Signs Of The Times

By Amy Dickinson

There's nothing more fun to read than the faces of newborns. We pore over babies for signs of enchantment, enlightenment and intelligence. We project diva-size personalities and try to interpret every gurgle and gesture. We videotape incessantly, make them wear ridiculous hats and talk about their bodily functions in public.

But for many parents, projection isn't good enough. They have to know what little Tiffany or baby Joshua is thinking. And since preverbal children are, by definition, too young to talk, more and more parents are teaching their babies sign language--including one developed for the hearing impaired.

In theory, it makes sense. Babies understand language long before they start speaking. By six months, most babies will have developed a variety of simple gestures--pointing, grasping, squealing, smiling, crying. As they get older and their perceptions broaden, however, this limited vocabulary can get very frustrating--leading to rounds of Baby Jeopardy ("I'll take crackers for $500, Art!") as parents guess what Baby is trying to "say." A baby caught in this bind can, at times, resort to acting like a frustrated, incontinent mini-dictator--Idi Amin in a diaper.

So why sign language? The idea is simple. A baby can make the gesture for milk, for instance, well before he can say the word, which could save him from having to be thirsty and miserable until Mother figures out what the problem is. One popular program, Sign with Your Baby, uses the basics of American Sign Language to teach babies and parents simple signs, such as milk, more, drink and eat. Another program, Baby Signs, helps parents develop signs based on gestures their babies already make.

Joseph Garcia, a researcher in Bellingham, Wash., who created the Sign with Your Baby system, told me that the process can begin with babies as young as seven months but normally kicks in--with Baby demonstrating a sign or two--at around nine months. One of the rewards of simple sign communication, he adds, is that if a baby has a variety of caregivers, they can all understand what the child is saying.

O.K. But color me skeptical about the whole baby-signing fad. I suspect that the real value of these programs is that they are extremely parent-baby intensive, requiring a ton of face-to-face interaction. To me, however, this interaction feels too specific. Too goal oriented. Too much like Berlitz.

My skepticism also comes from the fact that babies already "sign." Without instruction, drilling and repetition, they point, clap, nod their heads and otherwise indicate what they want. The intensity of the communication between an involved parent and baby--meeting the baby's gaze directly, talking to her and following her cues--means that, ideally, the baby is teaching the parent her own signs.

Dr. Berry Brazleton, my favorite baby guru, says he is concerned that signing imposes a "curriculum on parents." I would add that developing simple, homegrown signs could be a fun project for an interested parent. But beware: Can you imagine what life would be like if your baby could really speak her mind?

For more information on baby signing, check out www.sign2me.com You can e-mail Amy at timefamily@aol.com