Are Your Child’s Behavioral Problems Communication Issues?

As new parents quickly realize, babies don’t come with user manuals. Raising a child would be much easier if parents could simply refer to their manual about “what your baby really wants” to decipher every cry and scream. Unfortunately it doesn’t work that way. Before a child can properly vocalize their needs, parents have to play the guessing game. Hours can be spent trying to guess and understand what it is their baby wants. Often, parents never come up with the answer, and their baby cries for hours trying to communicate what they want. Being unable to communicate needs can cause frustration in children and lead to tantrums and behavioral problems.

To understand how frustration can build, put yourself in your baby’s shoes. Imagine you are in a room full of people and really need a drink. You try telling them that you are thirsty, but they cannot understand you. Every sign and signal that you make baffles them. They bring you food, and try to take you to the restroom. They hug you, and tell you it is okay, and even play games with you, but never understand that you are thirsty. Now imagine this continuing for months, and you can imagine how frustration can build up.

Built-up frustration in children can quickly turn into attitude, self-esteem, and learning issues. Clear communication is key to expression, and if a child cannot clearly express themselves, they can become unruly, unresponsive, and take their frustration out on those around them. Biting, hitting, and “The Terrible Twos” have been linked closely to communication problems in numerous studies.

Clear communication helps reduce frustration and can take the “guesswork” out of meeting a child’s needs. Educators have reported that baby sign language significantly reduces biting and tantrum problems, and helps lower noise levels in preschool classrooms by reducing the typical frustrated screaming and crying.

Research at the Davis Center for Child & Family Studies at the University of California has shown that baby sign language programs, like the Baby Signs Program, can decrease frustration, help children talk earlier, enrich parent-child relationships, and boost intellectual development. Baby sign language can decrease the stress in a child’s communication and help care givers become more in tune with what their child wants.

When your child is able to communicate their needs more clearly with baby sign language, they are calmer and more responsive to corrections and teaching. The use of baby sign language can also increase a child’s attention span, learning ability, and self-esteem. By teaching your baby sign language early on, you can increase communication, lessen tension, and create a positive learning and growing environment.