Page "American Sign Language" Paragraph 37

Many parents use a collection of simplified or ad hoc signs called " baby sign.

" However, parents can learn to recognize their baby's approximations of adult ASL signs, just as they will later learn to recognize their approximations of oral language, so teaching an infant ASL is also possible.

Typically, young children will make an ASL sign in the correct location and use the correct hand motion, but may be able only to approximate the hand shape, for example, using one finger instead of three in signing water.

Deaf children from deaf families will often " babble " in sign, just as their hearing counterparts babble in speech, making nonsensical hand gestures.