How the Baby
Signs® Program Can Help
By
Catherine
Brown, M.A., CCC-SLP
Speech-language pathologists refer to children as “late-talkers”
when they are slower to develop verbal/expressive skills than their peers even
though they have very good receptive (language comprehension) skills. This
pattern distinguishes them from “language-impaired” children who have significant
deficits in both language comprehension and production.
In contrast to language-impaired children, most late-talkers do
eventually catch-up to their peers in language skills, often without
intervention. However, the frustration
that late-talkers feel before they catch up can lead to negative interactions
with others that leave lasting impressions.
For that reason, helping late-talkers overcome their problem as quickly
as possible is in everybody’s best interest.
To find out if the Baby Signs® Program would help such children, I completed
a Masters Thesis using a research design parallel to that used by Drs. Acredolo
and Goodwyn in their NIH study. The
fifteen children in my study all fit the formal criteria for
“late-talkers”—being significantly behind same-age peers in expressive
vocabulary but not for receptive language. Of these fifteen families, five
received training in the Baby Signs® Program, five received traditional training
emphasizing verbal interaction only, and five received no intervention at
all.
Over the course of the 8-month study, all three groups of
late-talkers were compared with two other groups of children: (a) children of
the same age who were developing normally (Age-Matched), and (b) younger
children who were at the same level of expressive vocabulary (Language-Matched)
as the late-talkers.
When comparing the expressive vocabularies of the groups four
months after the study began, the results provided support for the utility of
the Baby Signs® Program
as an intervention with late-talkers. Specifically, the signing group was the
only group whose average expressive vocabulary score was no longer
significantly behind their age-matched peers.
In contrast, the group experiencing the traditional verbal intervention
and the group experiencing no intervention at all both remained significantly
behind their same-aged peers with scores much closer to the younger,
Language-Matched children at both the 4-month and 8-month follow-up.
In addition to helping boost their expressive language skills,
the availability of signs also helped the families in the signing group deal
with frustration and worry about their slow-to-talk children.
Once these parents were able to see how much about language
their children did know, they were reassured, and once the children were able
to use signs to get their needs met without tantrums and tears, family life was
better for everyone.
In the years since completing my thesis project, I have used the
Baby Signs® Program
with many children in my clinical practice who show early language delays. I
continue to find it an invaluable tool for families. However, I want to
emphasize that any parents who have concerns about their child’s language
development, or any other aspect of development, should consult a
speech-language pathologist, developmental specialist, or their pediatrician
for professional advice. Every state has programs available to provide services
for families who would like help or information.
An especially useful resource for parents specifically concerned
about their child’s language development is the American
Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). They have a wonderful brochure
called “How Does Your Child Hear and Talk?” that includes a developmental chart
with yes/no boxes at each age. It helps parents decide when the time has come
to seek professional help. Not only does the chart indicate when parents should
seek such help, it also provides information to help them find an appropriate
professional.
To obtain a single copy of this brochure, visit www.asha.org or
contact the ASHA Action Center
