The Baby Signs® Program and Social Development
Linda Acredolo, Ph.D. and Susan Goodwyn, Ph.D.
Co-founders, Baby Signs, Inc.
Every parent wants his or her child to enjoy other people and to be well-liked. In
Developnmental Psychology, we include both these goals under the
term “social development.” Although most parents are aware that
innate differences in temperament contribute importantly to
individual differences in social development, other significant
factors are less obvious. One often-overlooked factor is language
development. It turns out that, just as is true for adults, children
who feel “tongue-tied” (in their case due to poorer verbal skills) in
social situations tend to avoid them altogether rather than stand awkwardly in silence.
Here’s how we know. In study after study, Dr. Mary Ann Evans from the University of
Guelph in Canada has found that children as young as 36 months who are shy, also tend
to be less facile with language than their more out-going peers. Because their language
skills are no match for their more verbal playmates—or for the unfamiliar adults who try
engaging them in conversation at the grocery store—they quickly learn to withdraw
completely or to rely on their parents rather than risk being judged as inadequate or
dumb.
What’s a parent to do? Of course, we here at the Baby Signs® Program have some
excellent advice – at least for how to help prevent the problem in the first place. By
encouraging their babies to use signs, parents can help them get a jumpstart on learning to
talk, thereby increasing the chance that they will be comfortable
talking with their peers as they move into the toddler and preschool
years.
Another plus when it comes to peer interaction is the effect of
signing on aggression. Because the ability to use signs enables
children to get their needs met through calm communication, they
are less likely to feel the frustration that so often fuels biting and
hitting during the toddler period. In fact, being able to sign also benefits potential victims
of attacks by enabling them to sign an emphatic “Stop!” or a reminder to be “Gentle!” If
all else fails, they at least have a way to explicitly ask for “help”
from an adult and indicate where they “hurt.”
Finally, the sense of being effective in the world that signing
allows increases the chance that children will develop selfconfidence
and self-esteem – two vital ingredients in the recipe
for social success.
For all these reasons, the Baby Signs® encouraging babies to sign via the Baby Signs®
Program is a great first step toward helping them be comfortable in their social worlds
and avoid the feelings of self-consciousness, fear, and loneliness that all too frequently
plague the “shy” child.
Visit www.babysigns.com for more information about Baby Signs® resources to help you
and your baby enjoy all the benefits that signing can bring.
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