Signing Time with Spanish Leads to Communication Breakthrough

By Jennifer Thorsen, SLP – winner of our Facebook Success Story Contest

As a speech-language pathologist, I am no stranger to signing. I use signs as part of a total communication approach with my clients in early intervention, to facilitate communication with my own children, and with my elementary-age students who have limited verbal communication skills. However, I’ve never had a student quite like Yadi. Yadi’s ability to express herself verbally is extremely limited, and she mainly uses signs and gestures to communicate her wants and needs along with a communication device. She is also bilingual, which posed another challenge for us. While her device is programmed in Spanish and English, she is still learning how to use it and doesn’t always choose to use it. Signing is her most efficient means of communication at this time, and she always tries to say the word as she signs it. Unfortunately, not only is she difficult to understand but her parents don’t know all of the signs she will use at home with them. With the language barrier between me and her parents, it is difficult for me to communicate with them so we can work as a team and give her more support at home.

When I saw the Facebook post for the contest on the Signing Time page asking people to “Share what is your favorite Signing Time Product to give as a gift, who you like to give it to and why,” I couldn’t help but think of Yadi. I immediately went to www.signingtime.com to browse through products, and imagine my excitement when I saw that several of the DVDs now had Spanish play options! I knew that this would be the perfect thing for Yadi and her family. Now her family could learn the signs and Yadi could learn new signs in a fun and motivating format at home!

Signing Time and Baby Signing Time have also been very helpful to me as they have increased my professional skills and my skills as a mom. Thank you so much from Yadi, her family, and me!

2 thoughts on “Signing Time with Spanish Leads to Communication Breakthrough”

  1. Yes, the signing time Spanish play option was a God-send when we adopted our little one. It facilitated her transition to English and was a great way to open the communication avenues for her. She was ready for a language! She learned 20 signs in the first few weeks! I was able to send the First set to the School she attended in Ecuador so they could use it with other students.

  2. I cannot imagine how hard it is going to be for Yadi to acclimate to society in America without basic English skills. I love the effort of her ST, family, et al., but how will she be able to get by knowing only ASL signs with Spanish words?

    I think that it is irresponsible of Signing Times to publish Spanish optional videos in America. If our politicians have allowed the American born children to become American citizens, shouldn’t they be taught the national language? Shouldn’t their parents step up and learn the language of their new “home”…America?

    When I visited Mexico, I would not have survived if I did not speak Spanish. Mexico is a proud country, and they should be. If you don’t speak Spanish, you may go hungry in the smaller towns…as you rightfully should.

    At two years of age, my Kate knew about 50 ASL signs and about a dozen words in English. It was not until the last six months to a year (3 1/2 to 4 years of only English: Tres y media a quatro anos de solo Ingles) that she is able to translate the English word to the Spanish word.

    Had she not had the solid English base (which she will use in school and every where else she goes, aceptar para la fiestas), she would still be struggling with the words like her American born older brother (my step-son) who couldn’t speak at all until he was six. This was because of the bi-lingual education he was receiving (la casa=Espanol, escuela=Ingles).

    Here’s my recommendation: Parents, sit down with you children and learn the English words and the ASL signs that go with them. It is ALL about your children. Give yourself a gift of learning the language of the country you are now living in. Give yourself a greater gift of being able to communicate with your DS or special needs child. How awesome it is to be able to communicate with your child (special needs or not) across a large, loud room with a few simple hand gestures.

    There is nothing more rewarding than your three year old DS baby telling you “I Love You, Daddy” with two hand gestures and you understanding what she is saying!

    My heart fills with pride every time I see her communicating with another person, even if that person doesn’t understand ASL. Because I sat down and watched the videos with Kate, I can help translate for her so the person she is communicating with can understand what she is saying. Imagine trying to translate ASL to Spanish to English when you don’t speak English?!? That’s not fair for your child that is trying so hard.

    Por favor, ayudar a ayudarse a sí mismo a su hijo. Cursos de Inglés!

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