Baby sign language supports speech development by giving infants a way to communicate before their vocal abilities mature, which reduces frustration and creates more opportunities for meaningful language exchanges between parent and child. Research conducted over the past few decades has generally shown that babies who learn simple signs do not experience delayed speech; in fact, many studies suggest these children may develop verbal language at the same rate or even slightly earlier than their non-signing peers.
The key mechanism appears to be engagement: when a baby signs “milk” or “more” and a caregiver responds verbally while fulfilling the request, that interaction reinforces the connection between communication and results, laying groundwork for spoken words to follow. Consider a 10-month-old who learns the sign for “dog.” Each time she sees the family pet and makes the gesture, her parent might say, “Yes, that’s the dog! Good job, you see the dog!” This verbal reinforcement happens dozens of times before the child can physically produce the word herself, effectively front-loading her exposure to correct pronunciation and sentence structure. This article explores how signing intersects with speech milestones, what the research actually shows (and where it remains limited), practical approaches for parents, and common misconceptions that persist about this practice.
Table of Contents
- Does Baby Sign Language Delay or Accelerate Verbal Speech?
- The Neurological Connection Between Gestures and Language
- When to Start Teaching Signs and What to Expect
- Comparing Baby Sign Language Programs and Approaches
- Common Mistakes and Misconceptions About Signing and Speech
- Signs for Speech-Related Concepts
- Looking Ahead: Baby Sign Language in Early Childhood Education
- Conclusion
Does Baby Sign Language Delay or Accelerate Verbal Speech?
The most persistent question parents ask is whether teaching signs will cause their baby to rely on gestures instead of learning to talk. The weight of available evidence suggests this concern is unfounded. Studies from researchers including Linda Acredolo and Susan Goodwyn, whose work in the 1980s and 1990s helped popularize baby signing in the United States, found that signing babies reached verbal milestones at comparable or earlier ages than control groups. However, it is important to note that subsequent research has produced mixed results, with some studies showing modest advantages and others finding no significant difference either way.
What researchers generally agree on is that signing does not impede speech. The comparison worth considering is this: babies naturally gesture before they speak, pointing at objects and raising their arms to be picked up. Formalized baby sign language simply expands this instinctive behavior into a more robust communication system. The transition from sign to speech tends to happen organically as children discover that words are faster and more universally understood than gestures. Most toddlers begin dropping signs from their repertoire once they can reliably produce the corresponding spoken words, typically between 18 and 24 months.
The Neurological Connection Between Gestures and Language
Speech and gesture are processed in overlapping regions of the brain, which helps explain why signing may support rather than compete with verbal development. When a baby learns a sign, she is not simply memorizing a hand movement in isolation; she is building a symbolic representation that connects an object or concept to a communicative act. This cognitive work exercises the same neural pathways that will later support spoken vocabulary. Research in developmental psychology has documented that children who gesture more at 14 months tend to have larger spoken vocabularies at later ages.
This correlation holds regardless of whether the gestures are formal signs or informal pointing and reaching. However, structured baby sign language offers an advantage: the gestures are consistent and recognizable, making it easier for caregivers to respond appropriately and reinforce the communication loop. One limitation of this research is that most studies have been conducted with hearing children in hearing families. The dynamics may differ for deaf children learning sign as a primary language or for hearing children of deaf adults. Additionally, much of the foundational research was conducted decades ago, and while its conclusions have held up reasonably well, newer longitudinal studies with larger and more diverse sample populations would strengthen the evidence base.
When to Start Teaching Signs and What to Expect
Most experts recommend introducing signs when babies are between six and nine months old, though there is no strict cutoff. At this age, infants have developed sufficient motor control to begin imitating simple hand movements, and their cognitive development allows them to start making connections between symbols and meanings. Parents should not expect immediate results; it often takes several weeks or even months of consistent modeling before a baby produces her first intentional sign. A realistic example: a parent begins signing “milk” before each feeding starting when their baby is seven months old. At nine months, the baby makes an approximation of the sign, perhaps a squeezing motion that is not quite right but clearly intentional.
By 11 months, the sign is consistent and clearly communicative. This timeline varies considerably between children, and some babies show no interest in signing despite enthusiastic parental modeling. This does not indicate a problem with the child’s development; it simply means signing may not be the right fit for that particular family. The signs most useful for early communication tend to be those connected to immediate needs and interests: milk, more, all done, eat, water, help, and names of favorite objects or people. Abstract concepts and action verbs typically come later, as the child’s cognitive abilities mature.
Comparing Baby Sign Language Programs and Approaches
Parents interested in teaching signs have several options, ranging from informal home-based approaches to structured curricula. The two most common systems are Signing Time, a media-based program developed by Rachel Coleman, and Baby Signing Time, which targets the youngest learners. Some families instead use a subset of American Sign Language (ASL) signs, while others invent their own gestures. The tradeoff between using standardized ASL signs versus simplified or invented gestures involves consistency and future utility.
ASL signs have the advantage of being recognized by deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals, meaning a child who learns them gains access to a real language community. However, some ASL signs require fine motor control that very young babies have not yet developed, leading some programs to modify signs for easier execution. Invented or family-specific signs have no recognition outside the home but may be easier for individual children to produce. There is no evidence that one approach produces better speech outcomes than another; the critical variable appears to be consistent, responsive interaction rather than the specific signs used. Parents should choose whatever approach they will actually maintain, since sporadic or inconsistent signing produces minimal benefits.
Common Mistakes and Misconceptions About Signing and Speech
One frequent error parents make is treating signing as a passive activity, showing videos or flashcards without engaging in interactive communication. The value of baby sign language lies in the back-and-forth exchange it facilitates, not in the rote memorization of gestures. A child who watches signing videos but never has her own signs acknowledged and responded to misses the developmental benefit entirely. Another misconception is that more signs equal faster speech development.
There is no evidence that teaching 100 signs produces better outcomes than teaching 20, and overwhelming a baby with too many new concepts can lead to confusion rather than expanded communication. Quality of interaction matters more than quantity of vocabulary. Parents should also be cautious about claims that baby sign language will significantly boost IQ or produce gifted children. While some early studies suggested cognitive benefits, these findings have not been consistently replicated, and the effect sizes were modest even in positive studies. Teaching your baby to sign is a reasonable choice for reducing frustration and facilitating early communication, but it should not be viewed as an academic accelerator program.
Signs for Speech-Related Concepts
Teaching signs that relate specifically to communication can create useful meta-awareness about language itself. The sign for “talk” (a hand gesture near the mouth representing words coming out) helps toddlers understand that speech is a distinct activity.
Signs for “loud” and “quiet” give children ways to express preferences about their auditory environment before they have the vocabulary to do so verbally. For example, a toddler who knows the sign for “quiet” can request a lower volume on the television or indicate that a sibling is being too noisy, rather than simply crying or covering her ears. This type of sign serves both communicative and regulatory functions, giving children tools to manage their own experience while building conceptual categories that will later be expressed verbally.
Looking Ahead: Baby Sign Language in Early Childhood Education
Baby sign language has moved from a niche parenting practice to a standard offering in many childcare settings. Preschools and daycare centers increasingly incorporate basic signs into their curricula, recognizing that nonverbal communication tools benefit children at various developmental stages and those with diverse learning needs.
This institutional adoption suggests the practice has staying power beyond individual family choices. The future may bring more research into how signing intersects with bilingual development, neurodivergent communication styles, and technology-mediated learning. As with many parenting practices, the evidence base is evolving, and parents should remain open to updated guidance while trusting their own observations of what works for their individual children.
Conclusion
Baby sign language offers a practical bridge between a child’s desire to communicate and her developing ability to speak. The available research suggests that signing neither delays nor dramatically accelerates verbal development, but it does reduce frustration and increase opportunities for meaningful parent-child interaction during the pre-verbal months.
These early exchanges establish patterns of communication that support language development regardless of whether the symbols used are gestural or spoken. Parents interested in trying baby sign language should start with a small set of useful signs, model them consistently during natural daily interactions, and respond enthusiastically when their baby attempts to communicate. The goal is not to produce a signing prodigy but to create more moments of connection and understanding during a period when babies have much to say but limited means to say it.