27 October 2003

SLTs say baby signing programmes are not necessary for most children

Not according to the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT).

An RCSLT spokesperson says: "Research evidence supports the use of gestures to help babies focus on what they hear - much as child-directed speech does - as part of 'normal' parent-child interaction. There is also some evidence that supports signing for babies with Down Syndrome to help speech and language development.

"However, it is not necessary for parents to learn formal signing such as British Sign Language for children with no identified risk of speech and language development. A structured signing 'programme' is not necessary to enhance the communication development of typically developing children.

"The College is concerned that the use of signing does not replace/take priority over the need for parents to talk to their children."

Ends

Notes for editors:

The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists is the professional body for speech and language therapists in the UK and has over 11,000 members.

Professor James Law, from City University's Department of Language and Communication Science has written a new book, Learning to Talk (Dorling Kindersley) due out Autumn 2004. Professor Law is available for comment.

Sue Buckley is Professor of Developmental Disability at the University of Portsmouth and Director for the Centre for Disability Studies, in the Department of Psychology. She is also Director for Research and Publishing for The Down Syndrome Educational Trust.

Professor Buckley has written a paper: 'Improving the speech and language skills of children and teenagers with Down syndrome'.
Available at:http://www.down-syndrome.info/library/periodicals/dsnu/01/3/111/DSNU-01-3-111-EN-GB.htm

For more information contact Steven Harulow, email: steven.harulow@rcslt.org tel: 020 7378 3004