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| Imagine, your baby could soon be telling you "I'm hungry" or, "I'm sick" or, "I see a dog" or, "I need my nappy changed"…long before she is able to utter a single word. |
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Think 'Meet the Fockers', where the baby of the film quite competently communicates (albeit in a rather hilarious way) with his grandparents. Thousands of parents and carers across Australia are now discovering this phenomenon through Tinytalk, a fun and easy way of using Baby Sign Language.
After two decades of research, this amazing way of communicating with hearing babies, can help improve their intellectual development and actually help babies to talk sooner. It can see them having fifty extra spoken words in their vocabularies by the age of two and at the age of three they can be saying and understanding words equivalent to that of most four year olds.
"Babies as young as six months can express their wants, needs and thoughts, by using their hands as a way to bridge the communication gap, until they can talk properly at approximately two and a half years old", said Alison Basson, director of Tinytalk. "My daughter Ellie (at seventeen months old) has over seventy signs and thirty spoken words in her vocabulary that she can use to 'talk' to me. This reduces a great deal of frustration for both of us."
Baby Sign Language has been extremely popular in America and now that it has hit Australia, parents are loving it and it has even been introduced into day care centres. Hutchison's Early Learning Centre at Keebra Park Queensland, has been utilising the Tinytalk method in its Nursery and Toddler room. They have found that babies are "communicating to carers when they are hungry, tired, thirsty and sick, reducing frustration and assisting carers to understand the children's wants and feelings." The carers found the Tinytalk system easy to incorporate into their everyday routine.
Research by child development experts Linda Acredolo (PhD) and Susan Goodwyn (PhD) of California, found that signing babies outperformed the non-signers and they concluded that Baby Sign Language:
- Helps babies to talk sooner, as words and signs are always used together.
- Develops larger vocabularies & greater understanding of more words.
- Helps improve intellectual development, resulting in a twelve point higher IQ.
- Reduces tantrums, tears and frustration that babies may experience by not being able to communicate.
- Enriches the bond with parents, siblings and carers.
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Queensland speech pathologist Helen Diamond says, using gestures is an early form of communication and is a prerequisite for speech. Gestures develop earlier than speech, as the hand muscles are easier to control earlier than the mouth muscles. Signing also assists with behaviour problems, as children are able to be 'heard' and therefore fewer tantrums occur!
Tinytalk is the first to produce Australian products that are fun, quick and easy for all Australian parents and carers. These products (books, DVD's, and flash cards) require little practice to start signing, as signs are based on natural gestures and often resemble the object or activity they indicate. Parents may purchase the Tinytalk kit (via the website and by calling the number below) to help them on their journey through this wonderful new form of communication. Prices start from a low $25.
Tinytalk is holding information sessions across Australia over the next few months and is at the Melbourne Baby and Childrens' Expo from October 7th - 9th where they will be holding interactive workshops. In the meantime you can contact Tinytalk on (07) 5580 5586, or email info@tinytalk.com.au, or visit the website www.tinytalk.com.au.
Best of all, Tinytalk makes for happier babies and happier babies make for happier parents and carers. It appears that the benefits of truly understanding what our babies want and need (through baby sign language), can give them an enhanced start in life, what parent wouldn't want that? Definitely ground breaking stuff.
  
If you know of any 'ground breaking stuff' that you would like to see on this page in future issues, please contact us at: parents@singleparentbible.com.au
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