One day while teaching signs, my son was taken away by the sign for RAISIN. After he learned it, it asked for them throughout the day. I called my mom wondering if he always wanted raisins, but just didn’t know the sign before? It was an interesting question, because had he not known the sign, he wouldn’t have gotten raisins. Maybe up until that day there was a giant void that just wasn’t being filled! I know that it’s over thinking things and that he’d probably be just fine not having raisins, but certainly his quality of life had increased immensely because, starting that day forward, he could ask for what he wanted. Think about what long term effects this will have on his self esteem and mastery of his world, his environment and ultimately his life. Again, overthinking? Maybe, but knowing what you want, when you want it, and then taking constructive steps toward that goal is a major part of being a productive member of society. Maybe in a small way, learning signs for things baby wants is a big steps toward who he will eventually become?
Side note: After we taught him the sign for RAISINS and he asked for them regularly, we decided it was time to teach him about containers! Save us the work, you know! The first few times, we’d grab it for him and then pour them in while he watched. After a while we’d just help him to find one by leading him over and finally, we’d just say go get a container. If he didn’t, after a while, we’d help. After a few tries he would just go get a container on his own. We knew he was really getting it when he would go get a container first, then come to us with the sign for RAISIN!