Thanks to the research conducted by Dr Joseph Garcia, Dr Linda Acredolo, and Dr Susan Goodwyn, Baby Sign has become increasingly popular within the Non-Deaf community. According to a number of studies published by Dr Acredolo and Dr Goodwyn, some of the benefits of teaching preverbal hearing infants Baby sign include:
1. Ability to communicate with their parents prior to learning how to speak;
2. Reduces frustration for both the parents and the baby;
3. Reduces "tantrums" and behavioral problems;
4. Strengthens cognitive skills;
5. Gives the child a "head start" on language acquisition which can lead to increased future academic
success;
6. Higher IQ;
7. Improved confidence; and
8. Improved bonding between the child and parents
Based on these findings, it is not surprising that there has been an ever growing market of Baby Sign Companies supplying products and services, as parents try to give the child all the tools needed for them to reach their full potential. However, it is important to note, that there is not consensus within the academic world regarding the possible benefits of Baby Sign. In fact, for every study published indicating the benefits of Baby Sign there is a study published which disproves the benefits (Ginger et al, 2007; Doherty-Sneddon, 2008). Therefore, the benefits of Baby Sign are considered to be a theory, and are not proven facts.
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To further the debate on whether or not Baby Sign yields any real long-term benefits, there are additional conflicts of opinion between the Non-Deaf and Deaf community. From the Non-Deaf view, Baby Sign is seen as a communication tool, which offers a great number of short and long term benefits as listed above. Unfortunately, Baby Sign has become an industry which is primarily owned and operated by Non-Deaf individuals for the Non-Deaf community. As a result, there are a number of fundamental problems with the way the Baby Sign industry is ran. Some of the core problems with Baby Sign, from the Deaf communities perspective, include, but are not limited to:
1. Baby Sign is taught by Non-Deaf individuals;
2. Baby Sign instructors typically have no ties to the Deaf community, are not familiar with Deaf Culture,
and are not fluent in Sign Language, such as American Sign Language (ASL);
3. Those who wish to become certified in teaching Baby Sign, can do so by either participating in a two
day course, or by purchasing a "teaching kit";
4. As soon as an infant begins to speak, parents typically stop using Baby Sign to focus on verbal
communication; and
5. Parents are mislead into thinking that Baby Sign and ASL are one in the same, as seen by the quote
below;
"We are a group of Baby Sign Instructors
that use 100% ASL signs
to teach parents how to communicate with their hearing babies"
~ My Smart Hands, 2012