Image courtesy of the University of Michigan Health System Japanese Family Health Program.
Read this module in Japanese (このページを日本語で見る)
Signing is a tool for babies to communicate with their caregivers before they can speak. Developmentally, babies can use their hands to communicate much earlier than they can make meaningful words.
Studies show that families who teach signs feel less stressed because their baby cries less than babies from families that do not teach signs. This is because babies feel less frustrated when they can express their needs in a way that their caregivers understand. Also, families that teach baby signs feel that they bond with to their baby more quickly than families who do not teach signs.
About the Creators
Michael D. Fetters
Michael D. Fetters, MD, MPH, MA, is a family medicine researcher and Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Dr. Fetters has a longstanding interest in medical ethics and the influence of culture on medical decision making as well as applications of mixed methods research. Bilingual in Japanese and English, Dr. Fetters founded and directs the University of Michigan Japanese Family Health Program. Dr. Fetters attended the Ohio State University College of Medicine for medical school, the University of North Carolina for family medicine residency training and public health studies and Michigan State University for bioethics studies. Dr. Fetters' current research efforts in medical ethics tie to education about informed consent in the community, development of a serious game to teach communication skills, and use of a multilingual health quality assessment instrument in Qatar to promote equal voice among minority populations. more...
Image courtesy of the University of Michigan Health System Japanese Family Health Program.
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Illustrations from Sign With Your Baby (English) |
Michael D. Fetters
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Illustrations from Sign With Your Baby (Japanese) |
Michael D. Fetters
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Five Reasons to Sign With Your Baby |
Michael D. Fetters
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Frequently Asked Questions |
Michael D. Fetters
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Learn 12 Signs |
Michael D. Fetters
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