| There are many products out there on the | | | | gestures to communicate with their children. The |
| market that are proven to increase a baby's IQ | | | | results of the study revealed many positive |
| or make them smarter. What these products fail | | | | correlations of using meaningful gestures to |
| to mention is that there is no proven research to | | | | positively affect babies. |
| state that they are beneficial in these areas, it | | | | When Ms. Goodwyn and Ms. Acredolo went back |
| just assumed by the companies that the products | | | | later to revisit the study in July of 2000 they |
| work. | | | | were astonished by what they had found. At age |
| As a Speech Language Pathologist I prefer to | | | | eight children who were exposed to sign had a 12 |
| only use methods with my clients that are | | | | point advantage on their IQ test scores over |
| research based and proven to be beneficial. With | | | | those who were in the Non-intervention Control |
| using meaningful gestures with babies, research | | | | Group. The children who were exposed to sign as |
| has been completed that has proven that children | | | | babies were educationally performing at levels |
| who were exposed to using sign at an early age | | | | expected for a nine year old child. |
| were found later to have higher IQ and test | | | | With this research proving that using meaningful |
| scores when compared to their peers. | | | | gestures with your baby is beneficial it is very |
| In numerous studies completed by Susan W. | | | | difficult to argue that a child should not be |
| Goodwyn and Linda P. Acredolo infants were | | | | exposed to sign or that using meaningful gestures |
| divided into groups where one group received | | | | will not improve a child's IQ. With many other |
| instruction to use sign with their babies and the | | | | benefits that sign can create, increasing one's IQ |
| other group knew nothing about using symbolic | | | | is definitely a great long term benefit. |