baby signing and signing babies

[Morgan, Gary]

Hi all, seeing as I was invited to join this group I think you might like to know I do research into deaf children's acquisition of British Sign Language and not 'babysigning'.  The development of phonology, grammar and discourse in BSL is interesting but it doesn't lead to any long lasting language or cognitive advantages over spoken language development. This is 'babysigning' 24/7 throughout childhood. Do you have to be a hearing infant to get those advantages?

 

Another issue babysigning researchers should be aware of is the intense discomfort felt by the Deaf community about these products. Why would that be?

 

1 in 1000 babies are born deaf but only 10% or less acquire sign language as a native language.  The paradox I see in the UK is that the vast majority of deaf children are not allowed to go anywhere near signing because it will 'slow down their language development'. Yet their hearing peers are encouraged to use gestures and borrowed BSL signs because it speeds development. Hard one to reconcile

 

Gary Morgan

 

 

 

 

[Claire Vallotton]

Gary,

The distinction that you make between the language outcomes of British Sign Language for deaf children and Baby Signing for hearing children is one I've been wondering about for a while. But it seems to me that the two groups are too different to compare in terms of their language development. For hearing children, signing is an additional and early entrance into the world of symbols and using symbols for communication; baby signing is always done in addition to vocal language. On the other hand, deaf children are not even receiving the basic symbol/language input their brains are expecting.

I don't know enough about the language development of deaf children to pose any viable theories as to why there are language development benefits of Baby Signing but not to Sign Language. But, I wonder whether it has to do with the form that the signs take. Do parents of deaf babies use simplified signs? I've seen some research on a sort of "motherese" of sign language, but I don't know how common that is. Certainly Baby Signs are very simplified, and typically repeated several times.

Also, as I mentioned in an earlier email, I'm interested in your perspective on deaf children being discouraged from signing. I understand the stated reason - that it discourages their use of vocal language, but is there actual evidence to support it? And what is your own opinion about why it is discouraged and whether that is actually best for deaf children's language and social development?

My own focus on infant signing is on the benefits to children's relationships with parents and caregivers, and on their social development. With that perspective, I think it is a shame not to provide deaf as well as hearing children with a gestural means of communication in order to reduce the stress and frustration of not being able to communicate what they need/want/think/feel with their caregivers.

~C