Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why do you advocate using American Sign Language (ASL), rather than teaching made up signs as some others have chosen to do with the youngest of children?

2. When is a good time to start signing with my child(ren)?

3. Why should I teach ASL to my hearing child?

4. When can I expect my child to begin signing back to me?

5. My child can not do the signs correctly, just yet. Is this all right?

6. I have heard that sign language may be beneficial to children with speech disorders. Is this true?

7. A colleague of mine stated that she was told at a conference session that sign language can help children with ADHD. How is that possible?

8. Will teaching my child sign language slow her ability to speak?

9. Where can I find sign language materials to help me get started?


1. Why do you advocate using American Sign Language (ASL), rather than teaching made up signs as some others have chosen to do with the youngest of children?

The pre-verbal benefits of sign language are tremendous, and we feel that they can be easily attained through the use of ASL. The youngest of children will approximate the signs as best they can. You reinforce their attempts with rewards, but keep showing them the correct sign. Eventually they will be able to produce the correct ASL sign. We are teaching a recognized language in ASL that is taught all around the world, not just in the United States. Individual countries may have their own version of sign language, based upon historical context, but many of the signs remain the same. It is a recognized form of manual communication, an actual language. It is very important to us to also respect the existing language as it is currently used by those who are hard of hearing or deaf as their primary form of communication. We would not change Spanish or French or German to make them easier for infants and toddlers, so why would we do it to ASL? The benefits of sign extend well beyond the infant-toddler age. We believe that by teaching them the correct signs they can continue to utilize sign language to achieve these many benefits, as well as learn a true second language. This also benefits anyone who learns sign language. It enhances their ability to communicate with those who are deaf or hard of hearing, either at home or in the classroom. Our signing classrooms become friendlier for deaf, hard of hearing, and special needs children.

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2. When is a good time to start signing with my child(ren)?

Anytime. There are many benefits to signing with children of all ages, from birth through college.

Benefits of Signing with Young Children: 

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3. Why should I teach ASL to my hearing child?
Infants - The pre-verbal communication is wonderful for reducing the stress of the baby and parent. Just because they cannot speak does not mean they do not know what it is they want (i.e. milk, diaper change, eat, more, blanket, bear, etc.). They can easily tell you all of these things and more in sign long before they develop the ability to speak.

Toddlers - Learning a second language early in life pre-wires the brain to learn additional languages easier. The research is showing that young children can learn 4-5 languages simultaneously. Sign language enhances fine motor skills. You will be making your children less clumsy - they will actually spill less milk at your table. Sign language enhances vocabulary. When learning sign you memorize the hand movements, just as you would any word, only most signs are iconic in nature and as such are easier for the children to learn than the spoken word which only has the meaning of the word we attach to it. Good examples of this are eat and drink. Because of this it is easier for children to learn sign than the spoken word. When taught together with English (and/or Spanish as we recommend) it gives the child additional connections within the communication process that enable them to learn concepts faster and enhance their learning of other languages. They can recall words (concepts) easier as they have more ways to do it. Our speech pathologists use sign with speech delayed children to enhance their ability to speak. It really works!

Preschoolers - Sign language is a great tool for enhancing literacy. As previously stated it enhances word recall and learning. It also is a tremendous tool for enhancing literacy. Children learn concepts quicker as they are given more and better ways for their communication centers to understand and recall concepts. This speeds the learning process. They can be taught more at a younger age. The teaching of the alphabet and numbers via sign greatly enhances the children's understanding of those concepts and accelerates their reading ability (see Dr. Marilyn Daniels book, Dancing with Words for detailed specifics regarding this process.)

Pictorial Children - Some children are naturally more pictorial in nature. Sign language is a wonderful way to enhance the learning of a pictorial child. Special needs children with Down syndrome, autism, or apraxia are very pictorial in nature, subsequently; sign language is a tremendous communication tool for them. Not only does it enable them to communicate much earlier in life, but it is a fabulous way to teach them to speak as well. 

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4. When can I expect my child to begin signing back to me?
There are many variables to this equation. Generally speaking, if you start signing with your child as a newborn they will begin showing a few signs around 7-8 months. They will clearly understand others you make. Generally, it is about 11months on when they really begin signing everything they have been taught. Start with the basics. Milk was our son's first sign. Once he understood the correlation between the sign and receiving a bottle there was no stopping him.

If starting with toddlers they should be ready to sign back almost immediately. Start with the basic signs, manners and the positive expression of emotions.

If starting to teach preschoolers you should also see immediate results. Start with the basic signs, manners and the positive expression of emotions; then add the alphabet and numbers. Spell everything you see! They love it. You also enhance their literacy and vocabulary skills.

Elementary and high school age children will be able to sign back immediately. Because of the iconic nature of the sign language they will learn sign quicker than any other foreign language they may take in school.

Upon entering Kindergarten many children will be administered the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test. Children who have learned sign language score significantly higher on this test. Research also shows that signing with children can increase a child's IQ from 10-12 points. This amounts to some significant brain building.

Teachers - You will see a dramatic enhancement to learning and in the behavior of the children upon introducing sign language in the classroom. Each year you teach sign language you will get better and better at it and so will your children. Behaviorally, the instances of hitting, biting, kicking and other negative behaviors will decrease further and further with each passing year of instruction of sign language. You will also enjoy a quieter classroom. Transitions will be less chaotic and downtime between activities will be reduced. You will spend less time trying to regain their attention. Using sign language helps hyperactive children to better control themselves in the classroom. You will also achieve the previously stated benefits in terms of communication and development of all your children and make your class sign friendly for any special needs child who may come your way in the future!

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5. My child can not do the signs correctly, just yet. Is this all right?
One of the benefits inherent in the usage of ASL for young children is that it enhances their fine motor skills. They may not be able to perfectly form signs at first, but they will get better with time. The youngest of children will approximate the sign as best they can. You reinforce their attempts with rewards, but keep showing them the sign done correctly. As their fine motor skills develop they will be better able to form the signs.

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6. I have heard that sign language may be beneficial to children with speech disorders. Is this true?
Yes. There a multiple benefits for children with speech disorders. For starters, it will expand their expressive vocabulary until such time as they are able communicate verbally. This keeps them from falling behind. Sign is easier to learn than the spoken word. Most all signs have pictorial meaning. The sign for milk is pretending to squeeze the udder on a cow. This makes signs easier to learn and recall.

We recently met a mother and educator who has a son with apraxia. Her son did not speak until he was 7 years old and only after he learned sign language. He can only talk while creating the sign. Making the hand movements triggers his ability to speak within the communication center of the brain. What if for some strange reason your child never learns to speak? Shouldn't you begin teaching her sign language today so that she will be able to communicate with you, the rest of her family, peers and educators? It can only help.

A few years ago we received a call from a tearfully happy grandmother who was raising her four year old autistic grandson. Her grandson had never made any attempt to communicate. A family member gave her our 17 minute video to show him. By the end of her grandson's first viewing of the video he was trying to form the signs. Sign language is a tremendous communication tool for many special needs children. Autistic and Down syndrome children understand sign language much easier than the spoken word as their brains function more pictorially.

Also, sign language for these children can be of great help in reducing frustration on the part of the child, and parent, because of the lack of communication ability. Anyone who uses sign language with special needs children can verify that signs work a whole lot better than pointing and grunting. Sign language is easily done by most children. This promotes positive communication situations that further stimulate additional learning. It also decreases problem behaviors that are the result of communication barriers. Another benefit is that it enhances children's use of manners at home, in the classroom and outside the home (such as at the store). These benefits really work to make it wonderful classroom tool to enhance behavior.

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7. A colleague of mine stated that she was told at a conference session that sign language can help children with ADHD. How is that possible?
We are also hearing that ADHD children also benefit from the use of sign language. When they use their hands to communicate it occupies their minds and gives them the ability to stay on task which in turn enables them to better control their outbursts and interruptions.

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8. Will teaching my child sign language slow her ability to speak?
No. On the contrary, teaching sign language at an early age will enhance your child's ability to acquire verbal language. When you sign with young children you enhance their vocabulary and understanding of concepts. It also speeds the learning process by the utilization of multiple methods of recall. Children will learn more concepts, at an accelerated rate. With this broadened understanding of concepts will come enhanced verbal communication. For example, if you teach a child to sign from birth, you teach her concepts early on you would have otherwise waited until she could speak to instruct her in. When her vocal ability develops she will speak much more as she has a broader concept knowledge base to draw from. She will be a little chatterbox, compared to her non-signing peers.

Some children are just naturally late speakers. The benefit of signing with these late speaking children is that they do not fall behind the learning curve. They are still learning the same concepts, just using sign instead of spoken English. Speech pathologists regularly use sign language to stimulate the spoken word with speech delayed children. This enables them to be able to speak sooner than they otherwise would have.

A note for special needs children: We recently met a mother and educator who has a son with apraxia. Her son did not speak until he was 7 years old and only after he learned sign language. He can only talk while creating the sign. Making the hand movements triggers his ability to speak within the communication center of his brain. See the previous question for more information on signing with special needs children.

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9. Where can I find sign language materials to help me get started?
In the Home - There are various vendors with First Signs books and videos available online. Time to Sign has developed the Learning Guide specifically for this purpose. It gives you basic information regarding sign language and takes you from birth through 5 years with the different signs that are developmentally appropriate at each stage to teach. It provides illustrations and a description for each sign. It also includes words for common topical areas such as family, foods, emotions, manners, animals and much more.

In the Classroom - There are various vendors with many books and videos available online. Time to Sign has developed materials such as the Learning Guide, videos, music books with CD's, etc. as well as the Theme Based Curriculum. The Curriculum is unique as it is the only sign language curriculum that gives you everything you need to teach sign language in the classroom.

Do you have any questions you would like to ask or stories you would like to share? We would love to hear from you. Please email us and we will gladly post your query-answers and stories about signing for all to see. contact@timetosign.com