The Science behind Baby Signs

Research at UC Davis

Dr. Linda Acredolo and Dr. Susan Goodwyn, the authors of the book Baby Signs: How to Talk with Your Baby Before Your Baby Can Talk, have conducted over two decades of academic research on the use of signs with hearing babies, including a long-term study funded by the National Institutes of Health. Their ground-breaking research describes the proven benefits of the Baby Signs® Program. Their scientific study of over 140 families took place over a seven-year period and yielded some remarkable results. They conducted standardized assessments of children who participated in Baby Signs® groups and those in non-Baby Signs® groups at several stages in their development.

At 24 months, the Baby Signs® babies were on average talking more like 27 or 28 month olds. This represents more than a three-month advantage over the non-Baby Signs® babies. In addition, the 24 month old Baby Signs® babies were putting together significantly longer sentences.

At 36 months, Baby Signs® babies on average were talking like 47 month olds, putting them almost a full year ahead of their average age-mates. Eight year olds who had been Baby Signs® babies scored an average of 12 points higher in IQ than their non-signing peers.