Does teaching Baby Sign to hearing infants facilitate the development of spoken language?

Abstract

Between September and December 2023, Babylonia collected questions from parents about their children's language development. This article aims to address the following question:

Does teaching Baby Sign to hearing infants facilitate the development of spoken language?

[Summary generated by Claude-3-Haiku-200k - we refer the reader to the French article in PDF format for a complete answer]

This article explores the impact of the "Baby Sign" method on the spoken language development of hearing infants.

From birth, babies communicate in a multimodal way, using both verbal and gestural behaviors. These early gestures, which become intentional around six months, help babies express their needs and foster language-based interactions.

The "Baby Sign" method builds on this natural gestural communication. It involves hearing parents using signs borrowed from French Sign Language (LSF) alongside spoken language. This approach enhances a baby’s understanding, supports vocabulary growth, and broadens their knowledge of the world.

While studies have not demonstrated a significant impact of Baby Sign on the development of spoken language, this practice appears to promote "communicative comfort" between parents and their child. Signs, in particular, allow infants to express their needs and emotions before they are able to speak.

Baby Sign is therefore seen as a transitional communication tool that facilitates interactions but does not replace spoken language. Signs should be used frequently during suitable activities such as mealtimes, nursery rhymes, or play.

In conclusion, Baby Sign does not seem to have a direct effect on the development of spoken language. However, it contributes to improving communication and understanding between adults and young children, serving as a bridge until greater mastery of spoken language is achieved.