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Articles by Etel
When Will My Child Start Signing Back?
by Etel Leit (September 2006)
As parents, we often ask questions which start with “when.” When will my baby arrive in relation to my due date? When will I see my baby’s first smile? When will my baby start crawling, walking, and talking? And there are so many other questions we have about the timing of various developmental steps.
As I write this article, I am officially past the due date given for my second pregnancy. It is yet another gentle reminder that we are all individuals and there are not scientific answers to all our “when” questions. Sure, there is a range of time when we can expect things to happen, but not one specific date that applies to everyone. This is the “art” of nature. The “science” side is important, but it’s the “art” side that allows us and our little ones to develop and progress as individuals.
Many parents in my classes ask me when their children will sign back. For some, their children will sign back within in a few weeks. Take Madani, for example, he was 5 months old when he signed ‘milk’ after attending only two classes! His mother, Magda, wrote me an update this week: “Madani is 13 months old!!! He is signing milk, more, all done, eat, crackers, dog, boat, bath, hat, baby, fish, ball & mom and says all the signs (in words). He is extremely interactive & communicates a lot.”
Just as all children meet their developmental milestones at different times, your child will sign when he or she is ready. Some children may respond within the first month of being introduced to signing. Other children may not produce their first signs until after several months of repetition.
As we all know, each child is unique and will sign according to his or her own time frame. The keys to signing success are consistency, patience, enthusiasm, and signing within context! If you consistently speak and sign as you refer to people, places, and things that are important to your baby, he or she will soon begin signing with you.
Kathy, a devoted mom in one of my classes, was faithfully signing with her daughter, Isabela, for a few months. Even though it took a while before Isabela was able to sign back, Kathy didn’t give up: “We have been taking Etel’s baby sign classes since my daughter was about 8 months old. I am very consistent with my signing with her, but for a few months she did not sign, although I could tell that she understood me based on her responses when I signed. I was worried that she would never sign, but once I relaxed and let her go through the stages at her own pace, she started to pick up and learn.
She now knows many signs and I see her face light up with joy when she signs and sees that I understand her. We are closer then ever and I feel like our bond has deepened even more now that we have this special way of communicating with out words.”
Keep in mind that children will be motivated to produce signs for what is most important to them. Consider starting with signs that are of great interest to your baby. If your baby has a favorite book or stuffed animal, use the signs consistently when talking about them. He or she will begin to make the connection between the item, the spoken word and the sign.
With a little patience and persistence, your child will communicate with you much sooner than possible with spoken language. Stick with it and respect your child’s timeline – by doing so, you will be rewarded with the ability to understand your child in important ways and you will develop a unique bond.
Happy Signing!
