Photo by Skip Lawrence Kriste Hartman Kovarcik, right, teaches a class in American Sign Language for babies at the SportsPlex in Frederick recently. In the background are Tricia Johnson with baby Amelia Grace, 19 months, left, and Sherri Haraway with baby Colin, 20 months.

What she read inspired her to begin finding ways to teach Amelia Grace American Sign Language. She helped get a baby signing class started this month in Frederick . Proceeds will benefit Maryland School for the Deaf's family education program.

Baby signing classes also are offered by the Frederick office of Communication Service for the Deaf, Inc., a national nonprofit organization dedicated to improving opportunities for deaf residents.

"Everything I've read said babies can learn to sign before they speak," Johnson said.

The Myersville mom, who can hear, believes knowing how to sign will offer multiple benefits to her daughter, as well as herself. Amelia Grace can also hear.

"It seems like everywhere you go, there is somebody deaf," she said.

Being able to communicate in sign language could bring more friends and job opportunities, she said. And it might help keep Amelia Grace from being too terrible when she hits the "Terrible 2" stage.

Toddlers often throw tantrums because they get frustrated when their parents can't understand what they are trying to say, said Kriste Hartman Kovarcik, the Maryland School for the Deaf staff member who created the baby signing class.

If a child can express himself with a sign, he is less likely to get frustrated, she said.

She attributes her own 3-year-old son's easy passage through toddlerhood to his signing abilities. Whatever Kaden couldn't say, he would sign, she said.

"He might not sign perfectly, but I would understand, and he'd be so pleased," Hartman Kovarcik said.

She believes learning ASL also has helped Kaden develop vocabulary and spelling skills at a young age. He can already spell more than 35 words.

Various studies have shown that children who use signs to communicate before they learn to speak score higher on IQ tests than children who don't learn signs, Hartman Kovarcik said.

She developed a baby signing course after Johnson asked her to create one.

Johnson rented a basic sign language DVD several months ago and taught her daughter 10 signs.

"Five of them really stuck, even without me doing very much," she said. "I just had to show her once."

Johnson was eager to teach her child more signs and knew that many of her friends also wanted to teach their babies.

"All my moms read the same books," she said.

When she sent out an e-mail letting people know a baby signing class might be offered, she was inundated with responses.

"Literally, within an hour, I had 12 moms e-mail me," Johnson said. "It seems to be a hot thing with moms."

So many mothers wanted to participate, they filled up one class and half of a second, she said.

The maximum class size is 12 people, and Hartman Kovarcik decided to offer six time slots in an effort to accommodate as many people as possible. The first class started Jan. 24.

There are two course levels -- 101 and 102. Each runs for three consecutive weeks, with classes lasting 45 minutes, at the SportsPlex, 1845 Brookfield Court in Frederick . The courses cost $20, which include participation by a parent and a child.

The first week will cover basic vocabulary -- words that are often a child's first in spoken language, like mommy, daddy and cookie, she said.

Other weeks will introduce words for food and animals. The second level series will introduce emotions, colors and numbers.

Children and their parents won't be fluent in ASL when they finish the courses, but they should be able to identify simple words, Hartman Kovarcik said.

She is thrilled to offer a program that financially benefits MSD while introducing hearing families to sign language. Proceeds from the class will fund MSD's family education program. The program helps hearing parents of deaf children learn sign language and runs a pre-school for deaf children, among other activities.

Although the baby signing course is a fundraiser, Hartman Kovarcik said she wanted to keep the cost low so that people wouldn't be discouraged from participating.

She remembers what it was like to be a new mom -- eager to expose her baby to new things but short on cash and time, Hartman Kovarcik said with a smile.

Baby Signing classes will begin at the SportsPlex, 1845 Brookfield Court in Frederick , on the following days and times. The courses run three weeks and each class lasts 45 minutes. The three-week courses cost $20, which include a parent and child.