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Signs that cross arms
Your baby may have difficulty crossing her hands or arms when she is young.
For example, the ASL sign for the word bear involves the crossing of your arms.
Your baby may approximate the motion of this sign without crossing her arms.
Remember to continue to teach the correct motions for this sign.
Your baby may think that she is in fact making the same sign as you are and may
become confused if you change the sign.
Preference
for index finger over thumb
Your baby may use her index finger for signs that formally involve the
use of her thumb. For example, the ASL sign for cow involves the thumb touching
the temple of your head to represent the place where the cow's horn connects to
the cow's head. Your baby may use her index finger in place of her thumb. This
is also very common for signs such as mommy and daddy.
Initial movements
Depending upon how young your baby is when she begins to sign, she may make
most of her signs with all five fingers extended or clenched in a fist. Younger
babies may not have the motor skills to select only a few fingers for a given
sign. Her initial overall movements will reflect her motor development. Younger
babies are likely to move their hands and arms in a jerky motion as opposed to
a smooth and controlled motion. Young
babies may also slam their hands together instead of tapping lightly for signs
such as shoes and more.
Your baby's signs will become more refined as her motor skills mature.
Signing in reverse
Your baby may make some signs in reverse. Remember that your baby will be
seeing a sign backwards if you sign on your body and in front of your baby. It
is yet another developmental milestone for your baby to recognize that the sign
needs to be reversed in order to make the same movement as you are making from
her perspective.
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