Of Non-Verbal Bonding

Communicating in sign language with your baby may be fun, but it’s not a skill development aid

Parents and elders often communicate with infants in sign language. This they do in the belief that this non-verbal tool not only helps them get across to babies before s/he is able to talk, it also helps them develop linguistic skills. In some countries, for instance the US and UK, families are also known to attend baby sign language classes.

However, according to a new study, these folk might be mistaken.

Researchers from University of Hertfordshire in the UK conducted a controlled study to evaluate the benefits of symbolic gestures or baby signs, and found that there is no evidence to support such claims. Their findings have appeared in Child Development.

The team of researchers, led by Dr Liz Kirk of University of Hertfordshire’s Department of Psychology, began the study on 40 mother-baby pairs when each infant was eight months old. Every pair was randomly allotted either a ‘gesture’ or ‘no gesture’ upbringing regime, and each baby’s development was then systematically tracked over a twelve-month period.

It was found that although babies learnt the gestures and began using them to communicate before they started talking, they did not learn the associated words any quicker than the no-gesture babies. It was also found that babies who were exposed to gestures did not show enhanced language development as compared to those who were not.

The study, however, did discover other benefits of using sign language. Mothers who gestured to their babies were found to be more responsive to their infants’ non-verbal cues. These sign-language-happy mothers also encouraged their infants to be more independent in action.

According to researchers, while gesture communication does not speed up an infant’s development of language skills, it can actually be an indulgence of mutual pleasure for mothers and babies. “I see baby signing as an activity that mothers and babies can enjoy together,” Dr Kirk told Science Omega, a science news website, “However, I do not think that mums should feel under any pressure to achieve anything out of the ordinary.”

About The Author

arindam