Key takeaways

  • Baby sign language is a small set of simple gestures (10 to 15 signs) taught to hearing babies alongside speech, usually starting at 6 to 9 months.
  • Research consistently shows signing does not delay speech; if anything it modestly supports earlier communication and a stronger parent-baby bond.
  • Its biggest practical benefit is fewer frustration tantrums, because the pre-verbal baby can finally ask for what she wants.
  • Always say the word while you make the sign. Signs are a bridge to speech, never a substitute for talking to your baby.
  • In a multilingual Indian home the sign stays constant while each caregiver speaks their own language, giving the baby a stable visual anchor.
  • Signs usually fade on their own between 18 and 24 months as spoken words become faster and easier.

What baby sign language is (and what it is not)

Baby sign language is a small set of simple hand gestures taught to a hearing baby alongside spoken words, usually beginning between six and nine months. By this age most babies have enough hand control to attempt a rough sign and are at the edge of intentional communication. You say the word and make the sign at the same time, every time, and the baby gradually links the gesture to its meaning, using it to ask for specific things like milk, more, water, or all done before clear speech is possible.

It is not a full language. It is a functional vocabulary of perhaps ten to thirty everyday signs that ride alongside speech during the pre-verbal phase. It is not the same as American Sign Language (ASL) or Indian Sign Language (ISL), which are complete languages with their own grammar used by Deaf communities. Baby sign borrows a few individual signs from these languages for convenience, nothing more.

It is not only for deaf babies. Deaf babies and babies in Deaf families learn a full sign language as their native language, which is a different practice. Baby sign language here means a supplementary tool for hearing babies in hearing families.

It is also not the same as the natural early gestures, like waving bye-bye, pointing, or shaking the head for no, that emerge on their own in most babies between nine and fifteen months. Those spontaneous gestures are important communication milestones in their own right, and you can read more about them in the guide to social milestones at 12 to 18 months. Baby sign language simply adds a few taught signs on top of that natural base.

Finally, it is not a way to manufacture a genius or a head start. Babies who sign are not smarter in any lasting sense; they just have a temporary tool to communicate before speech arrives.

What the evidence actually shows

The most stubborn myth is that signing delays speech. The evidence points the other way. Decades of research, starting with the foundational "symbolic gesturing" studies of Goodwyn and Acredolo and continued in later trials and reviews, find that hearing babies who sign develop spoken language at the same rate as non-signing peers, or modestly faster, not slower.

The reason is straightforward. Signing is symbolic communication, using one thing to stand for another, which is the foundation of all language. It also encourages joint attention, naming, and back-and-forth exchanges with a caregiver, all powerful drivers of speech. And a baby who can sign is a less frustrated baby, with more attention free for learning words.

Benefits described in research and clinical practice include:

When and how to start: 6 to 9 months and beyond

The usual window to introduce baby sign language is six to nine months. By then most babies can attempt a rough sign, hold attention for a brief exchange, and are beginning to connect gestures with meaning. Starting earlier is fine but you will wait longer for signs to come back; start at six to nine months and many babies sign back somewhere around eight to twelve months. The half-year mark is also when many readiness signs converge, as described in the 6-month-old baby milestones guide.

Keep it small and consistent:

Starter sign vocabulary: 10 to 15 signs to teach first

These signs can use ASL-derived gestures (the most common in books and videos) or ISL signs. What matters is that everyone uses the same one consistently. Start with the first three, then expand.

ASL vs Indian Sign Language (ISLRTC): which to use

American Sign Language (ASL) is the basis of most baby sign resources, simply because the popular books, apps, and channels are American in origin. The signs you see in them are usually ASL signs simplified for little hands.

Indian Sign Language (ISL) is a complete language used by India's Deaf community, with its own grammar and culture. The Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC), set up by the Government of India in New Delhi in 2015, standardises and promotes ISL and has published an ISL dictionary of several thousand signs along with free resources.

For baby sign language as a temporary tool, the specific system matters less than using a chosen set consistently across caregivers. The baby learns whichever signs she sees most. The fifteen-sign starter set works with either ASL or ISL gestures.

That said, families with Deaf relatives, or with a deaf or hard-of-hearing child, or who simply want to support Indian Deaf culture, have good reason to prefer ISL signs, since they build familiarity with the language of India's Deaf community. ISLRTC has been advocating for wider ISL adoption in early education.

Common concerns and myths, addressed

Most worries about baby sign language come from a few persistent myths. Here is the honest picture for each.

Baby sign language for special communication needs

For some babies, signing is more than a convenience; it is a genuine bridge while spoken language is delayed. In all of these situations a speech and language pathologist or developmental paediatrician should guide the specific plan.

Indian resources, apps, and what it costs

The practice itself is essentially free. You can teach ten to fifteen signs using free videos and printable charts; books, apps, and classes are optional extras.

The Indian family context: joint families, multilingual homes, working parents

Baby sign language fits Indian family life unusually well, because so many of our homes have multiple caregivers and multiple languages under one roof.

When to see a pediatrician and where to go in India

Baby sign language is not a medical treatment and needs no supervision; you can start at home with free resources. But the wider picture of language development belongs in your routine well-baby visits, and certain delays deserve prompt attention.

Discuss communication and language at the routine IAP well-baby visits at six, nine, twelve, fifteen, eighteen, and twenty-four months. Your pediatrician will check receptive and expressive milestones and administer the M-CHAT-R/F autism screen at eighteen and twenty-four months, which is detailed in the 18-month-old toddler milestones guide.

Indian baby sign language myths, corrected

Myth: Teaching baby sign language will delay my baby's speech

  • False. Multiple studies over decades show baby sign language supports rather than delays speech. Signs are always paired with spoken words, so the baby gets more language input, not less, and signs drop naturally between 18 and 24 months as speech takes over.
  • The IAP and AAP treat baby sign language as a reasonable supplementary tool for hearing families. The delay myth is the most consequential one, often discouraging families from a tool that would actually help.

Myth: Baby sign language is only for deaf babies

  • False. Deaf babies and babies in Deaf families use a full sign language (ISL, ASL or other) as a native language. Hearing babies use baby sign as a small supplementary tool during the pre-verbal phase, from around 6 to 9 months until 18 to 24 months.
  • Both are valid practices for different situations. For hearing babies, signing has been shown to reduce frustration and modestly support spoken language.

Myth: Signing is foreign and not appropriate for Indian families

  • False. Sign systems exist in every culture, and Indian Sign Language has been formally developed and standardised by ISLRTC since 2015. For baby sign language, either ASL-based or ISL signs work well alongside any Indian home language.
  • The signs are simply gestures paired with spoken Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Punjabi, Kannada, Malayalam, Gujarati, Urdu, or English. They support the home language, never replace it.

Myth: My baby is too young or too old for baby sign language

  • Partly true, depending on age. The standard window is 6 to 9 months, with first signs back typically around 8 to 12 months and main use from 12 to 18 months. Starting before 6 months is possible but signs may not return for many months.
  • Starting after 18 months is less common because speech is already developing fast, but signs can still help late talkers and children with specific communication needs. There is no firm cut-off; ask a speech therapist if your child has a language delay and you want to add signs.

Frequently asked questions

Does baby sign language delay speech?

No. Research consistently shows it supports rather than delays speech, because signs are always taught alongside spoken words, so the baby gets more language input. Most babies drop their signs naturally between 18 and 24 months as talking becomes the easier, faster channel.

What age should I start teaching signs?

Six to nine months is the usual window, when the baby has enough hand control to attempt a sign and is beginning to communicate on purpose. Many babies sign back somewhere between eight and twelve months. Starting earlier is fine but you will wait longer for results.

Which signs should I teach first?

Start with just two or three high-frequency signs: milk, more, and all done. These come up many times a day, so the baby sees them modelled often. Add water, food, help, and sleep once those are going well.

Will signing work in our multilingual household?

Yes, and it can be especially helpful. Each caregiver speaks their own language while using the same sign, so the sign becomes a stable visual anchor across Hindi, Tamil, Marathi, English, or whichever languages your baby hears. Just keep the gesture for each meaning consistent.

Should I use ASL or Indian Sign Language signs?

For baby sign as a temporary tool, either works; consistency matters more than the system. Most free resources use ASL-based signs. If you have Deaf relatives or want to support Indian Deaf culture, ISL signs from ISLRTC are a meaningful choice.

Can signing really reduce tantrums?

Often, yes. Many tantrums between twelve and eighteen months happen because the toddler knows what she wants but cannot yet say it. A baby who can sign more, water, or help has a way to ask, and frustration meltdowns frequently drop as a result.

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