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Actions speak louder than words for babies
By Gene Schabath / The Detroit News
The Detroit News, Detroit, Michigan
Tuesday, November 30, 2004
Forget about goo-goo and da-da.
Parents who want to teach their babies how to communicate should consider using a language they understand -- "baby signs," child development experts say.
What was once a little-known communication technique taught by well-read parents has gone mainstream, with free classes being offered to couples who want to start interacting with their children before toddlers can make sounds critical to talking.
"For us, it meant less frustration," said Aaron Erkkinen, 26, of Clinton Township, who went through the baby signs classes with his wife, Katie, and their son, Ethan, now 20 months. They started teaching Ethan the signs when he was 7 months old.
"With signs, he can express his need instead of us guessing what he wanted," Erkkinen said.
Studies have shown that children who learn signing have a larger
vocabulary and learn to talk faster, said Burton White, a retired child development specialist known for his work at Harvard University.
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