I had already heard of a method that takes a lot in countries like Canada and that enhances sign language to communicate with the baby before they can talk. My Smart Hands is an educational psychomotor stimulation program based on sign language for babies.
The founder of this method is Laura Berg, who developed it through the skills obtained with the American Sign Language (ASL). Now we find the information and access to this methodology in Spanish thanks to Carmen Candel, a graduate in Psychology and the first official instructor of this Canadian program in Spain has released the official website in our language.
You can hear wonders of this and other methods to communicate with the baby before he starts talking, although I have also read opposing opinions that appeal to a delay in speech development.
In fact, a friend recently told me that they had recommended “not understand” her son because he communicated a lot by signs (and they have not followed any method, it is something that all babies do to a greater or lesser extent) instead of developing speech.
On the web they tell us that the My Smart Hands method reduces frustration and, on the contrary, accelerates verbal development and cognitive skills of the baby:
My Smart Hands works on communicative interaction through KTVA sensorimotor stimulation, promoting several communication channels at the same time: Kinesthetic, Tactile, Auditory and Visual.Our classes are based on manualized procedures, assets, managers - structured and of short duration.
However, despite the objections I see to this method that has become an international business, I do consider it to be suitable for disabled children (for example, with Down syndrome or hearing disabilities) or as an introduction system to foreign languages, as a game.
In fact I see on the web that they offer courses for special needs and as an introduction to English, apart from levels 1 and 2 for babies.
Although I do play (as we play "signs" in our language), I think a baby who still does not know how to speak in the mother tongue you don't need to "learn" english in sign language, that at this step we will put English as a compulsory subject in childbirth preparation ... Another thing is that one or both parents were native, I would learn the language as bilingual.
But foreign language classes at such an early age have not proven to be very effective, nor do I think they are if it is through signs.
In addition, speaking by signs or onomatopoeia is something that, as I say to a greater or lesser extent, we all apply to our babies and help us understand each other, without this sign language being the sole basis of communication, which I think should be avoided. In fact, it seems that the signs are accompanied by words by adults.
In any case, for parents interested in My Smart Hands, a sign language method to communicate with the baby Before he learns to speak by words, they know that they already have the information available in Spanish. The practical classes are in Madrid, but soon they will offer courses on-line.
