By Monica Beyer

I have had many requests for information on what, if any, academic research has been done on the subject of using sign language with pre-verbal, hearing infants. The reasons for these requests vary — some are doing papers for college courses, some are looking into starting their own sign language business and some are parents who want to know the effect sign language will have on their child’s spoken word vocabulary.

Here, then, is a brief list of sources that I can point you to on the study of sign language and hearing infants and toddlers (with links where available).

Impact of Symbolic Gesturing on Early Language Development, Susan W. Goodwyn , Linda P. Acredolo and Catherine A. Brown, California State University, Stanislaus, University of California, Davis San Diego State University, (2000) Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 24, 81-103.

The Longterm Impact of Symbolic Gesturing During Infancy on IQ at Age 8, Linda P. Acredolo, University of California, Davis and Susan W. Goodwyn, California State University, Stanislaus Paper presented at the International Conference on Infant Studies (July 18, 2000: Brighton, UK)

National Study of Signing Smart Children, Dr. Michelle Anthony and Dr. Reyna Lindert, Signing Smart program founders

Daniels, M. (October, 1994). The effects of sign language on hearing children’s language development. Communication Education, 43, 291-298.

Daniels, M. (1996). Seeing language: The effect over time of sign language on vocabulary development in early childhood education. Child Study Journal, 26, 193-208.

Daniels, M. (2001). Dancing with Words: Signing for Hearing Children’s Literacy. Westport, Connecticut: Bergin and Garvey.

Daniels, M. (1993) “ASL as a Possible Factor in the Acquisition of English for Hearing Children,” Sign Language Studies, Vol. 78, pp. 23-29.

Gesture Paves the Way for Language Development, Research report. Jana M Iverson, University of Pittsburgh, and Susan Goldin-Meadow, University of Chicago.

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About the Author: Monica Beyer, creator of the highly trafficked website signingbaby.com, gained firsthand knowledge of the benefits of using baby sign language from teaching her own three children. Author of Baby Talk (Tarcher, 2006) and Teach Your Baby to Sign (Fair Winds Press, 2007), she lives in Missouri with her husband and children.

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