History of Baby Sign Language

Baby Sign Language comes from a very curious observation that the children of deaf parents are able to communicate earlier than the children of hearing parents. The first known person to remark on this oddity is William Dwight Whitney, a 19th century American Linguist. Whitney, a Yale professor and editor of one of the most comprehensive early dictionaries, remarked on the superior communication abilities of the children of the deaf. These children, despite having what might be considered a communication handicap and parents that did not speak, learned to speak. They were also observed to be on a similar speaking development path as the children of hearing parents. Whitney did not take it much further than that and this curiosity was left largely uninvestigated for more than a century until it was rediscovered in the 1970s.

Dr. Joseph Garcia, then an ASL interpreter, was the first to take the next step. Dr. Garcia noticed that the children of his deaf friends were communicating with their parents as early as six months old using sign language and had substantial vocabularies as early as nine months old. This is very surprising since most children don’t start saying their first few words until twelve months old and will still have a very small vocabulary at two years old. Dr. Garcia wrote about this phenomenon in his 1986 graduate thesis. In 1987, Dr. Garcia began researching using Sign Language to teach the children of hearing parents.

At around the same time, Professor Linda Acredolo noticed her daughter making rudimentary signs. Working with her research partner at the University of California (San Diego), Professor Susan Goodwyn, the pair began teaching the baby more signs. Together they won the first of a series of NIH grants to study the phenomenon. Over the next 20 years Professor’s Acredolo and Goodwyn conducted the first comprehensive baby sign language research. These experiments showed the tremendous benefits of Baby Sign Language in a child’s development.

In 1998, the first Baby Sign Language program intended for the children of hearing parents was conducted by Kimberlee Whaley at the Infant-Toddler Laboratory at Ohio State University. Infants as young as 9 months old and their teachers began to learn to use some signs from the American Sign Language to communicate with each other.


If you found this information useful, check out our award winning baby sign language kit. It includes more than 600 signs, covers advanced teaching methods for faster results, and includes fun teaching aids like flash cards.

The Deluxe Baby Sign Language Kit, bundles together everything you need to get started with signing in one box, at a steep discount. The kit includes: (1) Baby Sign Language Guide Book; (2) Baby Sign Language Dictionary: (3) Baby Sign Language Flash Cards; and (4) Baby Sign Language Wall Chart.

Baby Sign Language Guide Book shows you how to teach your child how to sign. The book begins with a Quick Start Guide that will teach you your first signs and having you ready to sign in 30 minutes. As your baby progresses, you can delve into more advanced topics like combining signs to make phrases, using props, and transitioning to speech. (Regularly $19.95)

Baby Sign Language Dictionary contains over 600 signs including the most common words, the alphabet and numbers. The dictionary helps you expand your child’s vocabulary, and has the breadth of coverage that lets you follow any child’s natural interests. Each sign is illustrated with two or more diagrams, showing you the starting position, the ending position, and intermediate motion. This makes learning new signs easy.  (Regularly $19.95)

Baby Sign Language Flash Cards include 52 sturdy board (4×6 inches) flash cards, covering a variety of basic signs. The flash cards allow you to teach words, such as animal names, that Baby is not exposed to in everyday life. The face of the flash cards shows the word and image for the child. The back of the flash cards show how the sign is performed, a handy reminder for the adult.  (Regularly $24.95)

Baby Sign Language Wall Chart includes 22 basic signs, and makes a handy reminder for caregivers. The Baby Sign Language Wall Chart covers basic signs, like eat, drink, and sleep. Hang the poster in Baby’s Nursery to help babysitters, or other occasional caregivers learn and decode the most commonly used baby signs.  (Regularly $9.95)

Baby Sign Language Guide Book

Learn the best techniques for effectively teaching baby sign language. Including:

•  Quick Start Guide – learn the first 10 signs and the basic principles required to start teaching your baby to sign (Chapter 1).

•  Advanced Teaching Methods – use teaching aids like books, flash cards, and toys to keep lessons interesting and challenging (Chapter 5).

•  Phrases – teach your baby to combine signs and communicate more complex thoughts (Chapter 6).

•  Taming the Terrible Twos – reduce frustration and tantrums by enabling your toddler to communicate (Chapter 7).

•  Transitioning to Speech – use sign language to expedite and improve speech development (Chapter 8).

Baby Sign Language Flash Cards

52 high quality flash cards (4 x 6″). Featuring:

•  Clean Images – real life pictures, isolated on a white background to make learning easier.

•  Signs on the Rear – diagrams on the back illustrating the signign motion in case you need a reminder.

•  Baby Friendly – printed on thick stock so little hands can play with the cards and they will live to play another day.

Baby Sign Language Dictionary

The Baby Sign Language Dictionary includes :

•  Words (500+) – learn signs for nearly every topic of interest.

•  Letters – sign the alphabet and teach basic spelling.

•  Numbers (0-10) – introduce counting and basic mathematics.

Baby Sign Language Wall Chart

The full color wall chart (24 x 36″) includes 17 everyday signs. Use the wall chart for:

•  Caregivers – help babysitters and other caregivers learn the basic signs so they can understand baby’s signs.

•  Family – teach family the basic signs so they can join in the fun.