My child has started to use one or two signs all the time, even when they don seem to make sense! How can I encourage her to broaden her repertoire?
When children begin to speak, signing infants and toddlers will likely start with one or two signs that they use often and sometimes in ways that don’t seem to make much sense. As described above, we take on the role of detectives when it comes to our children’s spoken language. Often, young children will say something like “ma-ma” to mean “mommy” and “daddy” and “I want that” and “more” because they know it gets their mother’s attention and will likely lead to getting their needs met. The same is true for children’s initial signs. They learn that their first signs get their parents’ attention and often help them get their needs met. In Signing Smart playgroups, classes, and workshops, adults learn how to respond to children’s “misused” signs. We also discuss how adults can encourage children to expand their sign repertoire to include a larger variety of concepts.
Related Questions
- My child just recently started tilting and showing signs of what his pediatrician thinks may be Torticollis. Does Torticollis always start at birth, or is it possible that it could start later?
- My child has started to use one or two signs all the time, even when they don seem to make sense! How can I encourage her to broaden her repertoire?
- My child has just started crawling around, I know it’s time to Kiddie Proof the house but where do I start?
