To teach sign language to your hearing baby...the benefits!
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- Infants: 0-12 months
- Toddlers & Pre-school Children: 13 months-5 years
- Parents
- Siblings
- Childcare Providers & Teachers
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1. Infants: 0-12 months
Accelerates brain development
Increases opportunity to initiate conversations on issues that interest them
Allows expression of wants, needs, and emotions
Accelerates development of spatial relations and visual motor skill development
Speaks earlier
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2. Toddlers & Pre-school Children: 13 months-5 years
Promotes active learning
Demonstrates better recognition of letters and phonics
Better at spelling and vocabulary skills than non-signers
Has an easier time learning to read than non-signers
Learns to read and write before school age
May develop the "image ability" of words
Improves socialization due to advanced abilities to express themselves
Improved memory skills compared to non-signers
Increases language acquisition
Able to demonstrate clearer speech articulation than non-signers
Signers have an advantage in both receptive and expressive speech and language development
Speaks earlier
Develops a larger vocabulary by age 2 years and at age 3 years
Demonstrates a greater interest in books
Has better imaginations
Learns to read and write before school age
Enhanced self-esteem
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3. Parents 
Able to meet your infant's needs in a timely manner
Increases bonding with your baby
Proves your baby understands the concepts and sounds matched to the gesture
Decrease of frustration by decreasing "guessing" your baby's need when they cry and fuss
Provides your baby with a "jump start" on verbal development
Experience easier communications with more positive interactions than parents of non-signers
Reduces the frequency of temper tantrums
Gain insight into your baby's world
Encourages childcare providers to be more attentive to the children in their care
Can manage your child's behavior in public without raising your voice
Gain insight into your child's imagination
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4. Siblings
Enhances sibling relationships
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5. Childcare Providers & Teachers
Decreases the "guessing" of getting to know the baby's needs wants
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*SPECIAL NOTE
Benefits are not exclusive to a particular group or age. Cognitive and language development begin at an early age. The learning foundation is built upon as the child continues to learn sign as they become older. Sign language can assist in the acceleration of this development process because cognition develops earlier than vocal-motor development. For more information, please refer to the bibliography of supporting research on the Home page.
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