Baby Signs History

In 1982, Drs. Linda Acredolo and Susan Goodwyn discovered that babies were spontaneously using simple gestures to represent words they were not yet able to say. They might sniff for “flower,” pant for “dog,” or flap their arms for “bird.” What would happen, Drs. Acredolo and Goodwyn wondered, if parents just helped the process along?
Thus began a major breakthrough in infant-parent communication called the Baby Signs® Program – a natural baby sign language that allows babies and their parents to use simple signs to communicate important things – like being hungry or thirsty, hot or cold, afraid or sad – often a full year before babies could otherwise speak.

Through two decades of research, much of it funded by the National Institutes of Health, Drs. Acredolo and Goodwyn have demonstrated that their Baby Signs Program® has dramatic benefits, including decreasing frustration for babies and parents, enriching the parent-child bond, boosting emotional development, helping babies talk sooner– even raising IQ.
Their ground-breaking book, Baby Signs: How to Talk to Your Baby Before Your Baby Can Talk, was published in 1996 and quickly became a bestseller (over 500,000 copies sold in the U.S. alone and has been translated into 14 foreign languages). The Baby Signs® Program has been featured on national television, including the Oprah Winfrey Show, NBC Today, ABC 20/20, Dateline NBC, CBS Morning Show, ABC Good Morning America, and NBC Nightly News. Articles about the Baby Signs Program have also appeared in leading newspapers, and in national magazines including Newsweek,US News and World Report, Child, Parents, and Parenting.

In July 2000, Drs. Acredolo and Goodwyn published a second book for parents, Baby Minds: Brain-Building Games Your Baby Will Love, with Bantum Books, a Division of Random House. This book also became a best-selling parenting title and has been translated into eight foreign languages. Baby Minds has been featured on NBC Nightly News, ABC Good Morning America, and in the PBS Child Development series produced by the Dr. Benjamin Spock Foundation.

Drs. Acredolo and Goodwyn’s third book, Baby Hearts: A Guide to Giving Your Baby an Emotional Head Start, (Bantum Books, Summer 2005), focuses on new research that reveals the rich, emotional lives of young babies and teaches parents ways to cultivate their child’s emotional intelligence. With the completion of Baby Hearts, Drs. Acredolo and Goodwyn provide parents with a comprehensive approach to fostering their child’s social, emotional, intellectual and language development, laying strong foundations for their child’s future success.

About Baby Signs Singapore

Hello! My name is Joyce Wong. Baby Signs Singapore started in early 2007 when I and my husband, Jeremy became the first and only Baby Signs® Independent Certified Instructors in Singapore with the support of Baby Signs® Inc.

My husband and I started using Baby Signs back in 2005, when our baby daughter was about 3 months old. The experience was GREAT! Patience and consistency were needed but the fruits of our labor were definitely worthwhile. It made our daily communication with our baby so much easier, and both parents and child were communicating even before she could talk. We understood what she was trying to tell us and therefore knew her needs. That resulted in her being less frustrated and more satisfied and confident. The benefits of using Baby Signs continues to astound us. Our daughter, Carrie-Anne was able to speak in perfect, clear and complete sentences at only 24 months of age. She is now 2.5years old but is able to speak and do things 6 to 12 months ahead of other children of the same age. This therefore proves the research findings that indeed, using Baby Signs not only leads to better communication; it also speeds up the process of learning to talk, builds up their volcabulary (before they can talk), stimulates intellectual development, enhances self esteem, and strengthens the bond between parent and infant.

With such a successful personal story, we decided to share the benefits and satisfaction that parents can have by using Baby Signs with their babies. We therefore took a leap of faith, worked with Baby Signs® Inc in the United States to bring the programme to Singapore. And as they say, the rest is history. Do read more about the programme, products and workshops and find out how you can embark on this fulfiling journey with us.

We look forward to working with you in building a fun, enjoyable and fulfilling bond with your child.

© 2007-2008 Baby Signs Singapore. Some illustrations and text ©Baby Signs, Inc. Used with Permission.