![]() ![]() Resources ♦ Using American Sign Language in Storytime ♦ Dr. From Kofron’s vantage point as library staff, it’s important to get the word out and find a passionate teacher in the community-and to let new moms know that it’s OK to miss a class or two and come back. Kaelker-Boor’s tip: Keep the program short-30 minutes or less-and allow for playtime afterward. White advises caregivers to let babies decide how much they are in the mood to learn. ![]() Stylinsky suggests learning how to create a syllabus and to make time for questions and answers at classes. Kaelker-Boor, Stylinsky, and White all designed their own programs. Adds Rosofsky, “She really likes to show us and practice those skills.” Plus, “It’s the first time that you have insight into what is thinking about.” “As we’re reading, she’ll back up to something and sign ‘ball’ because there’s a circle on the page, or ‘baby’ because there’s a carriage.” It’s good for caregivers, too. Leigh uses the sign for book when she wants a story. Now 16 months old, Leigh knows 12 signs, including milk, more, hat, ball, and dog. “I loved it from the first class,” says Rosofsky, whose daughter’s skills “exploded” at 11 months. Kelly Rosofsky’s daughter Leigh was two and a half months old when they began attending library classes near Newton, MA. Her four-week sessions are open to a maximum of 12 families. “Now, because it’s understood and popular, I spend less time building belief and spend more time hands-on modeling and interacting with the babies.” These days, she teaches in libraries around Massachusetts, including the Boston Public Library, the Hopkinton Public Library (HPL), and the Wellesley Free Library. Early on, “I spent a lot of time selling the idea-giving anecdotes, talking about the benefits,” she says. White has been teaching baby sign language classes to parents since 1999. Advocates also note that communication is a core aspect of social emotional development, and boosting it with sign language can only benefit young ones. While it’s a relatively nascent field of study, anecdotal and scientific evidence shows that baby sign language can have long-term benefits. Both library staff and parents give these programs high praise. Libraries are getting involved in teaching it, offering classes to parents who want to communicate with their preverbal children. Sheryl White teaching sign language to a receptive young student.ĭistinct from American Sign Language (ASL) and other sign languages, baby sign language typically features simplified gestures and is used with hearing children to help improve preverbal communication. White began signing with her second baby, Matthew, when he was two months old. “I’d introduced milk, more, and eat, and within a couple of weeks she was signing back to me in the right context,” she says. She started teaching sign language to Rachel after her first birthday and was won over immediately. Would Rachel want to replace words with signs? Would this delay her speech? ![]() Then her father-in-law, early childhood expert Burton White, gave her Joseph Garcia’s Sign With Your Baby (Northlight, 1999). If only Rachel could tell her what was wrong, White thought. She was colicky, and the long crying jags left both of them frustrated and stressed. ![]()
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