Will teaching my baby sign language cause speech delays?

Parents want to know about any speech delays that their child might have. Heather Ellington shares valuable advice on how baby sign language can affect the development of your baby's speech and language skills.
Does Baby Sign Language Delay Speech?
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Will teaching my baby sign language cause speech delays?

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Teaching your baby sign language shouldn't hurt or delay their speech development. If you have concerns about your baby's speech development, you should definitely talk to your Pediatrician or talk to your Speech Language Pathologist. If you have concerns about their hearing, make sure you talk to an Audiologist. Research does show that teaching your baby sign language should really help and enhance your communication with your baby.

Parents want to know about any speech delays that their child might have. Heather Ellington shares valuable advice on how baby sign language can affect the development of your baby's speech and language skills.

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Heather Ellington

Baby Sign Language Instructor

Heather graduated from San Francisco State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics and Special Education in 2007 and is currently pursuing her Masters of Science in Communicative Disorders and Sciences at California State University, Northridge. Heather began learning ASL in college, and has volunteered for an inclusion class for Deaf/Hard of Hearing and Multiple Disabilities at the elementary school level, where she also worked as an interpreter. Heather marvels at the way sign language has helped children, babies, and parents get their needs met effectively and in a fun way, while promoting literacy, speech, and language development.

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Transcription: 
Teaching your baby sign language shouldn't hurt or delay their speech development. If you have concerns about your baby's speech development, you should definitely talk to your Pediatrician or talk to your Speech Language Pathologist. If you have concerns about their hearing, make sure you talk to an Audiologist. Research does show that teaching your baby sign language should really help and enhance your communication with your baby.