Baby twins 'talk' with simple sign language

MARION VAN DIJK/ Nelson Mail

COMMUNICATING: Baby Talk Nelson Marlborough coach Jolene Cotton with her 22-month-old daughter Madison at the Richmond Mall.

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At eight months old, twins Madison and Lachlan Greenaway were able to tell their parents that they wanted more food or more play.

They were not able to vocalise the words, but communicated by using simple signs taught by their parents.

The 22-month-old twins are not deaf, but their mother Jolene Cotton liked the system of sign language, called Baby Talk, so much that she now teaches it and runs workshops around Nelson.

This week is New Zealand Sign Language Week, and Ms Cotton and the Nelson branch of Deaf Aotearoa shared a stand at the Richmond Mall yesterday to raise awareness of sign language.

Baby Talk is sign language for babies who can hear, and New Zealand Sign Language, which is an official language of New Zealand is used by the deaf and hearing-impaired community.

Ms Cotton said she and her husband started teaching the twins simple signed words like cat, food, drink, more and help at five months.

By eight months, the twins were signing back.

By 15 months they had a vocabulary of about 50 words and signs which grew as they got older.

Ms Cotton said it was great having the children being able to communicate with their parents because it meant they were able to let their parents know when they wanted more food, or wanted help.

She said as a parent she was also able to share her children's world even though they could not speak.

For example, the children were able to sign simple words like butterfly or cow if they saw them when they went for a walk.

"It helps them feel less frustrated as they are able to communicate with you and we were able to communicate with them.

"The biggest part for us was that we were part of their life."

She also believes it has helped them develop speech faster as they have a basic concept of words.

Deaf Aotearoa Nelson community relations officer Christine Carr said events were being held around the region to mark Sign Language Week, including signed stories tomorrow at 2pm in Nelson and 11am in Richmond.

A sign language lesson would be held at Garin College for students on Friday, she said.

Garin had recently won the South Island award for supporting sign language in schools.

Sign language classes were run at the Nayland College community courses and were popular, she said.

There were about 40 people in the Nelson deaf community and up to 150 people in the region could use New Zealand sign language.

Representatives from the Marlborough deaf community also performed sign language to music at the mall yesterday.

Wayne West and Robynne Tindall said the group loved performing and it helped the public become more aware of the "hidden handicap" of being deaf.

- © Fairfax NZ News