Sign Language with Infants and Toddlers

12/11/2013

Sign Language with Infants and Toddlers

I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it.
Nelson Mandela

In her Exchange article, "Using Sign Language As a Tool to Communicate," which forms the basis for the Exchange Out of the Box Tool Kit by the
same name, Karen Miller offers this argument for using sign language with infants and toddlers:

"Infants and toddlers are active thinkers and doers. Often their cognitive skills surpass their verbal skills. This process can lead to frustration. The goal for using signs is to help with communication. When children realize someone is understanding them and responding to them, they become more active participants in their environment. They have more control in the world around them. We noticed that the use of signs did not discourage verbal skills; it simply put thought into action while verbal communication developed."

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