Does Signing Help or Hinder Speech?
Patti Hamaguchi, MA, CCC-SLP
There is value in using signs for children who are speech delayed and perhaps not yet ready to verbalize. It's not a cure-all, and for children with poor fine motor skills, can add another level of complexity and frustration. So, it's important that the use of signs be carefully considered on an individual basis. It should be, for the most part, a stepping stone. In other words, it is a means to an end, with the ultimate goal of having the child speak.
Here are my top 5 reasons for using signs with pre-verbal children or those who are just beginning to talk:
Reduces Frustration - It bridges the gap between their thoughts and their expression. They finally have a way to express to you what they want.
Encourages Interaction - It provides a vehicle for your child to interact with you to get what they want. For children on the autism spectrum, this intermediate step is very important. We know they will often try to get what they want by bypassing interaction - this will encourage them to work on their initiation and interaction skills.
Builds Vocabulary - It helps us build a strong vocabulary. Signs are indeed a language and so we are building language and accessing the language processing centers of the brain.
Facilitates Sentence Formation - Signs can be strung together to form simple phrases and sentences. Signs can be dropped as speech emerges.
Serves As Visual Support - It is a visual way for the child to "see" the words. Many children on the autism spectrum tune out what people are saying due to weak auditory processing but they often have highly developed visual processing. By "seeing" the words, we can help them associate words with the way they sound. This helps build better language comprehension as well.
Therefore, signing is not a hindrance speech, and can in fact, help with speech acquisition, if used correctly. Verbal skills must be worked on in parallel. Sometimes, the child isn't developmentally "ready" to talk. Trying to rush the process can be frustrating for the child and is counterproductive to the therapeutic process. Signing should be used as a bridge to communication, with continued support for the speech acquisition process if/when appropriate.
About the Author
Patti Hamaguchi, M.A., CCC-SLP is a licensed speech-language pathologist and the Director at Hamaguchi & Associates Pediatric Speech-Language Pathologists Inc., (Cupertino) and the CEO of Hamaguchi Apps for Speech, Language & Auditory Development. She is the author of Childhood Speech, Language & Listening Problems: What Every Parent Should Know (Wiley & Sons, 2010 3rd ed.), A Metacognitive Program for Treating Auditory Processing Problems (Pro-Ed, 2003) and It’s Time to Listen (Pro-Ed, 2002) as well as an expert on speech topics for BabyCenter.com.