"She says, 'more.' She says 'all done,' " said Sophia's mother, Rebecca Nowlen. "She tries to say 'Change my diaper,' but it never has anything to do with whether her diaper is dirty."

Sophia is not alone. As more and more parents strive to boost their babies' potential with classical music and pre-preschool, Sophia is one of a growing number of babies learning American Sign Language.

The goal, said Daryl Heater, a music therapist who teaches a baby sign-language class at the Wondernation Discovery and Enrichment Studio in Manhattan Beach, is to help babies develop language skills at an earlier age and to alleviate the frustration babies -- and their parents -- feel over not being able to communicate.

"There are babies who will tell you they're afraid of something in their room," Heater said. "If the parents know what it is they're afraid of, they can take that thing out."

While it has only recently entered the mainstream, the benefits of signing for babies were first noticed in the 1970s when researchers found that hearing babies of deaf parents could communicate earlier than children of hearing parents.

Learning sign language appears to put babies on a faster track toward language development.

According to studies conducted by Linda Acredolo, a psychology professor at the University of California, Davis, and funded by the National Institutes of Health, 3-year-olds who learned sign language as babies scored better on verbal development skills tests than their nonsigning peers. By age 8, the signers scored an average of 12 points higher on IQ tests.

"They're getting a jump-start early on," said Acredolo, whose book, Baby Signs: How to Talk with Your Baby Before Your Baby Can Talk (McGraw-Hill, 2002), has sold more than a half-million copies and has been translated into 13 languages. "Once that language ball gets rolling -- they're taking in information, they're asking questions, they're interacting with adults more."

Acredolo began researching the benefits of sign language for babies in 1982 after she noticed her 1-year-old daughter using gestures to communicate.

"We were out in the garden and she pointed out a rosebush and made a sniffing sound," Acredolo said. "It doesn't take a nuclear scientist to figure out what she wanted to do. ... She used that same sniffing gesture the whole day, whenever she saw a flower.

"She was just thrilled that she had a symbol that she could use to talk about the flowers," she continued. "I wrote in my journal, 'Katie did the cutest thing today.' "

Acredolo's research spanned more than 20 years and followed 71 babies -- 32 of whom used signs. She found that signing not only eased the babies' frustration, it also benefited their parents.

"The signs become a window into their minds," said Acredolo, who co-founded the research and educational resource, Baby Signs Inc. "For parents -- and for researchers -- who had no way to figure out how much babies knew -- they'll tell you what they notice in the world."

And while it may seem that teaching babies to sign could delay their speech, research has shown the opposite is true.

"There's an analogy to crawling," Acredolo said. "When a baby learns to crawl, it doesn't deter them from wanting to walk -- it excites them to get around better and better."

Experts say babies can begin using sign language as early as 7 or 8 months old.

"As soon as they can wave or clap," said Heater, 24, who majored in music therapy at the University of Miami. "That means their motor skills are developed enough to sign."

Signing classes have a simple repertoire, with the focus being frequently used phrases, including "[I want] more," and "all gone," as well as food-related words such as "eat," "milk," "water," "ice cream" and "candy."

Not surprisingly, "more," is usually the first to come.

"Food is the biggest thing," said Heater, who teaches two signing classes at Wondernation. "I have one kid who tried ice cream one time and then signed the word for ice cream. It's all about the motivation."

Since babies only need to learn a few signs (though with diligent parents, they can learn more than 100) teaching them to sign doesn't require fluency in American Sign Language. Rather, Heater says, it just requires consistency.

"They're not going to learn if they're just coming to class once a week," said Heater, whose next signing class will start Jan. 16 at Wondernation. "Parents have to do it at home, too."

As for the classroom lessons, Heater teaches the signs by incorporating them into songs.

When she sings "Twinkle Twinkle," she gestures the sign for star and points to the ceiling; when she sings, "Please, May I Have More Milk," she makes the signs for "more" and "milk."

"Everything we do is with music," she said. "It helps keep their attention."

It's a tricky thing, watching a baby sign. A quick flick of the wrists could mean "All gone," or it could mean nothing. A slight cupping of the hands might mean "milk"-- or it might not.

Sometimes, it's all in the interpretation. "He'll throw his spoon on the floor," said Katie Joynt of Redondo Beach, whose 10-month-old son, Connor, is in the class. "But I don't think he's really trying to make a point."

Class time

• Wondernation Discovery and Enrichment Studio will begin two sign-language classes for babies on Jan. 16: Introduction to Music and Sign Language, for ages 0-1 (it's recommended babies be at least 4 months old); and Sign Language, Music, and Song for Tots, for ages 1-2.

• Classes are offered four days a week. Cost is $155 for 11 classes, plus $39 for optional music kit.

• Wondernation is at 3625 N. Sepulveda Blvd. in Manhattan Beach. For information, call 310-500-6476 or go to www.wondernation.com.

By Melissa Heckscher, Daily Breeze
http://www.dailybreeze.com/today/articles/2128362.html?page=1&c=y