Parents: Reduce Those Testy Toddler Tantrums With Sign Language
Babies and toddlers too young to talk can communicate their needs through ASL and cut down on frustrating tantrums, says authors of the new book "Signing Smart for Babies and Toddlers A Parent's Strategy and Activity Guide." Now in Stores.
Centennial, CO (PRWEB) August 23, 2005 -- Ah, children. They can be a
handful! Part of the challenge comes from the frustration they experience when
they desperately want to convey their wants and needs to mom and dad but simply
lack the words to do so. Now there’s help, thanks to American Sign Language
(ASL) and the new book Signing Smart with Babies & Toddlers: A Parent's
Strategy and Activity Guide (St. Martin’s Press). This engaging, easy-to-follow
book, now in stores, opens up a new world of communication for babies and
toddlers and their families.
Drs. Michelle Anthony and Reyna Lindert,
co-authors of Signing Smart, have created a wonderfully interactive and
educational guidebook -- full of more than 70 easy-to-learn activities -- to
help parents playfully integrate signing into everyday life with their hearing
children, from their children's first days through toddlerhood and into the
preschool years.
Studies by Anthony and Lindert have shown that families
who take advantage of the techniques described in this book have children who
are able to communicate much earlier than once believed -- some as young as 6
months old! Because of this, children are less frustrated and thus have fewer
tantrums. The emotional bond between parent and child is strengthened when
communication is easy. Signing enhances children’s speech development and
facilitates their ability to learn. And it strengthens an educational foundation
that will be built on for years into the future.
"By drawing on the
information and activities in Signing Smart, parents will not only learn how to
enrich the interactions they naturally have with their children, but will also
learn how signing can become a treasure for the whole family to enjoy," say
Anthony and Lindert. "The techniques we’ve developed will allow parents to
become partners in their children’s development and learn ways to benefit from
and enjoy signing for years to come."
Signing Smart also stresses the
benefits of using true ASL signs as opposed to simply making up gestures or
using "baby-friendly" modified signs. Research done by the authors and their
colleagues at the University of California at Berkeley shows that children use
the conceptual framework of true signs to more easily and more quickly learn
them. In addition, the book describes many simple but effective strategies to
help parents adapt true ASL signs, which allows children access to the signs
while they are simultaneously playing and exploring. Relying on years of
research by the authors and others about the ways young children produce true
ASL signs, Signing Smart also makes it easy for parents to recognize and respond
to their children's versions of ASL signs.
The book contains a wealth of
fun, developmentally appropriate activities that incorporate signs and Signing
Smart strategies. The first set complements daily routines (Diapering and
Dressing, Mealtime, Bathtime, and Bedtime). The second set enriches moments when
parents and children are playing together (Floor Time Play, Active Play, Pretend
Play). Insets offer additional information such as answers to questions parents
frequently ask, troubleshooting tips, details about child development, and
activity extenders.
Throughout the book are numerous parent-child
photos—so readers can not only see how to implement the strategies, but also see
likely child versions of the suggested signs. Appendixes include a photographic
dictionary of 130 signs; an index of likely child versions of signs; a list of
additional resources for parents; and an index of frequently asked
questions.
Parents and professionals who are excited to make a difference
in the lives of young children are encouraged to learn more about becoming part
of the Signing Smart Instructor Team. To learn more about Signing Smart's
comprehensive and extensive line of instructor materials, visit www.signingsmart.com.
Backed by more than 25 combined
years of expertise in early language development and building on their
experiences as early childhood teachers, parent educators, Ph.D.s in Development
Psychology, certified ASL users and, most importantly, mothers, Michelle Anthony
and Reyna Lindert developed the Signing Smart program to help parents and
professionals facilitate development in young hearing children and promote
parent-child communication from the very start. They live with their husbands
and signing children in Centennial, CO, and Beaverton, OR,
respectively.
SIGNING SMART WITH BABIES AND TODDLERS
A Parent’s
Strategy and Activity Guide
By Michelle Anthony, M.A., Ph.D., and
Reyna
Lindert, Ph.D.
Family & Child Care/ $15.95/ 0-312-33703-2/ 256
pages
St. Martins Griffin/ Trade Paperback Original/ Pub date: May 17th,
2005
# # #
Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/8/prweb274240.htm