"Baby Signs" -- good thing or not?

[Adele A. Abrahamsen]

Here's another reply to Carolyn Buck-Gengler's inquiry about Baby Sign.
First, Linda Acredolo is a well-known, highly respected developmental
psychologist for whom the "Baby Signs" book is a departure from her usual
academic publishing.  I've seen the book, and it's really excellent -- if
more of us would communicate the implications of our work to the broader
public so successfully, there would be less need for the other ongoing
childes discussion (on science journalism)!

But for the academics among us, there are a number of superb papers by
Acredolo and her collaborator, Susan Goodwyn, on their studies of
"symbolic gesturing" (gestures that refer to classes of objects, actions
or attributes, often called "referential gestures" by other
investigators).  They have obtained by far the largest database on early
vocabulary in two modalities available anywhere -- it includes biweekly
parental interviews for dozens of children for whom the parents were
instructed in how to enhance symbolic gesturing in interactions with their
children.

Acredolo and Goodwyn have excellent evidence that many children at about
11-16 months or so can acquire more symbolic gestures than words; that
there is a small, statistically significant positive impact of enhanced
symbolic gesturing on the acquisition of spoken words; and also important,
that there are substantial individual differences (some children prolific
in both modalities, some in neither, some better at words, some better at
gestures).

>From my own experiences as a researcher in this area (on *less* than
dozens of children, but lots of contact with those I studied), here's
what I would say to Buck-Gengler and other parents considering whether to
make a point of encouraging symbolic gesturing (whether invented gestures
as Acredolo and Goodwyn use, or signs borrowed from ASL as I have used):

First, the most important thing is that it is an option (not a necessity)
that is worth doing if your child enjoys it and you enjoy it -- usually
but not always the case.  Second, you can make as much or as little of it
as you like.  If three symbolic gestures are what you have enough energy
for, even just three deliberate gestures can give lots of pleasure.  If
this just whets your appetite for more, together you can come up with lots
of gestures in the ordinary course of life.  Third, if you've selected a
few gestures you want to start using, don't be surprised if it takes
awhile before your child picks them up--especially if you start at 9 or 10
months rather than 11 or 12 months.  At least when ASL signs are used, at
first the kids just stare at you like you're nuts.  But if you adapt
movements already familiar to your child, such as the the spider gesture
from the itsy-bitsy spider song or the clap from pattacake, I would think
you'd get a more natural uptake initially than I saw using ASL signs.

Fourth, this is not a way to make super-baby!  The improvement in word
acquisition is real, but small and perhaps even temporary.  The fun and
enhanced communication is the main reason to use gestures; any positive
effect on spoken language is a bonus.

For more on this topic, see the following papers.  I'd also be happy to
send anyone who requests it a copy of a chapter I recently wrote that
brings together some of my own results with theirs and with some other
work on bimodal development (available after editing and revision--within
the next few weeks).

S. W. Goodwyn & L. P. Acredolo (1993), Symbolic gesture versus word:
Is there a modality advantage for onset of symbol use?  Child Development,
64, 688-701.

Linda Acredolo, et al. (in press), The signs and sounds of early langauge
development.  In C. Tamis-LeMonda & L. Balter (Eds.), Child Psychology:  A
Handbook of Contemporary Issues.  Garland Press.

Adele Abrahamsen

----
Dr. Adele Abrahamsen
Undergraduate Director of Philosophy-Neuroscience-Psychology Program
     and Coordinator of Linguistics
Department of Psychology
Washington University in St. Louis
Campus Box 1125
One Brookings Drive
St. Louis, MO  63130-4899

Office telephone:  (314) 935-7445
Office location:   New Psychology Building, Room 410B

Email:  adele at twinearth.wustl.edu
Fax:    (314) 935-7588