Baby sign language helps to bridge this communication gap. Most babies use sign language on a small scale before communicating verbally, any way. The underlying idea about “baby signing” is simply that babies are capable of expressing needs with their hands, fingers, or arms, earlier than they can coordinate their vocal helpers such as lips, tongue, diaphragm or glottis, to speak.

Research shows that while babies lack the fine motor skills to speak, they have the ability to understand and use language since 6–7 months. A baby is likely to wave hello and goodbye before he speaks the words.

When babies wave goodbye or lift their arms to be picked up, they are “talking” with signs.

Development paediatricians say that mothers and other care takers must respond to these “talks”. Say the baby is crying because he is hungry, you could respond with verbalizing his hunger pangs with a light tap on the tummy, and say “mom is getting you milk”. The baby now sees the association between the act of crying, the word milk, and the act of feeding. He then mimics, taking leads from you and the people around him. He learns to sort out mentally the spoken words. The kinesthetic elements of signing and verbal skills reinforce each other.

Signing is a lot of fun and helps you bond with your child. Babies that sign are often less fussy because they can tell you what they want instead of throwing tantrums. Baby signing makes even the whiniest baby more friendly and more confident. 

Signing helps reduce frustration because it gives the babies a natural kinesthetic tool to communicate their needs. Parents now realize that adding more signs to their babies “vocabulary” would make life easier for them as well.  They are heading to classes that train them to teach their hearing infants basic words and phrases in American Sign Language (ASL).

Research shows that babies that use sign language get a great start in life – with increased vocabularies and more advanced cognitive skills, even years after they have stopped signing. Sign language stimulates areas of the brain that are associated with speech and language, and improves the babies’ cognitive and linguistic development at an accelerated pace.

But many parents do fear that using sign language could delay normal speech development, but the experts affirm that it wouldn’t. 

Many children with special needs experience difficulty with expressive language and verbal ability. Sign language gives these children access to communication while strengthening the ability to produce expressive speech.

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 In 1771 a French author by the name Abbe Deschamps had analyzed the French signs and declared it a standardized system of motions.  During the same year a French abbot named Charles Michel de I’Eppe opened the first free school for the deaf after visiting a family from his congregation whos two younger girls were mute.  After he found a small deaf community in Paris who used simple hand gestures to communicate and adopted his own style from it.  I’Eppe’s work inspired many people throughout Europe and in America.

 In 1816, an American minister named Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet traveled to England to learn more about deaf education in that country and to find a method to teach the deaf daughter of a friend and neighbor.  Not having much luck in England, Gallaudet traveled to France to find more effective methods. He soon met Laurent Clerc, a deaf man and a graduate of the Parisian school, who traveled back to America with Gallaudet.  On the way back to America Gallaudet taught Clerc English and Clerc taught Gallaudet signed French and as a result Gallaudet created a French signing system that uses English grammar giving reason to why American Sign Language is similar to French Sign Language.

 Upon their return to America in 1817, Clerc and Gallaudet created the first school for the deaf in the U.S called the American School of the Deaf in Hartford, Connecticut.  When they first started the school they taught a very tedious form of sign language called structured sign language.  They soon noticed that when their students were talking to each other they were using different types of signs to communicate.  Clerc and Gallaudet didn’t consider it a language though.  Eventually the structured signed language and the type of signed language that their students used melded together and American Sign Language was born.  ASL was then pronounced a fully functional language from then on.

 ASL is now considered one of the most complete and comprehensive sign systems in the world and is the fourth most used language in America today, even though it might still be hard for those who are deaf from other countries to understand because no two sign languages from around the world are the same.  ASL is often a language that is taught to children who are born deaf or become deaf before learning English.  ASL is also taught to high school and college students to fulfill a foreign language requirement.  ASL also has its share of misconceptions.  It is often believed that ASL is static and can only convey a certain amount of ideas.  This is not true, ASL is as versatile and has as large of a vocabulary as any spoken language.  Many high schools and most colleges continue to offer a course in ASL for those who want to learn.

The people I am referring to are those who are deaf and/or mute. So many times, I have seen people look down on Deaf or Mute citizens. The simplicity of it all is most people are not educated on the Deaf culture.

In today’s society, we are pressed to learn a second language because most jobs these days require bilingual employees. However, most people feel they need to learn Spanish. Actually, the majority of high schools only offer Spanish as a second language and the extent of deaf education is a quick overview of Helen Keller.

Thankfully, there are people who set their hearts on raising awareness for the Deaf communites and the need for us to learn ASL (American Sign Language). One group, known as, “Sign Language Just Learn It,” devote their time and efforts to this cause.

I find this group extremely noble. They are not a group who seeks honor and notoriety. Instead, the founders of, “Sign Language Just Learn It,” have chosen to remain anonymous.

I had the opportunity to speak with a volunteer from, what they call, more of a movement than an organization. When asked why the choose to remain anonymous, the volunteer replied, “We are remaining anonymous as the slogan is the main thing we want to advertise.” Not many people would rather stay anonymous than gain power for their efforts.

“Sign Language Just Learn It,” which can be found at www.signlanguagejustlearnit.com, was established in April of 2011. Their main effort is to encourage the hearing community to learn sign language by promoting their slogan, “Sign Language Just Learn It.”

“We hope people will promote our logo with bumper stickers, etc. to just get the slogan visible,” says the volunteer. “We have a partnership with VistaPrint, who will print and deliver our logo on products worldwide.

The volunteer also informed me why they started the movement. “This was started because the Deaf community needs to spread even more awareness for others to learn sign language.  What better way than by having a visible logo/slogan that can be seen all over?”

I can’t think of a better way either. Kudos to all of you involved and we hope your efforts and hard work help the hearing community realize ASL is something they need to have knowledge of. Best wishes to all of you on your journey!

To learn more about their movement, check out their website, www.signlanguagejustlearnit.com, or on YouTube at www.youtube.com/signlangjustlearn. Also you can find them on Twitter, @SignLangLearn.

Thanks for reading and catch ya next time! Have a great day!

When I started learning sign language at the age of 10, I didn’t have the luxury of a premium online course like the one I just referred to.  I am certain that if I had that course, I would have learned the language a lot faster.  I was only able to rely on books and interactions with deaf people.  Of course, before interacting with them I needed to know some sign language. 

If you are serious about learning sign language the premium online course is definitely for you.  It comes complete with full lessons, deaf culture and sign language games.  This course is like having a sign language teacher right at your fingertips.  Sure, you can utilize books to learn; however, learning sign language via the premium course will help you to learn the language faster because you see the direction of the sign and you are given a whole wealth of knowledge about the language.

There is a great sign language course at www.ezsignlanguage.com.  It’s a premium course that is filled with sign language videos, deaf culture and games.  You can learn the language very fast! 

I started learning sign language at the age of 10.  I learned it because it was and still is the most beautiful language in the world.  I also learned it because my playmate was deaf and I needed to communicate with her.  We soon parted ways and I continued to be active in language through church and college.  I was the church interpreter and I taught a sign language music group.

If you would like more information on learning sign language click here.

Starting out, the most important part of sign language you should learn is the alphabet.  Knowing the alphabet will allow you to fingerspell signs that you do not know.  Just like a child in kindergarten, the first thing a child starts learning is the alphabet.  The same is true for sign language.  It’s important that you learn the alphabet because if you don’t know a sign it can get you out of a tight spot when you don’t know the sign.

The next important step to learning sign language is to learn the signs.  Set a goal to learn as many signs as you can in a week.  Don’t overdo it but make sure you are consistent.    There is a great sign language program online that will assist you with learning sign language as quickly as possible.

When I started learning sign language at the age of 10, I didn’t have the internet to rely on.  Nowadays there are so many online resources available to learn sign language.  For more information on the online resource that will help you to learn the language fast click here.

If you really put your mind to it, you can learn sign language in a year or two.  There are so many sign language resources online.  You should make it a goal to view a sign language video online if you don’t have deaf friend.

I started learning sign language at the age of 10 out of the need and the desire to communicate with my childhood friend who was deaf.  Even at that age, I would study sign language for a few hours then go to my friend and practice with her.  I later attended college and took sign language classes when they were offered.

It is possible for you to learn the language in a short amount of time.  I had a friend in college who was so into the language, he learned it in one year.  He was very dedicated to learning the language and put every effort into helping other learn it as well.

If you are truly interested in learning sign language as fast as possible click here.

I started learning sign language at the age of 10.  Back when I was that young we didn’t have the luxury of online videos and the internet.  We had the library and the card catalogue.  My first sign language book was only a few pages thick.  I learned every sign in that book in a matter of day.  I wanted so badly to learn the language and to communicate with my new friend who was deaf.

Today with the invention of the internet you have access to so many online videos.  If you really want to learn sign language and you don’t have a deaf friend I would suggest that you view as many videos as possible.  Make sure the videos are interpreted with voice or caption. 

There is a good sign language resource that is available to you if you want to learn sign language as fast a possible.  To learn more about this sign language click here.

      Deafness is a condition in which hearing is lost permanently, or temporarily, and can be inherent from birth, or developed later in life, either from a disease or from physical damage to one or more of the sensitive aural bones or auditory nerve.  The struggle that the Deaf have had throughout the ages, in being accepted to the hearing, and attempting to assimilate into society, is best summed up on pbs.org, “Deaf history focuses, in large part, on a centuries-long struggle over ways to overcome a heritage of discrimination by the hearing world and to provide better opportunities for the hearing-impaired.  Language lies at the center of this debate.  While some endorse sign language as the natural method of communication and education for the Deaf, others believe that Deaf people should learn spoken and written language so they can be mainstreamed with the rest of society.  With the appearance of such recent technological innovations as the cochlear implant, questions of community, language, integration and identity continue to rage.” 

     As far back as 1000 BC, the Deaf have been discriminated against.  In Jewish culture of the time, the Deaf did not have the same rights as hearing citizens.  The Talmud, or Jewish code of law, specifically denied the Deaf the right to own property.  During this time the Deaf were seen as subhuman or inferior to the hearing.  The Torah dictated that the Deaf not be cursed, but also that they could not take part in all observances and rituals during Temple.  The Jews also established special laws for Deaf-mutes concerning such legal practices as marriage and court proceedings.  For instance, the Deaf were denied the privilege to be court witnesses.

     As late as 322 BC, the ancient greeks still did not recognize the right of the Deaf to education.  Even Aristotle is quoted as having said, “Deaf people could not be educated [since] without hearing, people could not learn.”  The Ancient King Croesus of Lydia had a Deaf son, but because of his condition, he was not allowed to become king, or even recognized as a legitimate heir, and often left out of historical record. 

     Up to 550 AD, early Christians saw Deafness as a sin, and Saint Augustine had said that the Deaf were a sign from god, indicating His anger with humanity and the sins of the Deaf individual’s parents.  Benedictine monks, fully capable of hearing and speech, took vows of silence as a tribute and for of worship to God.  These monks also developed their own primitive form of sign language so they could communicate with each other without breaking their vows or having to write notes back and forth.  The signs were mostly limited to necessary information however, as they did not want to dishonor their vows with excessive communication of other forms. 

     In the 1500’s the renaissance that took place over most of Europe led some people to attempt to educate the Deaf, perhaps so that they too could experience their own rebirth.  A Benedictine monk named Pedro Ponce De Leon took it upon himself to teach speech to the Deaf, an education method that would be used for hundreds of years to come.  De Leon was very successful in his methods and taught speech to dozens of Deaf people, including many who were Deaf since birth.  A doctor by the name of Geronimo Cardano had a Deaf son and attempted to teach him how to write.  Cardano used symbols that he made himself, believing that the Deaf were visual learners and would be able to understand things if they were related to symbols instead of written words.  The efforts of De Leon and Cardano inspired Juan Pablo Bonet to try his hand at Deaf education as well.  In 1620 he published the first book depicting an alphabetical system for the Deaf, which we know today as finger spelling. 

     In early America, from 1690 to as late as 1880, many residents of the city of Martha’s Vineyard were Deaf.  Many families had genetic diseases that caused Deafness, and at times as much as 25% of the town was Deaf.  This would mark a very good period of understanding for the Deaf.  The town went as far as to develop its own system of signing because so many of the residents were Deaf.  Town meetings and councils were held in both spoken English and their signing system, to allow the Deaf to participate in the event.  The Martha’s Vineyard sign language system was used by both hearing and Deaf people and not abandoned until the late twentieth century.  In Martha’s Vineyard 65% of Deaf marriages were to hearing people.  This statistic shows that discrimination against the Deaf was not very common in this city, which has not always been the case for the unfortunate Deaf. 

     In the late 1700’s Charles Michel De L’Eppe, a priest at the time, established the first public school for the Deaf in France, which the students could attend for free.  His methods are much closer to those we use today.  He designed a system of fingerspelling and signing which he taught his Deaf students with, which he would later organize into a book and publish in 1788.  His philanthropy led him to open another school for the Deaf in Truffaut, France, and a shelter for the Deaf in Paris, France.  “The German Method” of Deaf education would follow L’Eppe’s system.  Samuel Heinicke would be the one to develop the german method using techniques from a Dutch doctor.  Heinicke’s system was to allow his students to feel his throat as he spoke to them so that they could get a better understanding of the way sounds are formed from the vocal cords and then transferred out of the mouth, where the lips finished the job.  Until then all the Deaf had to go by was lip reading which was highly encouraged by Heinicke and other notable Deaf educators.  The german method made the Deaf into better lip readers enabling them to communicate with hearing non-signing people more effectively. 

     In 1817 the first school for the Deaf in America opens.  Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, inspired by his Deaf neighbor Alice Cogswell, founds the American School for the Deaf to promote the further education of the Deaf in America.  Other schools soon followed in major metropolitan cities in New York and Pennsylvania.  Gallaudet was in Europe and met with the man who took over L’Eppe’s position, Archbishop Roche Sicard, who sent Laurent Clerc to go back to America with Gallaudet, and together they founded the school for the Deaf.  Alice Cogswell is the first graduate of the school.  Teachers from all over the world come to the school in Hartford, Connecticut to learn signing and train so they can teach it elsewhere. 

     In the 1850’s it is proposed by John Flournoy, a former student at Gallaudet, that a state be added to the union that is only for the Deaf.  Flournoy thought that the Deaf would be better off without the hearing people trying to assimilate them into hearing society and that the Deaf community would flourish better if it were made up of only Deaf people.  The intentions of the hearing were thought by Flournoy to be holding back the Deaf from their true potential, as they were often forced to learn speech and lip reading.  It was believed that without hearing people the Deaf and Deaf culture would be more prosperous and bountiful, as well as usher in a age of better communication amongst all of the Deaf residents. 

     In 1864 Edward Miner Gallaudet, son of Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, becomes the first president of the first college for the Deaf in the United States, known as the National College for the Deaf and dumb.  The school, located in Washington D.C., is signed into existence by President Abraham Lincoln.  Later, in 1893 the school would change its name to Gallaudet College as a tribute to the Gallaudet family for being the spark that ignited a national Deaf educational system in the United States of America.  Gallaudet College remains today as the leading school for higher learning for the Deaf in the United States. 

     Famous Telephone inventor Alexander Graham Bell opens a school for the Deaf in 1872 based out of Boston, Massachusetts.  His school would be a flop as it could not compete with the already established schools and methods of the time for the Deaf.  Bell would then turn his attention towards his inventions and in 1876 invent the telephone.  After that success he would found the Volta Bureau, which preaches oral communication among the Deaf.  This would help to prompt a conference in Milan in 1880, where Deaf educations from all regions of the globe would argue that speech education was superior to sign language education for the Deaf, and an organization known as the National Association of the Deaf would be founded to keep sign language alive. 

     In 1892 the first hearing aid would be invented.  The electrical device would be the first of its kind to give the Hard of Hearing sufficiently amplified sound.  In 1901 William Hoy, a Deaf baseball player, will bring about the use of signs in the sport, and be the first to hit a Grand Slam.  In the 1920’s Gallaudet Univeristy’s football team develops the huddling method used today to conceal their signing from the other team, which would become a tradition. 

     The Early 1900’s saw two world wars, which Deaf people would not be allowed to fight in for America.  However, in Europe dozens of Deaf fought bravely and their commanding officers would develop a signing system that is especially visible from a distance.  Meanwhile in America, the job market is in need of workers while the wars are fought and Deaf employment rises greatly. 

In 1964 Robert Weitbrecht invents the TTY.  The Rehabilitation act of 1973 provides much needed job opportunities for the Deaf.  In 1980 the first show with captioning is broadcast, and in 1993 the FCC makes it a federal law that all new TVs be capable of displaying these captions.  In 1985 the first cochlear implants are approved.  In 1990 the Americans with disabilities act prevents job place discrimination.  In 1995 the first Deaf Miss America was crowned.  In the United States discrimination against the Deaf was down and understanding was going up, the Deaf were getting proper educations and the hearing were accepting their disability, things were looking up for the Deaf community.