How long between starting signing and seeing a sign? (ended up long!)

[sidmand]

And/or...what age did you see the first sign?

I thought I'd heard that if you started signing when they were a little older (like 10 months plus), you might even see a sign within weeks?

DS LOVES his Baby Signing Times DVDs (granted, they're pretty much the only TV he watches, so maybe that's some of it). We also have Vols 1-3 of the regular Signing Times, which he watched a lot until we got the Baby one. And we have the other volumes taped off of PBS too. I'd say he's been watching them since he was about 6 months old. Not every day, and we've probably not been as consistent about doing the signs with him as we should/could have. Lately he probably is watching one 1/2 hour show almost every day.

But we've got nary a sign here! DH says they're just music DVDs to him. Which is fine in some ways. Many times Baby Signing Times is the only thing that will calm him down. And he thinks Hopkins (the frog) is very funny. But shouldn't we have some kind of something going on?

I'm also just worrying because we just went to DS's 1-year check up and he's pretty much not doing anything they asked or that it says in the books (note to self, STOP reading books!). The doctor also said if he didn't have any words by 15 months we might look into some kind of EI. I know it's hard to see in your own kid, but he is right on target for other things. But talking/understanding...I think not. No pointing, no waving, no shaking head "no", no real words, lots of babbling, lots of laughing, but I don't think he has any receptive understanding yet which would make sense as to why he's not signing either.

Debbie
http://b2.lilypie.com/BI7Tm5.png

[mudder17]

Like most things at this age, I think signing is a matter of motivation. I think we started Kaya half-heartedly at 7 months, a little more seriously at 10-11 months. I think she was part of a study at around 13-14 months? In any case, her first sign was at 13 months. Around a year is when she started watching ST, although she never watched more than 5 minutes a day (didn't have the interest).

When we really started seeing signs was when we did the following (as part of the study):

1) Get her attention--make sure she's looking at you.
2) Say and sign the word 5 times
3) Help her hands form the sign

We did this at every meal with the "more" and "water" signs and "milk" when I nursed her.


Eileen

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/33732.gif for Leah
http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/33734.gif 27 months...
http://tickers.baby-gaga.com/t/catcatcvi20040222_-6_Kaya+is.png
Kaya will be a sister, ~11/14/06!

[sidmand]

Eileen,

I do remember you posting about the study before...I wasn't sure if it was okay to help them form the sign, but I will try that. We have been doing it mainly at mealtime, but again, like most things, he thinks it's funny when we sign! Especially "milk." Hey, having a happy baby isn't the worst thing in the world. Some day I'll probably be wondering why I wanted him to start talking/signing in the first place. :) But it would be great to know what he's thinking.

Debbie
http://b2.lilypie.com/BI7Tm5.png

[kimbe]

We started signing eat, drink, thank you/good, at about 6 months. DD signed eat and drink with meaning at about 10 months. We said do you want a drink and she would sign drink. Now she signs them when she wants them. After she started signing those, we started to add more and she picks them up very fast. When we started more, she picked up the gesture in about 5 minutes, but didn't get the concept for a day or two.

I wouldn't worry too much. I babysat for a little one who never talked until he could speak in sentences! (He had two older sisters so we figure he didn't bother talking until he could get his point across!)

[Momof3Labs]

Started signing to him at 11 months, saw a first sign a month later. We were doing it a LOT around the house, in addition to watching one Signing Times per day. It took a while for each subsequent sign to come after that, but eventually they were coming fast and furious.

[mudder17]

Lori, I LOVE your new avatar!

Yup, once Kaya learned her first sign, the next two came quicker (we started with 3 signs). After that, it took a while for new signs, but at some point (15 months? 16 months?) she was learning quite a few a month. By 18 months, she probably knew 50 signs and at 19, 100 signs. So there was definitely a period when she suddenly started picking them up like crazy.


Eileen

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/33732.gif for Leah
http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/33734.gif 27 months...
http://tickers.baby-gaga.com/t/catcatcvi20040222_-6_Kaya+is.png
Kaya will be a sister, ~11/14/06!

[KrisM]

Do you sign to him or is he just watching the DVDs? If you're not, you should try to sign a few words as much as possible.

We started at 6 months with signing ourselves and then added a the first DVD. We got our first sign back at just under a year. But, DS only watched the 1 DVD, so there weren't too many to learn. Maybe by watching more than 1 DVD, he is a bit overwhelmed?

[sidmand]

I know DH thinks he's a bit overwhelmed with too many signs. We really only watch the two Baby Signing Times ones nowadays and we switch them only because Mommy is getting tired of watching the same one all the time! But there are a lot of signs even in just those two.

I have been trying to consistently sign "milk" "eat" "more" and "cat" (he loves chasing after our cats--thought that might be a good impetus for a sign), and I once in awhile will sign another word as it's appropriate (bird, water, brush teeth, etc.). But I was planning on concentrating on just a handful of words in the next few weeks. I will definitely try Eileen's approach and also try to be more consistent about signing to him.

Debbie
http://b2.lilypie.com/BI7Tm5.png

[mudder17]

Yes, start with the 2 or 3 most important ones to you and him. Once he "gets" it, it will be easier to add other signs. According to the research I've read, the parents (and daily caregivers) doing the signs regularly has a bigger impact than watching the videos.


Eileen

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/33732.gif for Leah
http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/33734.gif 27 months...
http://tickers.baby-gaga.com/t/catcatcvi20040222_-6_Kaya+is.png
Kaya will be a sister, ~11/14/06!

[newnana]

I agree with PPs. DH thought that I was nuts signing to DD starting at 6 months. I figured that we talk to her to develop her language skills, why not sign just so she's used to it and learning them at the same time. She doesn't watch TV unless DH has the baseball game on. That isn't often and doesn't get her attention. For her first birthday my brothers got her the baby signing times DVD's. Up until then there were only a few signs that I focused on, most with food: food, drink, more, open, close, play, etc. She didn't even act like she recognized them.

Then we put in the dvd. She was sick one weekend about 2 weeks ago and we put in BST, 1. She sat and watched intently from my lap barely moving. The sign for "more" came on and squirmed like crazy, crawled over to the tv and started beating on it as if to say, "hey, I know this one!!!" She was so excited. 2 days later she started signing like mad: food, more, all done, fish, and open all came within about 3 days.

ETA: she gets really mad when we try to help her do it, so we don't do that!

Last night she started scolding us with one finger! I thought she picked it up at day care until she stood up in the tub and I did my normal "we don't stand up in the tub, we sit (pointing down). Oh I need to stop doing that!!! She saw me in the shower this morning and was telling me to sit!! I'm sure it's only natural that I think my DD is the funniest child on earth.

So she started signing at exactly 1 year and 3 months of age. Thats after 6 months of me signing, and watching the video 2 times.

Sorry that was so long!!! Once of these days I'll learn the art of being concise,
Michelle

[lilycat88]

We started with eat, drink, more, diaper, and a couple of others at about 9 months. She understood them but didn't have any interest in doing them. SHe only started signing after she started talking at about 13 months. She'd say the word and sign it. At that point, we gave up on signing and let her talking take over.


Jamelin
Mom to Susanna born 6/29/2004

[tina-t]

We started signing with ds at 9 mos. but he did not start signing back until he was 15 mos. old. When he stared signing though, he just took off. He was showing us 2-3 new signs a week.

He did have an expressive speech delay and underwent speech therapy starting at about 20 months. At this point though, he caught up and has been "discharged" from speech therapy. We were reassured though that signing did not cause the speech delay.

[Lovingliv]

Liv is now addicted to signing times! We have volumes 1-3 and really just started watching the videos. DH and I watched from around 6 months and learned the signs and taught them to her. She first signed milk around 6 weeks after we started showing her,,,around 8 months.
Now, she just flails her arms around and points to the tv when she wants to watch alex and leah!