saying she would have had Spencer take a class, if one had been available at the time.
Despite that, she went on to explain that her son was very receptive to learning signs for everyday words and phrases like more, all done, eat, drink, please and thank you.
“He immediately picked up on the signs, and it really shocked me,” she said. “It showed me that he understood more than what he could communicate.”
Wenzel said the best age to start youngsters is 6 or 7 months. Baby Talk I teaches infants and parents about 10 new signs each week. The second class shows them how to construct short sentences or string together two or three words at a time.
Words came easy for 1-year-old Deven Thomas, who began talking at 3 months.
His mom, Sheryl Fason of Akron, hopes he picks up on sign language just as quick. The two drive from Akron once a week for Baby Talk I, and she attributes her son’s early language development to one thing.
“We started to talk to him from the day he was born,” she said. “And not just baby talk.”
And after three sessions in the class, Deven has been using the signs. But his mom admits he doesn’t always use them in the right context just yet.
“He’s so smart,” Fason said, explaining that she signed Deven up for Baby Talk to keep his wheels turning.
Lori Gallagher of Liberty said the class has helped her son, Korey Sunday, 14 months, deal with his frustration when he’s been unable to verbalize what’s wrong.
“The very first week he went to class he used three signs for want, drink and help,” she said.
Kelly Loftus of Lowellville said that her son’s vocabulary has increased since he began taking the class and that it “absolutely” has had an impact on his development.
The class has had two benefits for her son Bobby, 13 months. First, she said, he is able to communicate better with the signs, which in turn has increased his vocabulary.
“He’s said at least 10 new words,” she said. “He’s really starting to put it all together.”
The key, she explained, is that family members, including his grandmother, Susan Welton of Poland, incorporate sign language into everyday life and work with him at home.
Amy-Anne Kibler, the school’s executive director, said the class is a great supplement to verbal language and creates a stronger bond between parents and children who practice signing together.
Children and parents sat casually in a circle on the floor, signing to songs and practicing lessons on words having to do with family and feelings. Parents brought in pictures of family members to help the kids with their lesson.
The group learned to sign mom by putting a thumb on the chin with the other fingers extended out, and dad by putting a thumb on the forehead with other fingers extended out.
Ricks and Wenzel taught the group to say “I love you” by putting up their hands with the middle and ring fingers down.
“When they really start to use their hands, you know they’re starting to understand,” Wenzel said.
The Montessori School is based on the teachings of Dr. Maria Montessori, one of Italy’s first female physicians who discovered that children learn best in a sensory-rich environment rather than being fed information.
The local school has primary, elementary and adolescent programs.
Kibler said the state-chartered school, founded 31 years ago, provides an environment for children to learn independently, a place where “they learn how to learn.” Learning to process information through the senses is one of the Montessori principles, she said, explaining that traditional textbooks aren’t used until the seventh grade.
For more information on the program or schedule, call Kibler at (330) 788-4622.
To learn more about infant sign language, visit www.lifeprint.com.