My daughter, at 15 months has a big vocabulary. Along with the 20 or so words she knows, she knows about 10 more in sign language. No, she doesn’t have a full American Sign Language vocabulary, and we don’t consistently teach her every word in sign language. However, the words she does know has come in handy during the months she still couldn’t utter a word.

As soon as she started eating solid foods, and was weaned from the bottle, she was taught the signs for “eat/food”, “drink”, “more”. Those three signs alone has resolved 99% or issues during mealtimes. We’ve taught her “apple”, “cracker”, “book”, “baby” (for her baby doll). As we find more and more words she still can’t say, we teach her the sign for them to reduce frustration. As a result, we have some sort of hybrid communication that’s working wonderfully.

If you have a child that’s easily frustrated, and one who is eager to communicate but can’t speak yet, teaching them sign language is a wonderful tool to give them. Sign language has been linked to advanced language skills once they do acquire the knowledge to talk. They’ve even been linked to early speech development.

Why not pick up a book, or DVD on sign language for babies. There are many available out there. Don’t forget to check out the library for free resources as well!

Happy signing!

It may seem intuitive, but a study from the Netherlands suggests that screening of toddler’s language abilities, and early intervention by speech and language therapists for children who performed poorly, dramatically reduced the number of children placed in special education schools by over 30%. Early screening also seemed to improve all the children’s spelling and speech skills.

Seems obvious? But this is the first study of its kind. Any move to introduce to formal screening for all children between 15 months and 2 years in this country would only be likely after further studies, it’s probable the government would want to have evidence from children who speak mainly English, rather than Dutch, as their native language.

What can you do to improve your baby, or toddler’s language skills? Talk to your baby, tell her what you are doing when you are bathing, dressing, playing with her, talk when you are cooking, driving and tell her what you are putting in the shopping cart at the supermarket. Speak clearly with simple words and sentences, but not baby talk. Every time she hears a new word, or a familiar word used in a new way, it will stimulate the language part of her brain. Read to your baby. Sing to her. And listen when she talks to you. Even if you don’t know what ba ba ga ha means, to your baby she’s having a conversation, and to her, what she’s saying is as meaningful as what you are saying, so listen and respond.

If you are worried about her language, talk to her pediatrician.

The Dutch researchers caution that screening at an early age can also make parents worry unnecessarily, as toddlers develop language at different speeds and have a very wide range of what’s normal. At one year, my son said Ba, and Da, and Brum Brum to his trucks. It was disconcerting to hear my friend’s 12-month-old say Hat, and Doggie, and Juice, with perfect clarity. But 8 months later, he’s chattering away like your average 20-month-old.

Try not to compare your child to others. If he seems behind it’s likely he’s working on other things like motor skills, or he’s learning colors, or developing social skills. He’s probably building up his vocabulary internally and in a few weeks or months he’ll suddenly start talking away and be equivalent to his peers before you know it.

So what if you are worried about your child’s language development? Talk to your child’s pediatrician. It’s likely your baby or toddler is perfectly normal, but if there is a problem, diagnosing and treating it early will maximize the chance of it being resolved before they start school.

Have you had any experience with language, hearing and speech screening or therapy? Do you think routine screening for all toddlers is a good idea or is it unnecessary intervention?