Student Research Findings on TinyTalk
baby signing classes and the benefits of baby signing.
A Social Sciences Undergraduate student at Bristol University researched
TinyTalk UK classes and the benefits of baby signing over 6 months
with a number of attending mums for her dissertation (2003). She
asked a range of questions, including:
 ‘
Have you observed the benefits you hoped you would get from the classes
and using signing with your child (if so, what?) (asked at the third
interview only)
Mother01: “Yes communication. It is so satisfying to see that
something has actually worked”.
Mother02: “Yes. It is so much easier to know what she wants.
It has been really helpful”.
Mother03: “Yes. The signing completely transformed our relationship
and his behaviour”.
Have you observed the benefits you hoped your child
would get from these classes/ using signing with your child? (asked
at the third interview only)
Mother01: “Yes. The hot sign is really good as he now knows that
the oven is hot and it stops him touching it for example”.
Mother02: “I think for her it is wonderful that she can tell
me what she wants or is trying to communicate”.
Mother03: “Yes. He loves the classes. He was a lot happier when
he was signing so even though it was a short space of time, it was
beneficial”.
Would you say that signing with your child has
achieved what you expected? / Did not achieve what you expected? /exceeded
your expectations?
Mother01: Achieved expectations.
Mother02: Exceeded expectations.
Mother03: Achieved expectations.
With reference to your relationship and communication
levels with your child, what would you say the benefits of signing
with hearing
babies
and toddlers are? (asked at the third interview only)
Mother01: “Communication: to be able to talk to someone who can’t
actually verbalise. He doesn’t seem to have got frustrated at
learning to talk as he knows we can understand him”.
Mother02: “I think it is fantastic to be able to communicate
with your child even though they are too young to be able to talk”.
Mother03: “Improvement in communication”.
Extracts from the notebooks:
Mother01:
October 2003: “More recently I have noticed sign language becoming
more and more useful to Child01 as a way of expressing himself, which
is going hand in hand with him trying to talk. He is gabbling away
in his own language, but seems to get a great deal of satisfaction
out of doing a sign and us realising what he is saying. The feeling
is mutual! Sign language seems to be taking away a lot of a child’s
frustration”.
Mother02:
October 2003: “Continues to use signs learnt before but occasionally
gets them muddled up. Occasionally she is trying to say a word which
if I’m not paying attention I would just pass as being part
of her babble. Copies things I say and mimicking the sounds of words”
Mother03:
August 2003: “Child01 did the ‘food’ sign while I
was trying to find him a rice cake from the cupboard!”
Further Reading into British Sign Language and Research into Baby
Sign Language (Symbolic Gesturing):
- The Dictionary of British Sign Language/ English: British
Deaf Association (1992)
Take your interest further! This Dictionary is your signing ‘bible’.
It shows the signs for hundreds of signs with clear photographs and
detailed descriptions of how to make them.
- Baby Signs: Linda Acredolo
and Susan Goodwyn (2000). The authors have spent more than a decade
researching and studying the effects of using baby signs on infant
communication and the results
are overwhelming. ‘How to improve communication, interaction
and the sharing of worlds before babies can talk.’
- Dancing With
Words, Signing for Hearing Children’s Literacy:
Marilyn Daniels (2001)
Marilyn Daniels is Associate Professor of Speech Communication at
The Pennsylvania State University. She has conducted numerous research
studies since 1991, involving over 500 children and families to investigate
the effect that sign language has on hearing children’s education
and development.
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Acredolo,L and Goodwyn, S (2000) Baby Signs.
Barrs, M, Ellis, S, Hester, H and Thomas, A (1989) The Primary Language Record.
ILEA
Barrs, M, Ellis, S, Hester, H and Thomas, A (1990) Patterns of Learning. Centre
for Language in Primary Education
Beaumont, J (1994) Becoming Literate. Language Matters. (2, 12-14) Centre for
Language in Primary Education (Southwark Council)
Bernstein, D and Tiegerman, E (1993) Language and Communication Disorders in
Children. Macmillan
Clibbens, J (1998) Research on the Acquisition of British Sign Language: current
issues. Deafness and Education. (22,3, 18-24) The Journal of the British Association
of Teachers of the Deaf.
Crystal, D (1987) The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language. Cambridge University
Press
Daniels, M (2001) Dancing With Words, Signing for Hearing Children’s Literacy.
Donaldson, M (1978) Children’s Minds. Fontana Press
Fletcher, L (1987) Language for Ben: A Deaf Child’s Right to Sign. WBC
Print Ltd.
Galloway, C (1998) Early Interaction. Gregory, S, Knight, P, McCracken, W, Powers,
S and Watson, L (eds.) Issues in Deaf Education. London, David Fulton Publishers.
Harris, M, Clibbens, J, Chasin, J and Tibbets, R (1989) The Social Context of
Early Sign Language Development. First Language. (9, 81-97)
Harris, J (1996) Early Language Development.
Kyle, J.G. and Woll, B (1985) Sign Language. The study of Deaf People and their
Language. Cambridge University Press
Lee, V and Das Gupta, V (1995) Children’s Cognitive and Language Development.
Blackwell Publishers Ltd. and The University Press.
Miles, D (1988) British Sign Language. BBC Books
Sacks, O (1990) Seeing Voices. Picador
Sylva, K and Lunt, I (1982) Child Development: A First Course. Basil Blackwell
Ltd.
Webster, A and Wood, D (1989) Special Needs in Ordinary Schools. Cassell Education
Ltd.
Woll, B (1988) Development of Signed and Spoken Language. Gregory, S, Knight,
P, McCracken, W, Powers, S and Watson, L (eds.) Issues in Deaf Education. London,
David Fulton Publishers.
Wood, D (1988) How Children Think and Learn. Blackwell Publishers Inc.
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