Empower Your Nonverbal Child with ASL: A List of the Top 15 Baby Sign Language Signs
ASL Baby Sign Language is a way for infants and toddlers to communicate their needs and wants using hand gestures in American Sign Language, rather than speaking. It can be a helpful tool for parents and caregivers to understand what their child is trying to communicate, as well as a way for children to communicate before they have the verbal skills to do so. Here are 15 common ASL signs that you may find useful to learn:
The Top 15 ASL Baby Sign Language Signs for Effective Communication with Your Child
“More” – This sign is made by rubbing the hands together. It can be used to request more food, more attention, or more of any other desired item.
“Milk” – To make this sign, make a fist with one hand and tap the top of the fist with the other hand.
“Drink” – To make this sign, bring one hand to your mouth as if you were taking a drink from a cup.
“Eat” – To make this sign, bring both hands to your mouth as if you were taking a bite of food.
“Diaper change” – To make this sign, make a wiping motion over your diaper area with your hand.
“Sleep” – To make this sign, make a “zzz” motion with your hand, as if you were making the sound of someone snoring.
“All done” – To make this sign, make a sweeping motion with both hands, as if you were wiping something off a table.
“Please” – To make this sign, make a “pinching” motion with your thumb and index finger.
“Thank you” – To make this sign, bring one hand to your chest and give a slight bow.
“Hot” – To make this sign, bring one hand to your mouth and blow on it, as if you were testing the temperature of something you were eating.
“Cold” – To make this sign, rub your hands together and then bring them to your cheeks, as if you were trying to warm them up.
“Wet” – To make this sign, cup one hand and then make a squeezing motion, as if you were wringing out a wet cloth.
“Dry” – To make this sign, rub your hands together as if you were trying to dry them off.
“Help” – To make this sign, raise one hand above your head and wave it back and forth.
“Hurt” – To make this sign, point to the area where you are feeling pain or discomfort.
How to Communicate with Your Nonverbal Child in ASL: A Guide to Baby Sign Language
It’s important to remember that ASL Baby Sign Language is not a replacement for verbal language development, and it’s important to encourage your child to learn to speak as well. However, using ASL Baby Sign Language can be a helpful tool for helping your child communicate and for strengthening the bond between you and your child.
Leave a Reply