Signing on

New business teaches, By Eileen Stanbridge Franklin - All parents will probably agree that there is nothing quite like the frustration they feel when their toddlers are screaming themselves into a state of hysteria for something, and the parents have no idea what it is they want or need. Traditionally, such situations have been explained away with the theory that it is just a temper tantrum, and that the child will grow out of it. But a growing number of professionals argue that this simply is not the case. “Research studies show that babies can understand speech long before they have the fine motor skills to speak and often become frustrated because they understand so much more than they are able to verbalize,” said Sarah Jernstrom, owner of Chatty Hands, an organization geared to help parents, preschool teachers and other professionals to communicate with preverbal children through sign language. Jernstrom became interested in the technique when her son Zak was 18 months old, and she realized that he had a speech delay due to an ongoing problem with fluid in his ears. “During that eight-month period before Zak got the tubes in his ears to help him hear better, we experienced the same frustrations. Someone suggested sign language, and of course my reaction was, ‘Why? He’s not deaf’,” Jernstrom recalled. “After researching it, I decided to give it a try, and Zak instantly acquired a 250 sign-word vocabulary,” she added. Working on the premise that sign language can give preverbal children with normal hearing the ability to communicate their wants and needs, Jernstrom started Chatty Hands. She claims that signing can reduce the frustration and tantrums associated with the children’s inability to communicate with their caregivers. Zak is now three years old and no longer needs to sign to be understood. But he hasn’t forgotten it. “Now that Zak can use his words and be understood perfectly well he only uses his sign language for fun, usually when we are reading,” she said. Based in Franklin, Chatty Hands offers workshops for: parents-to-be, child caregivers, play groups, preschool programs, childcare centers and mothers groups. They also provide in-home services. For more information, call 973-627-6609 or visit www.chattyhands.com.