How to Succeed in Signing with Your Special Needs Child 

 One of the first questions parents have about signing is when they should begin to introduce signs.  Generally, the sooner you begin signing with your child the better.  Most children will be able to distinguish and understand signs beginning at about 6 months in age.   Although you may not have diagnosed your child’s special need until well beyond that time, it is never too late start teaching sign language.  As soon as you realize that your child has a special need, you can begin using sign language for its many developmental benefits. 

We suggest you should review the “Keys to Succeed” section of this site, as those same general principles for success apply to signing for children with special needs.  In summary, when teaching your child, start with just a few basic signs.  This way, you will not overwhelm your child (or yourself).  You should only be working on two or three signs at any given time.  Once your child learns one sign, add another sign to begin teaching. 

     Next, be sure to sign the right word at the right moment.  Introduce a sign before, during, and/or after the activity associated with that sign.  A great time to teach your child to sign “eat”, for example, is before, during and after mealtime.  Conversely, you should never teach a sign out of context. 

      Also, always pay attention to your child’s perception.  If you notice what he is perceiving, you will know when and what to sign.  One technique to help direct your child’s attention is to use a sign in front of the object you are signing about.  Or, you can sign with the object on your child’s body.  

Another key to success is to make signing a team effort.  Get other people involved in the process, including your immediate family members, extended family members, daycare workers, etc.  One of the most important factors for success in teaching a child to sign is whether or not others are involved in the process.

Finally, as with anything, attitude matters.  Teaching your child how to sign is more about attitude and persistence than any particular technique.  Don’t be worried if your child does not pick up a sign right away.  Rather, be persistent and have fun with your child when showing him a sign.   Eventually, your persistence will pay off.    

 Again, please refer to the “Keys to Succeed” section of this site for more information on general signing techniques.