Baby sign language works remarkably well for early talkers, often accelerating their verbal development rather than replacing it. An NIH-funded study by Acredolo and Goodwyn in 2000 followed approximately 100 babies who began signing at 11 months and found that these children were more advanced talkers than peers who received only verbal training—exhibiting verbal skills three months ahead of non-signers by age two. This finding challenges the intuitive assumption that teaching signs might somehow compete with or delay spoken words. In practice, the opposite appears true: giving babies a gestural vocabulary seems to prime the pump for verbal expression. Consider a 14-month-old who already says a handful of words like “mama,” “dada,” and “ball.” Parents might wonder whether introducing signs at this stage offers any benefit.
The research suggests it does. By age three, children who learned baby signs demonstrated language skills comparable to typical four-year-olds, according to longitudinal data from the same research team. The bridge between gesture and speech appears to be additive rather than substitutional—early talkers who sign tend to build larger vocabularies and communicate more complex ideas earlier than their non-signing peers. This article explores why signing benefits children who are already verbal, the optimal timing for introduction, which signs prove most useful, and what limitations exist in the current research. We will also examine special considerations for different learning profiles and practical strategies for integrating signs into daily routines with a child who has already begun talking.
Table of Contents
- Why Does Signing Help Children Who Already Speak?
- When Should You Introduce Signs to an Early Talker?
- The Research Behind Signing and Verbal Development
- Which Signs Work Best for Children Already Talking?
- What Are the Limitations of Signing for Advanced Communicators?
- How Signing Benefits Children with Different Learning Profiles
- What Does the Future of Baby Sign Research Look Like?
- Conclusion
Why Does Signing Help Children Who Already Speak?
The relationship between gesture and language development runs deeper than most parents realize. A 2009 study by Rowe and Goldin-Meadow found that the number of gestures a child uses at 14 months correlates with vocabulary size at kindergarten entry. This connection persists regardless of whether the child is an early, average, or late talker. Gestures appear to scaffold language learning by giving children a way to represent concepts before they can articulate them verbally, and this representational practice carries forward into more sophisticated verbal expression. For early talkers specifically, signing provides a release valve for the frustration gap. A child may understand far more than they can say, even when their verbal skills exceed developmental norms.
An 18-month-old who says 50 words might comprehend 200—and have opinions about all of them. signs like “help,” “more,” and “all done” give these children additional tools to express nuanced needs their verbal vocabulary cannot yet cover. The result is often fewer tantrums and more productive communication, which in turn creates more positive language interactions with caregivers. However, the benefits of signing for early talkers depend on how signs are introduced. Children who are already verbal may resist learning signs if they perceive them as unnecessary or if the signs taught do not fill genuine communication gaps. Parents of early talkers should focus on signs for concepts the child does not yet verbalize rather than signs for words they already speak clearly.
When Should You Introduce Signs to an Early Talker?
The conventional wisdom suggests beginning baby sign language between six and eight months, before most children produce their first words. Research from studies of hearing children born to deaf parents shows that first recognizable signs can emerge as early as 5.5 months, with a mean age of 8.5 months—well before most spoken first words appear. But what about children who are already talking when their parents discover signing? The short answer is that it is rarely too late to introduce signs, though the window of maximum benefit narrows as verbal skills expand. Children exposed to regular signing at six to seven months can begin expressive signing by eight to nine months, creating several months of enhanced communication before verbal language takes over.
For a child who starts talking at 10 months, introducing signs at 12 or 14 months still offers value, but the period during which signs serve as a primary communication bridge shortens considerably. A practical limitation emerges around 18 to 24 months for typically developing children. By this age, verbal vocabulary often expands rapidly enough that new signs may feel redundant. However, signs for abstract concepts like “scared,” “hurt,” or “gentle” can remain useful well into the toddler years, even for children with advanced verbal skills. The key is matching sign introduction to communication needs rather than adhering to rigid timelines.
The Research Behind Signing and Verbal Development
The most frequently cited evidence for baby sign language comes from the NIH-funded study mentioned earlier, which followed babies from 11 months through second grade. Beyond the three-month verbal advantage observed at age two, researchers found something more striking: when these same children were tested at age eight, those who had learned baby signs scored 12 points higher on IQ tests than their non-signing peers. This long-term advantage suggests that early gestural communication may support cognitive development beyond language alone. Additional research reinforces these findings. A 1988 study by Acredolo and Goodwyn found that 87 percent of infants surveyed had at least one sign in their gestural vocabulary, suggesting that symbolic gesture is a natural part of development that structured signing programs simply formalize and expand.
A 2022 review published in the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s journal confirmed that signing does not delay spoken language acquisition—the effect ranges from neutral to positive, definitively countering the myth that signs compete with words. Critics of this research raise valid methodological concerns. Studies have been relatively small, with the landmark NIH study including only about 100 participants. A systematic review by the Hanen Centre noted weaknesses including lack of randomization and potential bias in parent-reported data. Parents who invest time in teaching signs may also invest more in other language-rich activities, making it difficult to isolate signing as the causal factor. These limitations do not invalidate the research, but they do suggest that effect sizes may be smaller in the general population than controlled studies indicate.
Which Signs Work Best for Children Already Talking?
The most commonly recommended first signs—”milk,” “eat,” “more,” and “all done”—remain useful for early talkers, but the strategy should shift toward filling vocabulary gaps rather than labeling basics the child already verbalizes. If your 12-month-old already says “more” clearly, teaching the sign adds little value. Instead, focus on signs for words that are difficult to pronounce or concepts that are hard to express. Playful signs like “dog,” “cat,” “ball,” and “light” work well for early talkers because they support interactive games and book reading. Signs for emotions prove particularly valuable: “scared,” “angry,” “sad,” and “excited” give children language for internal states they may struggle to articulate verbally.
Signs for abstract requests like “help,” “please,” and “gentle” also fill gaps that early verbal vocabulary typically leaves open. The tradeoff parents face is between breadth and depth. Teaching many signs exposes children to more vocabulary but may overwhelm or bore an early talker who already communicates effectively. Teaching fewer, more targeted signs ensures each one fills a genuine need but limits the cognitive benefits that come from expanded gestural vocabulary. A middle path involves introducing three to five new signs per week, retiring signs the child verbalizes clearly, and continuously assessing which communication gaps remain.
What Are the Limitations of Signing for Advanced Communicators?
Parents of early talkers sometimes report that their children show little interest in learning signs. This resistance typically stems from one of two issues: the child perceives signing as unnecessary because verbal communication already meets their needs, or the signs being taught are redundant with words the child already speaks. Unlike pre-verbal infants, who embrace any communication tool that works, early talkers may need motivation beyond mere comprehension. One effective approach involves making signing novel and engaging rather than utilitarian. Signs for animals during zoo visits, signs for vehicles during car rides, or signs learned from video content that incorporates music and movement often succeed where basic needs-based signs fail.
The goal shifts from giving the child a communication tool to enriching their conceptual understanding and making language play multisensory. A genuine limitation exists for children whose verbal skills are far above average. A two-year-old speaking in complex sentences likely derives minimal practical benefit from signing, though they may still enjoy it as a game or activity. Parents should feel comfortable discontinuing formal sign instruction when verbal skills clearly outpace the communicative value signs provide. The research supports signing as a bridge to verbal language, not a permanent parallel system for hearing children with typical development.
How Signing Benefits Children with Different Learning Profiles
Research on special populations reveals that signing offers particular advantages for children with weaker language abilities. A 2013 study by Kirk and colleagues found that children with the weakest language skills made significant gains following symbolic gesture training—larger gains, in some cases, than their peers who started with stronger language foundations. This finding suggests that signing may be especially valuable as an intervention for late talkers or children at risk for language delays.
Children from low socioeconomic status families also showed positive effects from signing programs in a 2013 study by Mueller and colleagues. These benefits may stem from increased parent-child interaction time, more deliberate attention to communication, or the multisensory nature of learning that combines visual, motor, and auditory channels. For early talkers from disadvantaged backgrounds, signing may help maintain developmental advantages that might otherwise diminish as environmental language exposure becomes a limiting factor.
What Does the Future of Baby Sign Research Look Like?
The field of baby sign language research stands at an interesting crossroads. While existing studies consistently show positive or neutral effects on language development, the methodological limitations critics identify point toward a need for larger, randomized controlled trials. Such studies would help determine whether the benefits observed stem from signing itself or from the increased parental engagement that signing programs encourage.
What seems clear from current evidence is that parents who invest in communication—whether through signing, reading, talking, or all three—tend to raise children with stronger language skills. Signing offers a structured, evidence-informed approach to that investment, particularly valuable during the pre-verbal and early verbal periods. For early talkers, signs extend the communication toolkit, reduce frustration, and appear to support rather than hinder the verbal development already underway.
Conclusion
Baby sign language offers documented benefits for early talkers, despite intuitive concerns that verbal children might not need gestural communication. The NIH-funded research showing three-month verbal advantages at age two and 12-point IQ differences at age eight provides compelling evidence that signing supports rather than competes with spoken language. For parents of children who talk early, the key lies in selecting signs that fill genuine communication gaps rather than duplicating verbal vocabulary the child already possesses.
The practical approach involves starting with signs for emotions, abstract requests, and difficult-to-pronounce words while remaining flexible about discontinuing instruction as verbal skills make signs redundant. Research limitations warrant realistic expectations—effect sizes may be smaller than headline statistics suggest, and the benefits of signing may overlap significantly with benefits of increased parental engagement generally. Nevertheless, for parents seeking evidence-based ways to support their early talker’s continued development, baby sign language remains a well-supported option.