First ASL Sign!

We started showing signs to Stephen when he was 5 or 6 months old. He really never cared much, though. Clapping and waving were big achievements but he never copied any of our ASL signs such as "finished" or "more". He understands the signs when he sees them because often I'll use the sign without words and he knows what I'm communicating like "eat" "books" and "bath".

When he's eating he often needs to be distracted so he's actually eat and not play with the food. I usually distract him by getting him to look at the light and when I do I use the sign for light. Well yesterday for the first time he signed it back to me! It was in slow motion at first as he worked the coordination out. He knew he had done something grand because he clapped for himself afterward. Now he loves signing "light".

I've read that the first couple of signs are difficult to master but once they get the hang of it the rest of the signs come very quickly. Often babies 12 or 15 months old can have a sign vocabulary of 50 or 60 words! The parents I know that sign with their babies say that it has really lessened the frustration in their toddlers and that they can understand and communicate far more than we give them credit for.