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12 KIDS BAY AREA NEWS GROUP TonyHoangattendedtheclass at the Campbell Library with his 1-year-old son, Justin, thinking it was just a simple story-time session. "I'm new to all this stuff," Hoang says. "I'm like, eh. I can tell when he's hungry. He'll cry." Baby signing was pioneered in the 1980s, when UC Davis psy - chology professor Linda Acredolo and Cal State-Stanislaus professor Susan Goodwyn found that sign- ing babies "scored higher in in- telligence tests, understood more words, had larger vocabularies and engaged in more sophisticat- ed play." Their 1996 book, "Baby Signs," sold more than 400,000 copies. Two-year-olds who had used baby signs, the researchers found, knew about 50 more words than the children who didn't. By the time they were 8, even though they had long stopped signing, studies found their IQs were 12 points higher than those who didn't sign, putting them in the top 25 percent of their age group. STEFANIEJATTATEACHES the free signing class at the Campbell and Los Altos libraries — always packed — based on the gestures used in American Sign Language. "When I started using signs for my own children I was almost, not embarrassed, but almost afraid to use signs at the park, afraid people might think my child couldn't hear, that they had issues and were different," Jatta says. "Really, I was doing signs because it was easier to commu - nicate. When they were finished swinging, they would sign that they were 'all done,' and I knew they were finished with the swings. Instead of having them scream and trying to figure out what they wanted, I knew." The age to begin signing differs by the child, and while parents can start modeling signs earlier, babies often don't have the ability to sign back until they are at least 6 to 9 months old. "Sometimes people start too ear - ly and don't see results right away," Jatta says, "and they come to me and say their little one is 4 months old and all he does is stare at me. You're not going to see results if they don't have the capability." For Paul and Socorro Schaetzle, every moment is precious. Six days before their Ethan, 1, was born, Socorro was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Amid the many visits to the doctor and radiation treatments, Ethan's first smile was an important moment. "It's my sunshine," Socorro says. "It was my motivation to not give up and keep going for both of them, my reason to be alive." The baby signing, which they began when their 3-year-old, Leon - ardo, was an infant, is also making what are often trying times a bit calmer — and more rewarding. "It puts away so much frus - tration. 'Are you crying because you want to sleep or because you want milk?'" Socorro says. "Every moment, every day you can com - municate with them, you have happier moments." JSULEK@BAYAREANEWSGROUP.COM Fromleft,Ann Fernald, with baby Madeleine; Charmine Ting, with baby Kyle; and Clara Chen, with baby Sebastian say goodbye after a baby signs class. 12 KIDS BAY AREA NEWS GROUP