While teaching an infant to learn sign language, and learning sign language yourself for that purpose alone might seem odd to some people, the fact of the matter is that it is becoming more and more common for parents to use sign language with their infants. There are many benefits of learning infant sign language, some of which may seem apparent, and some of which may not seem nearly as apparent.

When we think about the benefits of learning infant sign language, one of the very first benefits that comes to mind is that learning infant sign language often will allow an infant to communicate with their parents much earlier than when they are able to correctly articulate speech. Some parents have observed their children communicating needs, such as a wet diaper or hunger as early as 5 months of age using sign language.

Another benefit of learning infant sign language is the educational benefit that your child may reap. There are studies that suggest that children who were learning sign language when they were infants tend to score higher on IQ tests later on. In addition, studies have also shown that children that learn a second language at an early age, whether it is sign language or whether it is a second spoken language, tend to have an easier time communicating in those languages, and also have improved skills in their primary language.

It is also beneficial to teach an infant sign language because you can use genuine ASL (American Sign Language) to teach your infant. By doing so, you will help your infant be able to, in the long run, communicate with people who may be deaf, but who may be able to use American Sign Language.

There is no research that suggests that there are anything but benefits of learning infant sign language. Learning sign language as an infant has not bee shown to interfere with later learning whatsoever. In fact, the results of most studies suggest exactly the opposite, that learning sign language as an infant will actually help the child’s study of language later on.

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