Recently Watched: Signing Time

[ellyssian]

Signing Time! Vol. 1: My First Signs DVD

This is the first video in a series designed to teach little kids how to use American Sign Language. Not only was Brandon (about 27-30 months old when he first watched it) able to pick up all the signs, he still recalls many of them nearly six months after the fact. Rachel (9) and Justin (15) were also able to pick them up without getting overly annoyed that it was a video designed for toddlers. Even more amazing, I, who can rapidly sign the alphabet at the blistering pace of one letter every 20-40 seconds (and I can read the ASL alphabet almost four or five times slower than that!), can manage the signs presented here.

I really wish we had this earlier for Mr. B, or for the other kids. Children can pick up ASL well before they're able to express the same concepts verbally, and the early communication removes at least some of the stress and drama concerning the pre-speech set. All three of my kids could sign "please", "thank you", and "more" long before they could speak. Getting them to communicate earlier removes a lot of the frustration when they understand what you are saying but don't know how to express themselves.

Of course, if, like the creator of the video series, you have a child that is severely hearing impaired, than learning ASL becomes even more important. You never know when ASL will come in handy in other situations. I look forward to picking up other discs in this series for my children and for myself.