ASL 🤚🏽

It seems this post is a bit old, but just chiming in my experience. Children understand more than they can express. Start asap, it's just like speaking to them and narrating what you're doing. Speak and sign at them same time so the connection can be formed easier. They will catch on very quickly. I own a Preschool and childcare and my littles range from 3 months to 5 years and we teach English, ASL, and a little Spanish. I've taught for 25 years.

not much different in bsl and asl, simple signs to help baby communicate needs

Bsl is what we need not asl

We’ve been starting at 3 months!

School is definitely helping her.

My daughter is 3yrs old and just now learning basic sign “more” “want” “cookie”

From being born introduced my little one. She used please, thank you, milk, water, more, hello and goodbye. Used them from 3 to 4 months. Helped with her speech. Xx

I started teaching mine around 6 months the first word we started with was “milk”

I started around 6 and my daughter is not 8.5 months and picking it up really well and signing back milk and all done and understands more and water

Been doing this since about 7months

ASAP!! I’m deaf and I sign if ya need any help!

Started from day 1 at 3 months my daughter and now my son at 3 months are already starting to sign back.

I started using American Sign Language immediately… I know the pros because I worked at Phoenix Day school for the death. I also went to college to be an interpreter, that didn’t go as planned.  my son is now 14 months and that is how we communicate daily. He was given his sign name at three months. 

I started straight away and 4 months she signed milk. 9 months now and she signed more today

My daughter started using them around 8 months - she’s 2.5 now and still uses them but only if I’m not moving fast enough. Like More more more *while signing for extra emphasis*

I guess I’m late with my daughter but I feel this is a good time, she is 3 and I started when she was 18 months.

I wnana learn this

He’s 2 months I try to sign eat a few times every day.

Mine started signing at five months. I began teaching at two months

Mine is two months now

Start as soon as you can! I recommend looking up baby signing on you tube. I have the app on my tv so I have been learning what I can since I was pregnant. I definitely use the signing for sleep when I’m soothing him so I don’t have to talk out loud.

I started at 7 months and his now 14m wish I he started of with milk as he was breastfeed so thats how he asked then thank you and please ,more ,all done and drink and now he has just learnt eat this moring he kept getting up form his breakfast table so I said levi are you all done and he said eat more please all in sign I cried x

i started at 6 months. She signed milk to me at 8 months and is now 2 she still knows her signs but will talk 9/10

You can start anytime. They might start signing back the basics when they're around 8 months I believe :)

I started using sign when my baby was maybe 4 months old. She’s now 13 months and knows maybe 25 signs. Super proud and allows her to communicate with me without getting frustrated. I love it. 🙏🏻

You can teach from birth why not? Around 4 months my baby finds milk back to me I have been signing for her since she was born

I always start teaching my kids when they start waving

I have heard if you do sign before they know the language they are going to be speaking daily you could delay their speech.

1 reply

2 years ago

That's been proven to not be true. They haven't found learning a 2nd language to cause speech deplays

I started signing to my son when he was around 6 months. He’s one and can sign about five words. I feel that if we had been consistent with practicing he might sign more. Either way, it’s pretty cool.

Does anyone have books they recommend for learning/teaching ASL?

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2 years ago

This board book is cute to start. You just want to make sure you’re consistent with the signs. My First Baby Signs: (Baby Sign Language Book, Pull Tabs, Early Vocabulary, First Words) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0761189483/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_Y57ZW3BBTQKMY13BZAZP

We started really working on them around 6 months my son picked up on more, all done, and eat really quickly. He’s now almost two and still signs and know all of these, but drink,bath, change, and sleep. We taught him bed not sleep.

I started signing right as she was born! :) shes a yr old & signs happy, eat, please, yes, mom, milk, beautiful. I started that early bc my mom was born deaf and i grew up in the deaf community so its my first language & english is my second :)

Anytime!! I’m going to start signing to my baby after he’s born in March. I am Deaf and my baby will be hearing, he will start learning ASL ASAP along with verbal English; bilingual.

We had a tiny talk baby group in my town when my sons were younger. So my youngest could sign 'milk' before speach had started. Soo handy and definitely want to do it earlier this time round. Xx

hands trying to kiss each other. Some babies that may be starting to sign may not have mastered the “pincer grasp” yet? And so one hand may be opened and the other is a pointing finger and it looks like they are pointing their pointer finger in their palm? It may not look super obvious that it’s a “more” sign, but if they are repeatedly doing this movement whenever you ask if they want more, then that’s the sign they are using for more. Good luck. Children signing is sooo cute and helpful :) Happy holidays!

As soon as possible. I worked at an elite school for kids age 6weeks-4 years and when I was in the infants room , the teachers signed all the time. I only say elite, because we had fire drills for babies, parent teacher conferences, made portfolios, and a bunch of things you wouldn’t think they do in a “day care.” The sign language was almost second nature. It’s so amazing when they sign back. I have 2 kids and they both did it when they were little. My husband was amazed that they could communicate when they wanted milk, more and were all done. With that being said, don’t expect that they will know a lot of signs... There are a solid handful that are the most important anyway, like milk, more, eat, all done, please and thank you. The others were just a bonus :) Also, some of the signs may not look exactly as what you are expecting, you have to be aware of what their hands are doing and what they are trying to do..if that makes sense? For example, the “more sign,” looks like your

From what I read it was suggested you should start at like 6 months, but if your baby is older that doesn’t mean it’s too late!! At a year my baby did her first sign by about 14 months I think she knew 9 signs! It was so helpful! Just make sure you’re saying the verbal word with the sign. I taught my daughter the following words.... more, eat, all done, milk, water, book, music, please, and bath

When they’re born! At 2 months my son could communicate certain things to me and it’s amazing!

I believe you can start teaching them right away. Some of my friends are deaf or hard of hearing to I am going to teach my son sign

I started at 2 months old to help me remember them. And my baby was signed back by like 9 months. She is almost a year old now and does a total of 5 signs.

You can start at any time. Earlier the better.

Start from the very beginning!! Babies are so ready for language 😍

I’m an ASL teacher. My expert advice is any time! It’s just like any language. Kids will develop motor skills before oral skills so they will most likely sign before talking.

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2 years ago

Yes! Anytime! My daughters daycare taight them SL as they were infants, she was able to communicate through sign and teachers would send home a sign of pckages they were being taught so parents could communicate from home and it helps usnso much because she is also bilingual which delayed her speech but now she is a chatter box who knows sign as wlel

Started at 8wks! 😂 I know she still couldn’t even see me but it helped me memorize a lot of signs. She eventually started catching on around 8mths and started signing back at 12mths. 2 yrs 2 months now and she still signs and it has helped with communicating tremendously

Basically it’s the same as talking out loud. Families were both parents are death start right away like we do with our voices. The sooner you sign the sooner they will understand it the same as they would your voice. The big difference and the reason people sign is because development wise children can do sign language before they can say words. That’s why it cuts down on frustration because they can communicate their wants at an earlier age. Plus, they are comprehending what you sign the same as they would voice. It’s just All about repetition. You have to be consiStant

From what I have read and done; the earlier the better. My son didn’t start repeating things back until he was about 11 months old, but the more consistent I have been the more I see my son picking up on new words.

There wasn't a need to teach my lils but taught them starting at 6 months old. Just so I could understand their needs better.

You can start immediately. I use to work in daycares before the pandemic started and I used sign language with my infant class.

Honestly you can start as early as you want to. The KEY is repetition, the babies are always watching and learning even if they don’t do the motions right away. One day out of the blue your baby will just start doing it. Trust me, it happened with my son.🥰

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3 years ago

And once I realized he could do that I started showing him flash cards and he was able to identify what was on the cards before he was even 1.

My 12 week old cant sign of course but she understands the sign for “milk” already and it helps her calm down until I can sit to nurse or warm a bottle. Never to early to start talking and signing to kids!