Do you ever wonder what your baby is thinking?  Or why your baby is crying?  Trying to communicate without words can be very frustrating.

Babies can use simple signs to communicate often a full year before they can speak.  Austin Medical Center invites you to join the thousands of families who have already discovered the magic of a new revolutionary way to talk with your babies before they can talk.

A Baby Signs Parent Workshop will be held Tuesday, March 17 at 5:15 p.m. in Classroom 3, third floor of the clinic at AMC.  Michelle Soukup, certified speech-language pathologist at AMC, will teach the Baby Signs workshop, which is specially designed for parents of children from birth to 24 months.  The class also will teach you all you need to know to begin using the Baby Signs Program at home.  Early childhood educators, parent educators, social workers and health specialists are all welcome to attend.  Infants are not required to attend the class.

“Research has proven that using the Baby Signs Program has dramatic benefits, including decreasing frustration for babies and parents, enriching the parent-child bond, boosting emotional development, helping babies learn to talk, and even raising IQ,” Soukup said.  “This is truly a great program offered to you close to home.”

The Baby Signs Workshop is $25, which includes a Baby Signs Parent Kit featuring a parent guide, two DVDs, a quick reference guide and bookmarks.  If you register by Sunday you will receive the Parent Kit the evening of the class — you can still register after Sunday but the kit will not be available the evening of the class.

For more information or to register for the Baby Signs Program at AMC, call 434-1409 or go to the AMC Web site at www.austinmedicalcenter.org and register online by clicking on “Classes and Events.”