When Julie Barbara's 8-month-old son, Drake, wants to be out of his high chair, he whines and reaches for her.

She's hoping that, by practicing with him the sign language techniques she learned at the South Park Township Library on May 3, he will, instead, point his index finger skyward, the sign for "up."

Mrs. Barbara was among six South Park parents and children in the 30-minute Sign, Sing and Play class which used music and dance movements to teach some simple words in American Sign Language.

Not only does sign language empower babies to communicate, instructor Shirli Nikolsburg said, but it also stimulates intellectual development and accelerates oral language development. The classes are not aimed at children with hearing impairments.

Sign, Sing and Play classes with additional vocabulary will be held at the library on Wednesdays from June 14 through July 5. The class for infants, age 8 to 16 months, will be from 10:30 to 11 a.m.

Classes for toddlers, age 17 to 24 months will be from 11:15 a.m. to noon. Classes are free, and one need not be a resident of South Park.

In her presentation, Ms. Nikolsburg, of Squirrel Hill, used principles developed by the Sign2Me sign language resource development company, for which she is a certified instructor. She has a master's degree in child development and child care.

Combining those skills with her 20 years of experience as a music education teacher of young children, she formulated a program which uses music, props, movement, fun play, stories and rhymes to help youngsters absorb the material.

For instance, with her cloth dog, Bobo, wrapped around her waist to grab children's attention, she played a portable keyboard and sang "pick me up" while pointing upward.

While blowing bubbles, she tapped her fingers together to signify "more" while asking, "do we want more?" and playing the keyboard with her other hand.

Parents were instructed that, while signing, they should say the word aloud and maintain eye contact with their children.

Ms. Nikolsburg said a child's success with sign language would be determined largely by how much it is repeated.

Practice paid off in her own home last year when her then-16-month-old daughter, Talia, suffering with an infection in one ear, kept tapping the tips of her index fingers together to signify pain, even after medication was administered.

When Ms. Nikolsburg moved her finger from side-to-side, the sign for "where," and asked, "where does it hurt?" the girl placed the palm of her hand on her other ear.

It turned out both ears were infected, resulting in new antibiotics. "It cuts down on frustration," said Jen Lumish, who participated in the class with her 10-month-old daughter, Kayla.

She said she planned to attend the summer sessions so Kayla will grow up knowing how Mrs. Lumish's deaf brother communicates.

Robert Lingg, who participated in the class with his 18-month-old son, Mitchell, said he was looking forward to enhanced interaction with Mitchell as a result of what he learned.

"There's some nice little tricks I learned today," he said.

To register for a sign language class at the library, call 412-833-5585. To learn about other classes offered by Ms. Nikolsburg, including at her music studio in Squirrel Hill, call 412-422-5135, or e-mail shirli11@comcast net.