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Follow on Google News | Signs of Illness: Can Babies Tell You When They Are Sick?Infants and toddlers can tell their parents that they are feeling sick - even before they learn to talk. Teaching babies American Sign Language signs for HURT, HOT and COLD can help parents figure out what's wrong when their child is sick or in pain.
By: Baby Signs, Inc “Babies can use their hands to communicate before they learn to talk. This means that if a baby makes the sign for “hurt” next to his neck or in front of his ear, his parents know that it’s time to take him to see his pediatrician,” Signs are useful for communicating about small discomforts and illnesses at home. Dominique Lannon Fiegel in Arlington, VA says “I used signs with my children and it helps a lot with illness. My son at 11 months was able to sign “hot” to say he was too hot, so we could take off layers of clothes. My daughter, now 24 months, will sign “hurt” and point to her stomach, letting me know she has a tummy ache. It also helps them understand better when someone else is sick, I can sign when daddy is sick, and they understand.” But signs have also proven to be crucial in emergency situations. Brenda Greengold in Orlando, FL signed with her 14-month old son but didn’t realize how important it would be until he was admitted to the emergency room for lethargy, dehydration and a high fever. “He needed fluids through an IV, and he was not cooperating. Finally, he succumbed. It broke my heart. After a while, he started to put his two index fingers together over and over. It was the sign for hurt. We had been working on this sign just a few weeks before, but I’d never seen him actually do it. I told him that I knew it hurt and it would be over soon, but he kept making the sign. Finally I reached over to check his IV and when I lifted the sleeve of his cover-up, to my surprise, his arm was twice the size of the other arm. The fluid was not reaching his vein, but was instead pooling in his arm under the skin. Although it wasn’t life-threatening, this was making my little boy extremely uncomfortable to say the least.” Signs can also be useful in helping children understand and participate in healthy practices such as hand-washing. “In a day care center, germs can spread quickly. “This year with the threat of swine flu, it’s especially important to teach the sign for “wash” so children can initiate hand-washing even if their teacher or a parent forgets,” says Goodwyn. “The sign helps children take responsibility for good health practices.” Acredolo and Goodwyn recommend that parents start now to teach health and medical signs to their babies to help them: • Report how they are feeling (HOT, COLD, SICK) • Explain where they are feeling pain (HURT) • Know what to expect during a visit to the doctor (HELP, DOCTOR, MEDICINE) • Understand when pain will end when getting an immunization (ALL DONE) • Communicate about health-promoting activities (WASH) To see a video dictionary of these health and medical signs online, visit www.babysigns.com. About Dr. Linda Acredolo and Dr. Susan Goodwyn Dr. Acredolo and Dr. Goodwyn have conducted over 30 years of scientific research in the field of infant development. Together, they have co-authored numerous publications in leading child developmental research journals and have written three best-selling books for parents: Baby Signs: How to Talk With Your Baby Before Your Baby Can Talk Baby Minds: Brain-Building Games Your Baby Will Love Baby Hearts: A Guide to Giving Your Child an Emotional Head-Start They are the co-founders of Baby Signs, Inc., a company dedicated to bringing the proven benefits of signing with hearing babies to families worldwide. Contact: Linda Easton-Waller Director of Marketing Baby Signs, Inc. 707-469-7406 lindae@babysigns.com www.babysigns.com Parent and Early Childhood Educator Resources: To download a free printable health signs poster, go to: https://www.babysigns.com/ To download a free informational flyer about health signs, go to: http://www.babysigns.com/ # # # The World's Leading Sign Language Program for Hearing Babies. Baby Signs®, the ORIGINAL sign language program for hearing babies, has been bringing powerful, research-proven benefits to babies and their families around the world for over 25 years. www.babysigns.com Introductory Video: https://www.babysigns.com/ End
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