ow can you tell if your baby is ready to sign? Well, it's not like cooking a turkey. There's no little plastic pop-up to signal you. The only way for you to tell if your baby is ready to embark on the journey is for you to take a close look and see if he has all the necessary tools.

A. HOW YOUR BABY'S SKILLS DEVELOP

To help you decide when to begin signing with your baby, let's take a closer look at how his Cognitive, Motor and Language skills develop.

Remember, these are general guidelines:

Birth to 3 months

Infants respond to sudden and/or loud sounds. Crying and limited cooing are their primary methods of communicating.

3-6 months

Babies start to show an increasing interest in sounds and respond to voices. They may also make 'ooo' and 'ahh' sounds. At around 4 months, babies can remember certain sounds and objects.

6-9 months

Babies begin to babble and say things like as "Ma-Ma" and "Da-Da." They start to experiment and test their "speech equipment." At around 8 months, babies can stand with support. Also at this stage…

• Babies learn that vocalizations are attention-getting actions.
• Babies understand their first words.
• Babies can imitate gestures and manipulate objects.
• Babies can be taught to associate - between making a sign and obtaining a desired result.

9-12 months

Infants begin to understand simple instructions such as "Wave bye-bye." By 12 months of age most babies understand approximately 12 words. (Usually names of family members, pets, body parts, basic clothing etc.) Most babies speak their first words between 10 -15 months. The average is 1 year.

12-24 months

A baby's receptive vocabulary increases to as many as 300 words. Spoken language increases to an average of 200-275 words. By 12 months, motor skills have significantly improved. Babies are walking and gesturing.

18 and 24 months

Toddlers begin to use two-word sentences. (Examples: "Where ball?" and " See Daddy") Advanced motor skills result in more fluid movements.

As you have learned, most babies begin to make associations around 6 months of age. That's when they start to understand that vocalizing gives them power! They make a sound - and you come running. Once this happens, babies realize that signing is powerful, too - and that it is much more effective than crying.

Your baby will learn that when he cries, you may appear on the scene - but you may not give him what he wants, at least not immediately. When he signs, however, he learns that he gets much better results. If he makes the sign for EAT, he gets a cracker. If he makes the sign for WATER, voila - instant service!

But before that can happen, your baby's brain and cognitive skills must be developed enough for him to make the association between a certain sign and what it represents. He must also have enough memory to recall the signs - and enough motor ability to make them.

As you know, all babies are different. While 6 months is the average time most parents begin teaching their babies to sign, perhaps your baby is not ready. Some babies are ready at 5 months. Some, not until 10 months. How can you tell when the time is right for your baby? Look for signs that your baby is interested in communicating.

Signs that Your Baby is Ready to Begin Signing:

There is no universal answer about when you will see results from your signing efforts. We can, however, provide you with some generalizations - along with the same caution: All babies have different timetables. But, In general, your baby will "'catch on" and begin to sign between 8 to 10 weeks - depending on the following variables

SIGNING VARIABLES:

• Your Baby's Age - In general, the older the baby, the faster he will sign.



• Your Level of Commitment - The more committed you are to the concept of signing, the faster your baby will begin.



• Your Consistency Level - The more you sign with your baby, the faster he will catch on.




• Your Family's Level of Involvement - The more people who sign with your baby, the quicker you will see results.




• Your Level of Patience - The more patient you are, the shorter your wait will seem.

D. HOW TO DEAL WITH LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT CONCERNS

As we have said repeatedly, all babies progress at different rates. So don't panic if your baby isn't on target. There's a good chance that your child is simply doing things on his own schedule.

If you are still concerned about your child's development, review the following milestones from the Corporation for National Service, The U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. If your child cannot meet them, he should have an assessment by a professional to make sure that there are no problems that needs to be dealt with early.

You should consult a pediatrician or speech and hearing professional if…

1. Your 3-month old is not responding to sounds or voices.
2. Your 8-month old is not making several sounds or reaching for or grasping objects.
3. Your 8 to 12 month old does not look at people when they talk to him.
4. Your 8 to 12 month old does not point at objects or make sounds to get what he wants, like a favorite toy.
5. Your 18-month old does not say more than a few words clearly.
6. Your 20-month old cannot follow a simple request such as, "Come to Daddy."
7. Your 24-month old does not put two words together.
   

Move to Module V- INTRODUCING BABY'S FIRST SIGNS