When he sees a fish, his little hand starts to wave. When his parents crack open the book "Clifford the Big Red Dog," he starts to pat his lap. At 20 months old, Braden Polley can speak only a couple of words, yet he can sign more than 50, using American Sign Language.

Teaching pre-verbal kids to sign is a hot trend on the Mainland, and it is gaining a strong foothold among Honolulu parents. The interest in the technique is reflected in a number of formal classes in baby signing that have cropped up islandwide.

Mike and Dawn Polley learned about the phenomemon through a family member in Chicago and planned on teaching Braden last summer. Then they heard about Flo Dixon, who offered Keiki Signs — a five- and 10-week class designed for parents and kids interested in learning how to sign.

The Polleys enrolled Braden at 9 months, and two months later, he made his first sign, "milk," by squeezing his hand open and closed. "It's so great to know what he's thinking. Not just guess, but to really know," says Mike Polley. Today, Braden's signs include "please" and "thank you," "cookie" and "banana."

KEIKI CLASSES

Dixon started Keiki Signs in December 2005. She was inspired to start a class after teaching her own son, Cole, now 2, to sign on her own.

Her class sizes have grown from one child to between six and 10, with the occasional wait list. "The trend is starting to kick in. More people are moving here from the Mainland, and are telling other parents about it," says Dixon. Her average enrollment age is 7 to 8 months, although she says kids can start earlier or later.

"I tell parents if you're looking for the instant signing back, then wait until they are older. But if you don't care, then start them at three months, and see what happens."

The foundation of Keiki Signs comes from Dr. Joseph Garcia's popular Sign2Me program, which reinforces American Sign Language through its Sign With Your Baby" learning kit, which includes a book, instructional video and an illustrated reference guide.

"You learn the signs first and then you do them to a song, like 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.' You do the movements, and a lot of times the kids come back with the hand motions, and then the words come later," says Dixon, who is a certified presenter of the Sign2Me program.

Each of her sessions focuses on a different topic, such as going to bed, snack time, colors, animals and movements.

About 20 signs are introduced in each class, although the parents are often the most attentive students.

"The kids are in a new environment, so they're often running around, and that's OK, as long as the parents are learning the signs and doing it with them when they get home," says Dixon.

"It's a lot of work," admits Dawn Polley. "The big thing is the reinforcement. When you see a bird outside, you do the sign. When you see a dog, you do 'dog.' They don't just get it from a once-a-week class; it's also for us to pick up and keep with it."

ADDITIONAL PROGRAMS

Suzette Calimlim is a certified instructor for the Baby Signs program, which follows a program outlined in "Baby Signs: How to Talk With Your Baby Before Your Baby Can Talk," a book by Linda Acredolo and Susan Goodwyn.

"The majority of our signs are also ASL, but since some are difficult for babies to do, we modify them to make them a little simpler," Calimlim explains. "If a baby makes up their own sign, and if a parent is comfortable with that, and they can communicate, then we just encourage them to keep it that way."

Calimlim, who works from her Mo'ili'ili home and has twin 20-month-old boys, says that most of her families have found her through word of mouth.

"Every mom that I've encountered is very interested in it," Calimlim says. "I think they just didn't have the resources or know where to go."

When it comes to the benefits of signing, the Baby Signs Web site references a long-term study funded by the National Institutes of Health showing that babies who sign may develop a more extensive oral vocabulary earlier, and even raise their IQ. Baby Signs kids at 24 months were, on average, talking at the same level as the average toddler of 27 or 28 months, its backers say. At 36 months, they were comparable to a 47-month-old.

Dixon says, "It empowers (babies), because they feel proud that they are being understood. For them, just being able to tell you what they want, or that they're hungry, or that they want more of what you're giving them, really boosts them up."

The benefits can seep over to parents, too.

"You don't have to listen to them cry all day, and you lose that anxiety that comes with it," says Dixon. "If you want to have a less-stressful way of raising your child, and want to create a strong bond with them, this is one of the best things that you can do."