The following report by Shannon Perrine first aired March 1, 2004, on Channel 4 Action News at 5 p.m.
Your baby is trying to tell you something. Is she hungry? Thirsty? In pain?
Translating a cry is exhausting.
Christine Thomas, sign language instructor: "If the child would have sign language -- cookie or drink -- the child is much less frustrated, your life is so much better, the child's not screaming and you're not stressing about what they want."
Thomas learned sign language when she found out her first son, Anthony, could not hear. She kept signing with her three hearing sons before they could speak.
It's a concept that Anne Thomas picked up without having deaf children. Her 2-year-old son, Franklin, can say "eat," "apple," "airplane," "light" and his favorite word, "helicopter," all without using his voice.
Anne Thomas: "His first language was sign language. He first learned how to sign before speaking, just because it was easier."
Anne Thomas' 11-month-old, Cora, knows a few signs herself. It's a big communication tool that helps the children and their mom.
The most important sign might be "pain," or "hurts." It helps kids to be specific, so their pain can be treated specifically.
Christine Thomas: "You know when your child's sick, and they just moan and lay on the couch and you don't know what's wrong with them? You have no idea, but if they can say, 'My ear hurts,' or 'Right here, my tooth hurts,' ..."
If you want to get started with your baby, it's important not to be intimidated. You do not have to be fluent in American Sign Language to do this. In fact, the first signs that babies usually pick up are also easy for you to learn.
The first sign is "drink," "eat" and "more." After that, just keep adding signs.
Christine Thomas: "Shoes. Every time you put your little one's shoes on, just go, 'shoes.' You can play games with it. Hide it behind your back and say, 'Where's the shoe?'"
Don't expect perfection. Some children won't be able to perform the sign for "more" exactly right, but Thomas says that's fine.
Hope and David Maltz are starting to learn sign language at the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf. Their baby, Lilly, is just 3 months old.
Hope Maltz: "We say simple things like 'Are you hungry?' and 'Do you want something to eat?,' trying to suggest things like 'Thank you' and 'Please.'"
David Maltz: "They often have a lot of frustration. They want something and they can't explain to their parents what they want. That's a lot of what the terrible 2s is about. Hopefully, this can give her tools that she can help us understand what she wants and there will be less stress in our lives."
Copyright 2005 by ThePittsburghChannel. All rights reserved. This material may not be
published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Video:
