Question for the baby signing experts

Jule'sMomInOR · #1 July 20th, 2011, 09:31 AM

I posted this on the baby signing forum but it seems to have very little traffic. How do you teach the sign an abstract concept, like pain? I want Juliana to be able to sign to me that something hurts. The only thing I can think of is to make the sign when she falls down or something, but that's rare and then I wonder if she'll think the sign means falling down.

Daffodil · #2 July 20th, 2011, 09:33 AM

I was wondering the same thing. I wonder if its just something that they get when they are a little bit older and understand more.

Although when my niece had just turned two and could speak very well, she would say things "hurt" even if they didn't. Like if Arie was sitting next to her and their arms were touching, Layla would lean away and say "hurt!" LOL She would also say she was "scared" of things that she simply didn't like.

Hollybear · #3 July 20th, 2011, 09:55 AM

Do you want Baby Signs or Baby Signing Time?

The class we are taking right now is Baby Signs, but we were using the Baby Signing Time DVD before that. The instructor got all snappy with me when I told her we did Baby Signing Time because Baby Signs isn't official ASL, but Baby Signing Time is.

I have the chart for both and an app on my iPad, lol

Jule'sMomInOR · #4 July 20th, 2011, 09:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hollybear

Do you want Baby Signs or Baby Signing Time?

The class we are taking right now is Baby Signs, but we were using the Baby Signing Time DVD before that. The instructor got all snappy with me when I told her we did Baby Signing Time because Baby Signs isn't official ASL, but Baby Signing Time is.

I have the chart for both and an app on my iPad, lol

Woah, I didn't even know there was a difference. I'm not too worried about whether we get the official ASL, just that it's something our family can recognize. I'm just trying to figure out how to get her to connect an abstract concept with its sign.

Hollybear · #5 July 20th, 2011, 10:05 AM

Honestly, I prefer Baby Signs but I like the lady on the Baby Signing Time DVD the best....hahaha

Daffodil · #6 July 20th, 2011, 10:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hollybear

Honestly, I prefer Baby Signs but I like the lady on the Baby Signing Time DVD the best....hahaha

LOL my sister does an awesome impression of her. I always laugh so hard that I start crying, and then Arie starts crying too.

Hollybear · #7 July 21st, 2011, 04:01 PM

LOL!!!

Okay so I met up with some friends for a park playdate today and confirmed that a sign for pain is doing your two pointer fingers together in front of you, and you sort of tap inward to the spot that is hurting....so if it was on the mouth, you would do it there...

Does that make sense? I can totally get DH to record me doing this later on, but it's really simple.

Daffodil · #8 July 21st, 2011, 04:28 PM

Holly, I think what Mariah is asking is how do you teach a baby that the sign for hurt MEANS hurt. Like its an abstract concept, not something tangible like milk. Did your class cover that, how to teach babies abstract concepts?

Jule'sMomInOR · #9 July 21st, 2011, 05:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daffodil

Holly, I think what Mariah is asking is how do you teach a baby that the sign for hurt MEANS hurt. Like its an abstract concept, not something tangible like milk. Did your class cover that, how to teach babies abstract concepts?

Ditto! Although I didn't know the actual sign either, so that was helpful, too.

I suppose I will make the sign any time I know she's already hurting, but that's not very often so I'm not sure if she'll catch on.

Hollybear · #10 July 21st, 2011, 07:34 PM

I still think you do the same sign though!

I think babies also start making up their own signs....like I always got "milk" swapped with "all done" and I think we do them the wrong way now, lol

and I always thought "please" was "hungry" LOL

#11 July 21st, 2011, 07:37 PM

I make up signs as we go to a lot of things. The only "normal" ones I use are milk, all done, more, please and thank you. She had yet to sign one but today she did do what looked like more when I was feeding her some of my smoothie. Her palms were open but I know what she was doing.

#12 July 21st, 2011, 07:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KaiX2Momma

I make up signs as we go to a lot of things. The only "normal" ones I use are milk, all done, more, please and thank you. She had yet to sign one but today she did do what looked like more when I was feeding her some of my smoothie. Her palms were open but I know what she was doing.

I just put two and two together today with Caleb. When he is eating he will start clapping and than start screaming. I figured out that the clapping is his sign for more. LOL...this was a HUGE breakthrough for me today.

Anyway, Mariah, if you figure out the answer let us know. I often wonder the same thing. Even with speech when they get older. Right now I'm trying to teach Grace about real vs fake and truth vs false. Very hard to explain such an abstract concept even to a 3 year old.

Jule'sMomInOR · #13 August 3rd, 2011, 09:24 AM

I got a good answer on this from my friend. She said you don't want to teach them the sign for pain when they get hurt, because they won't be focusing on what you're doing. However, you can do the sign for pain when you get hurt. She would actually pretend to bump her knee or elbow on something, scream "Ouch" and hold onto the area, and then make the sign for pain. Just to get extra practice she'd pretend 3 or 4 times per day, and a few months later she saw her DD make the sign. I guess I'm going to try that.