My child isn't deaf. Signs may be useful for children with Down syndrome for a variety of reasons. Creating signs comes earlier for many children than saying the corresponding word, both for children with Down syndrome and normally developing youngsters. Perhaps the oral motor planning required for talking is more complex than instructions for the hands in signing. A second purpose involves comprehension, or understanding what someone says.
All children deserve to have means to communicate.
Manual signs may provide a way of communicating a message at a time when the child does not yet have the oral motor coordination necessary to say a word. Signing can provide a means of taking part in these conversational exchanges, and can move the child into the arena of learning language and participating in the goings on of others. In addition, frustrations resulting from inability to express oneself can be reduced by providing the child a way of communicating his or her interests and wishes. In sign language, vocabulary and syntax are represented by hand movements. It is a complete language unto itself.