By Lauren Lowry, Hanen Certified SLP and Clinical Staff Writer

The following article is taken with permission from The Hanen Centre from www.hanen.org. The Hanen Centre is a Canadian not-for-profit charitable organization with a global reach. Its mission is to provide parents, caregivers, early childhood educators and speech-language pathologists with the knowledge and training they need to help young children develop the best possible language, social and literacy skills. This includes children who have or are at risk for language delays, those with developmental challenges such as autism, and those who are developing typically.

If you Google “baby sign”, you’ll probably find claims that teaching some sign language to a typically-developing baby helps the baby to speak sooner, develop a larger spoken vocabulary, have stronger cognitive skills, and feel closer to his or her parents. Most baby sign websites talk about research that backs up their claims. But a review of this research by experts in Ontario, Canada revealed that there were many problems with the scientific methods used in these studies [1]. Therefore, many of the baby sign claims were not supported.

The controversy around baby signs can be puzzling for parents, who might wonder:

• “Will baby signs promote my child’s language development?”
• “Will baby signs help me to bond with my baby?”
• “What is the best way to encourage my baby’s language development?”

A recent study about baby sign

A controlled study in 2013 by researchers in Hertfordshire, England used better scientific methods in order to determine the effects of baby sign on language development and on the mother-child bond [2]. Dr. Elizabeth Kirk and her team wanted to study this topic in order to provide sound evidence regarding the usefulness of baby sign products and classes. They studied forty babies (and their mothers) from age eight months to twenty months. The babies were randomly divided into groups, and the mothers in each group were instructed to either:

• model signs (while also saying the corresponding word)
• model target words (but no signs)
• interact as they normally would (no focus on signs or target words)

The babies in the first two groups were exposed to the same twenty target signs or words, such as “food”, “more”, “drink”, “hat”, “duck”, “flower”, “where”, “more”, “all-gone”, “hot” and several others. Mothers in the signing group and the target word group were instructed to use the signs/words as often as possible during everyday interactions with their babies.

The babies were assessed when they were eight, ten, twelve, sixteen, and twenty months of age. Kirk and her team found that:

• the babies in the signing group learned some of the signs (ranging between two to seventeen signs)
• the babies in the signing group didn’t learn to say any more target words than children in the other two groups
• the overall language of the signing babies wasn’t any better than the children in the other two groups

Therefore, previous claims that encouraging gesturing with infants speeds up their language development was not supported [2]. However, the authors also found that:

• signing seemed to benefit three boys who had low language scores at the beginning of the study, and who made some language gains during the study. While this was only noted with these three children, this could mean that signing is beneficial for children with weaker language abilities.
• there were subtle changes in the mother-child interactions in the signing group. Signing mothers were more responsive to their babies’ nonverbal cues (such as noticing changes in the direction of their infants’ gaze, and their infants’ actions with objects). They also encouraged more independent action by their babies (such as encouraging the baby to go and get a ball while gesturing and saying “you get the ball”). The authors explained that using signs may have changed the mothers’ perception of their infants, and encouraged them to notice their babies’ nonverbal attempts at communication [2].

The final verdict on baby sign

The study above can answer some of our questions about the usefulness of teaching signs to typically-developing babies:

“Will baby signs promote my child’s language development?”

• No. “There is little evidence that it can ‘improve’ typically developing infants” [2, p. 586]. This study provided some evidence that it may help children with weak language abilities, but this was only found in three children (too small a number to draw any widespread conclusions).

“Will baby signs help me to bond with my baby?”

• Perhaps. The mothers in the signing groups did notice more of their babies’ nonverbal cues and they seemed somewhat more “tuned in” to their child. This can promote bonding because it improves parent-child interaction and communication. The more parents tune in to their baby’s messages, the more they can respond to their baby. This builds the baby’s confidence and motivation to communicate and interact.

“What is the best way to encourage my baby’s language development?”

While taking a baby sign class or purchasing baby sign products may not be necessary, there are some simple things you can do at home to promote your baby’s language development:

• Notice your baby’s nonverbal messages –try to observe your baby’s actions and what she is attending to. Listen to your baby’s sounds. Pause often when interacting with her, and give her a chance to send messages by making eye contact with her and waiting without speaking. You might realize that your baby is sending more messages than you thought!
• Be your baby’s interpreter – when your baby notices something, reaches for something, points, or sends another message, say the word(s) that match her message. When your words correspond to your baby’s message, it will help her understand those words and eventually use them.
• Use natural gestures with your baby – you don’t need to model formal sign language with your baby, but gesturing while you speak is a natural part of communication. Gestures (as well as facial expression and tone of voice) add information to our spoken messages, and children need to learn to understand and use these forms of nonverbal messages. So, use everyday gestures with your baby, such as pointing, shaking and nodding your head for “yes” and “no”, gesturing to come with your hand, finger to lips for “quiet”, etc.
• Avoid gestures/signs that represent broad concepts – like “more” or “want”. These gestures/signs are easily “overgeneralized” by children. This means they use the gesture/sign to represent too many things instead of learning a variety of individual concepts. For example, children who learn the sign for “more” sometimes use this sign to ask for everything they want (food, activities, toys, etc) instead of learning a number of specific words or gestures.
• Consult a speech language pathologist if you are concerned about your baby’s communication development – our article “ When should you seek help?” provides guidelines to help parents identify key developmental milestones expected at different ages.
  If your child has an identified language delay – signs are sometimes recommended by speech language pathologist to provide nonverbal children who have language delays with an alternate means of communicating. These signs are carefully selected by the speech language pathologist and do not follow a baby sign program. Consult your speech language pathologist if you are wondering if signs would be helpful for your child.

References

1. Johnston, J. C., Durieux-Smith, A., & Bloom, K. (2005). Teaching gestural signs to infants to advance child development: A review of the evidence. First Language, 25(2), 235-251.
2. Kirk, E., Howlett, N., Pine, K. J., & Fletcher, B. C. (2012). To sign or not to sign? The impact of encouraging infants to gesture on infant language and maternal mind-mindedness. Child Development, 84(2), 574-590.

By Lauren Lowry, Hanen Certified SLP and Clinical Staff Writer

The following article is taken with permission from The Hanen Centre from www.hanen.org. The Hanen Centre is a Canadian not-for-profit charitable organization with a global reach. Its mission is to provide parents, caregivers, early childhood educators and speech-language pathologists with the knowledge and training they need to help young children develop the best possible language, social and literacy skills. This includes children who have or are at risk for language delays, those with developmental challenges such as autism, and those who are developing typically.

Did you know that:

• a child’s vocabulary growth is directly linked to his or her overall school achievement [1]
• the size of a child’s vocabulary in kindergarten predicts his ability to learn to read [2]
• the more words a child knows, the more information the child has access to
• having a large vocabulary helps children think and learn about the world

It is important to encourage children’s vocabulary development so that they develop the language and literacy skills necessary to succeed in school. The adults in a child’s life play a significant role in helping a child learn new words. Through everyday conversations and interactions, caregivers use unfamiliar words and talk about what words mean, which helps expand a child’s vocabulary. In fact, the number of words a child is exposed to by his parents relates directly to the size of the child’s vocabulary [3].

A recent study about vocabulary

However, it’s not just about how much you say, but also about what words you use that makes a difference to a child’s vocabulary. In a 2012 study, Meredith Rowe looked at the factors that contribute most to a child’s later vocabulary development. She studied the vocabulary of 50 young children when they were 18, 30, 42, and 54 months of age, as well as the amount (quantity) and type (quality) of words the parents used with their children. She found certain factors that contributed to a child’s vocabulary one year later, such as the parents’ education and the child’s previous vocabulary. But some of her most interesting findings were that:

• children’s vocabulary at 30 months was influenced by the quantity (number) of words a parent used one year earlier – This means that children aged 12-24 months benefit from hearing lots of talk and many examples of words.
• children’s vocabulary at 42 months was influenced by parents’ use of a variety of sophisticated words one year earlier – Children aged 24-36 months have learned a lot of common vocabulary, and are ready to learn more difficult words, such as “purchase” instead of “buy”, or “weary” instead of “tired”.
• children’s vocabulary at 54 months was influenced by parents’ use of narratives (talking about things that happened in the past or in the future) and explanations one year earlier – Children aged 36-48 months benefit from conversations about things that happened in the past (e.g. an outing they went on, something funny that happened at preschool, etc.) or something that is planned for the near future (e.g. a trip to see Grandma) is helpful. And providing explanations about things (e.g. answering children’s “why” questions) is also helpful at this age.

Rowe concluded that “quantity…is not the whole story” and that these other influences also have an impact on children’s vocabulary [2, p. 1771]. This is important information, as much literature that advises parents about children’s speech and language development encourages parents to talk to young children as much as possible (quantity). But Rowe’s study highlights the importance of quality, especially for children aged 24-48 months. Parents should try to keep one step ahead of their child – modelling words and concepts that are slightly beyond their child’s level to help his vocabulary grow.

How to help your child learn new words

From Rowe’s study, we know that:

• young children (12-24 month olds) benefit from exposure to lots of words (quantity)
• toddlers (24-36 months) benefit from hearing a variety of sophisticated words
• preschool children (36-48 months) benefit from conversations about past and future events as well as explanations

This tells us what to say, but what about how to say it?

Here are some tips to keep in mind when modeling new vocabulary for your child:

• Follow your child’s lead – This means emphasizing words that come up during everyday conversations and interactions with your child. If you talk about what interests your child, it is more likely your child will pay attention and learn a new word. If your child is interested in playing with cars, you can model words like “push”, “beep beep”, or “fast” with a young child or more complicated words like “mechanic”, “speed”, or “traffic” with a toddler. You can provide explanations for preschoolers like “he needs to get a new tire because his tire is flat”, talk about events in the past such as “remember when we had to take our car in to be repaired?”, or events that will happen in the future such as “Our car is dirty. Maybe we should go to the car wash.”
• Children need to hear a word several times before they start to use it – This means that you might use a word with your child many times before your child actually says the word himself. Children’s understanding of words precedes their use of words. So, they will understand far more words than they can actually say. If you repeat words for your child on different occasions, it will give him more opportunities to hear and learn new words.
• Don’t bombard your child with words – Just because quantity is important at some stages of development, this doesn’t mean that you should shower your child with constant talk. You should aim for a balanced conversation between you and your child – you say something, then your child says or does something, and so on. It is important to wait after you say something so you give your child a chance to respond in his own way.
• Help your child understand what a new word means – By giving details about new words or explaining what words means, you build your child’s understanding of new words. For example, if you are playing with cars and introduce the word “passenger”, you might say something like “a passenger is someone who rides in a car or a bus or a train. A passenger goes for the ride but doesn’t drive the car or the bus.” Relating new words to your child’s personal experiences also helps him connect with new words. For example, if you are talking about the word “nervous,” you might say something like “Remember when you started preschool – you felt nervous. But eventually when you were more comfortable there, you didn’t feel nervous anymore.”
• Actions can speak louder than words – If you accompany your words with actions, gestures, or facial expressions, it will help your child understand the meaning of the words. For example, when modeling the word “weary”, you could do a sleeping action (hands under your head) or yawn so that your child understands what the word means. Your voice can also add meaning to a word. For example, if you say the word “frightened” or “terrified” with a shaky voice that sounds like you are scared, it will help your child understand what you mean.

The bottom line… it’s not just how much you say, but also what you say and how you say it that makes a difference for your child’s vocabulary growth. Keeping one step ahead of your child will promote his vocabulary skills, and also set him on the path for success in school. For more information about building your child’s vocabulary skills, click here.

References

1. Weitzman, E. & Greenberg, J. (2010). ABC and Beyond: Building Emergent Literacy in Early Childhood Settings. The Hanen Centre: Toronto.
2. Rowe, M. (2012). A Longitudinal Investigation of the Role of Quantity and Quality of Child-Directed Speech in Vocabulary Development. Child Development: 83(5), 1762-1774.
3. Hart, B. & Risley, T.R. (1995). Meaningful differences in the everyday experiences of young American children. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.

By Lauren Lowry, Hanen SLP and clinical writer

The following article is taken with permission from The Hanen Centre from www.hanen.org. The Hanen Centre is a Canadian not-for-profit charitable organization with a global reach. Its mission is to provide parents, caregivers, early childhood educators and speech-language pathologists with the knowledge and training they need to help young children develop the best possible language, social and literacy skills. This includes children who have or are at risk for language delays, those with developmental challenges such as autism, and those who are developing typically.

Playing with bubbles is a great activity for young children with Autism Spectrum Disorder because:

• children can participate verbally or nonverbally during bubble play (therefore, this activity can be adapted for young children at any stage of development)
• bubbles are inexpensive and portable
• bubbles are a People Toy, a type of toy suggested in the More Than Words® guidebook [1]. People toys are hard-to-operate toys that require an adult’s help, like spinning tops, balloons, or wind-up toys. As most young children can’t blow the bubbles themselves, they need an adult to do this for them. This means that bubbles encourage interaction, and they offer a great opportunity for children to learn to send messages about the bubbles.
• bubbles are fun!

What Can Your Child Learn From Playing Bubbles?

Depending on your child’s stage of development, your child might learn to:

• look at you and smile
• ask for more bubbles – by reaching for the bubble wand or jar, pointing, using a sign or picture, making a sound, or saying a word or sentence
• ask you to play bubbles with him – by bringing you the bubble jar, reaching for or pointing to the jar, using a sign or picture for bubbles, or saying a sound, word, or sentence
• ask you to open the bubble jar – by bringing you the jar, touching or pointing to the lid, or using a sign, picture, sound, word or sentence
• copy what you say about the bubbles
• make a comment about the bubbles

Give Your Child a Reason to Communicate when you Blow Bubbles

“Give your Child a Reason to Communicate” is a strategy from the More Than Words guidebook. It involves creating a situation that tempt your child to interact with you and send you messages. You can Give your Child a Reason to Communicate by doing the following:

• First, get your child’s attention before you start to play:
  • get close to your child – you should be face-to-face
  • say his name
  • show him the bubble jar and introduce the activity (“Let’s blow bubbles!”)
• Give your child a reason to ask you for more bubbles
  Start blowing bubbles. Once you have caught your child’s interest, hold the bubble wand near your mouth but don’t blow any bubbles. Wait for him to ask you in his own way for more bubbles. Depending on your child’s stage of development, he might ask for you for more bubbles by:
  • looking at you and smiling
  • reaching for the container or wand
  • pushing the wand towards your mouth or giving you the wand
  • pointing to the container or wand
  • using a sign, sound, word, or sentence

  Once your child sends a message, blow some more bubbles. Then pause again before blowing more bubbles. Each time you pause, wait for your child to send you a message.

• Give your child a reason to make comments about the bubbles
  If your child is starting to talk in short sentences, you can help him learn to make comments while playing with bubbles. You do this by occasionally commenting about the bubbles yourself while you play, saying something like:
  • That one popped on my nose!
  • I’m all wet!
  • That’s a big bubble!
  • It went way up high
  • That bubble is tiny
  • It popped on your head!
  • You caught it!

  After you have made a few comments during the bubble play, you can give your child a reason to make a comment by blowing some bubbles, pointing to one of the bubbles, looking expectantly at your child and waiting. Be sure to point at something interesting, like a bubble that’s landed in a funny spot, or a very large bubble, etc. If your child doesn’t make a comment, you can give him a hint by starting him off (“Look! That bubble…”). Then pause and wait to see if your child finishes off the comment.

What To Do If….

• your child grabs the bubble wand – wait! After a few attempts, your child will soon realize that he needs your help to blow the bubbles and will likely give the wand back to you. If your child doesn’t give you the wand, you can hold your hand out to give him a hint that he can ask for more by giving you the wand.
• your child doesn’t send you a message when you wait – some children require a lot of time in order to send messages. So make sure you are waiting long enough. If that doesn’t work, try giving your child a “Cue” (another strategy from the More Than Words guidebook). Cues provide your child with a little extra help with sending his message. Depending on your child’s stage of development, you might:
  • lean in close and look expectantly at your child
  • say the first sound of the word you think your child might try to say (e.g. “bl….” for “blow”)
  • take your child’s hand and help him touch the bubble wand in order to ask for more
  • say a short sentence your child could copy (e.g. “blow some bubbles mom!”)
• your child doesn’t like bubbles – that’s okay, bubbles can’t be everyone’s favourite! Try a different People Toy, such as a balloon or a wind-up toy. Maybe one of these will interest your child. Click here for more ideas from the More Than Words guidebook.
• you don’t want to make a mess – some parents are reluctant to blow bubbles inside the house as it can be messy. If this is the case, you can try blowing bubbles outside or in the bathtub. Also, some toy stores sell “no-spill” bubbles jars.
• you don’t have any bubbles – then make your own! Mix 1 part dish soap with 3 parts water (e.g. ½ cup dish soap and 1 ½ cups water). Add a couple of teaspoons of sugar and stir.
• you don’t have a bubble wand – then make your own! Try bending a pipe cleaner into a bubble wand. Or use items from your kitchen that have holes in them, such as a small strainer, cookie cutters, an empty plastic berry container from the grocery store, or the plastic rings that hold a 6-pack of pop together.

You can find more examples of how to use People Toys with your child and how to Give your Child a Reason to Communicate in other situations in the More Than Words guidebook and on the More Than Words DVD: Promoting the Communication Development of Children with ASD & Other Social Communication Challenges. Learn more about these resources.

References

1. Sussman, F. (2012). More Than Words: A Parent’s Guide to Building Interaction and Language Skills for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder or Social Communication Difficulties. The Hanen Centre: Toronto.