Deseret News | Signing star — 10-year-old helps families learn to communicate in sign language

Reader comments
Signing star — 10-year-old helps families learn to communicate in sign language

Melissa | 6:20 a.m. Dec. 4, 2007

We love Signing Time products!! It has helped us out so much. Thank you for all the fun we have while learning.

JAC | 6:38 a.m. Dec. 4, 2007

My son could say 15 to 20 words that only I could understand when he was 3. He was in speech for a whole school year. His speech had only slightly improved. (He has no hearing difficulties.) He was scheduled to have speech everyday the following year. After one week of watching Signing Time, his speech exploded. I don't know why or how, just that it did. It was amazing. The following year he continued in speech but for only an hour a week.

Julie | 7:05 a.m. Dec. 4, 2007

Our granddaughter loved watching these videos from the time she was very little...they were some of the few she watched. At first she just loved seeing the other children, but soon she was signing for a drink, Mama, Daddy, thank you, please. We all learned the signs and she loved it. What a great thing these videos are! I do think they helped her learn to speak sooner.

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Deaf mom w/a Deaf kindergartener | 10:29 a.m. Dec. 4, 2007

I am so very appreciative of, and grateful for, Signing Time. I have seen people who knew a little bit of signs start signing a whole lot better to me. I knew it wasn't me they learned that much and found out it was from watching Signing Time.
Anytime I meet someone that signs well enough (ie, with confidence and reasonable accuracy) it has been from Signing Time. I have not seen any other video or book do the same.

Yes, you have made it better for d/Deaf people. I only wish EVERYONE could and would learn signs. (and that those who've learned, would USE it.)

Again, THANK YOU!

Linda Brown | 10:37 a.m. Dec. 4, 2007

All of my grandchildren have learned to sign at an early age. It has been a blessing to all of us to communicate with them and know what's on their minds before they verbalize. Thank you for a great product!

Paul | 11:18 a.m. Dec. 4, 2007

I was born profoundly deaf, with the use of oral/and american sign language method. I had cochlear implant surgery done last year...now as of this day, I can understand 100% what other hearing people are saying around me. My speech has improved dramatically. American sign language is great for social interaction. It's the preferred mode of commication.

BUT for some reason, ASL interpreters could not sign exactly what college professors are saying in the classroom. If they dont know the word, the interpreters dumb it down and baby it. I got fed up and got a real-time typist who took classroom notes exactly as the teacher spoke, word for word. This was the way I used, to be able to graduate from Utah Valley State College in 2006.

The only regret was- I wished I had the cochlear implant when I was born 40 years ago. I know I would have been a better student in school. I would have been able to understand the teachers' instructions without typists and interpreters.

ASL again, it is a great communication tool, but just not in the classroom, in my case. I am so glad the girls are able to bond via ASL.

Signing Speech Therapist | 12:12 p.m. Dec. 4, 2007

Signing is one more way we can communicate with one another. For many years, children who could not speak learned signing to communicate. The use of signing teaches some fundamental principles required for speech. My own children were curious about signing, so I taught them basic signs. I hoped they would be able to interact with people who use signing exclusively. And they have. On several occasions I have been able to assist a deaf person attempting to communicate in a public place with a non-signer.

Recently the use of signing with infants in the pre-speech stage has gained popularity. Parents report they are able to communicate with their young ones using signing before the child understands or uses speech. Much frustration is avoided, which makes for a happier home.

Are you aware that signing classes are recognized by some universities as foreign language credit?

The LDS church's Primary teaches signing for some of the children's songs ("Love One Another").

As a professional speech therapist, I am pleased to learn of this effort. Happy signing, everyone!

Josh | 12:40 p.m. Dec. 4, 2007

My youngest was born with a rare genetic syndrome with one of the places hardest hit being speech development. With Signing Time, he can communicate not only with us, but with my family, nursery workers, his brothers and sisters. He is 2 yrs old and the only thing he will sit down and watch on TV is Signing Time. Not only that, because we mostly speak my wife's native tongue at home, he is learning all these words trilingual.

Great for babies | 5:03 p.m. Dec. 4, 2007

One of my sisters started teaching her babies sign language when they were just a few months old. When they would eat she would do the sign for "eat", when they would drink she would do that sign, etc. and soon they began to pick up on it and sign to her what they wanted. They were able to do this before they could actually speak and it did seem to help to avoid many unnecessary tantrums. They also learned to speak very soon thereafter and they had quite a large vocabulary-- I'm not sure it it's because of the signing but I wouldn't be surprised if it was!

Liz | 9:24 p.m. Dec. 4, 2007

We love Signing Time! Our 2 year old daughter has some speech delay. When she watches Signing Time, she not only learns the signs, but repeats the words vocally. Our 5 year old loves to have conversations with me only using ASL. Thank you!!!

julie | 10:55 p.m. Dec. 4, 2007

It's my daughter's favorite video! We have Baby Signing Time and love it. The songs are fantastic and I find myself singing them all of the time. My 12 month old can sign a few words already.

Charlene | 11:18 p.m. Dec. 4, 2007

My granddaughters love to watch Signing Times dvds all the time. They seem to learn the signs very quickly. The music is so good, too. I have even learned some signs. My Mother had a hearing problem so I can relate to Leah's learning to read lips. That is what my Mother did. What a blessing these are for hearing impaired. What a wonderful program!!Thank you.

Randi | 1:05 a.m. Dec. 5, 2007

Our family began enjoying the signing time videos and noticed that the children almost instantly began to sign as naturally as they would speak. We feel it is a great advantage for them to be able to communicate in a new language that allows them the opportunity to have relationships with hearing and deaf children. The older children can even communicate with the infants earlier by signing with them.

Emily | 5:03 p.m. Dec. 5, 2007

As I learn more about "Signing Time" and the family behind the whole thing, I realize how grateful I am for the trials that they have had to face. They and the videos are an inspiration to our family and have helped us in closing the communication barrier with our 21 month old daughter. We've been through hearing tests and developemental assessments with her. These videos have seemed to be the only things that have been able to hold her attention and bring out her smile and excitement for life. Our family frustration levels have also decreased and we've all been a lot happier. Thank you!

Aly | 8:37 a.m. Dec. 6, 2007

Signing Time! helped my daughter prove to the medical community that she was smart! She knew all her letters by sight, sound and sign before she was 18 months old and showed her doctors that her IQ was definitely well above 72! She has grown so much through using sign language and Signing Time is still her favorite!

Anonymous | 11:21 a.m. Dec. 7, 2007

My family loves Signing Time! I have a daughter who has a brain birth defect that effects her speech. Signing Time! was the answer, it opened up the world of communication for her. Even my 2 year old uses it, and he can communicate many things to us. We love Signing Time! and the Coleman Family.

Ronai | 9:34 a.m. Dec. 9, 2007

I LOVE SigningTime!!! I have been signing for over 17 years and Signingtime is by far the best DVD series I have ever found. I teach an afterschool ASL class and we use Signingtime every lesson. Thank you Rachel for making my job so much easier!

Janel | 1:08 p.m. Dec. 9, 2007

our family also loves signing time. This family has some amazing musical talents and energy.

JenML | 8:53 p.m. Dec. 25, 2007

Signing Time is such a wonderful presentation of ASL. It is great exposure to those who do not sign, or have not seen ASL. It is a fabulous way to begin communicating with your infant child months/years before he is able to tell you want he wants/needs with words. In my family, we use ASL as or primary home language, as my husband is Deaf and I am hearing. My hearing son grew up learning two languages, though out "in the world", English was used primarily. Signing Time has been the great equalizer for my son, as he sees children of all ages signing with their parents on tv, VALIDATING his own home language. As a family, we have used the Signing Time dvd's to share ASL with our close and extended family and friends so that they may communicate with my husband,(again, more people learning and using ASL in a mainstream way, which validates my son's experiences of being bilingual).
Signing Time is a very well done production. It is very thoughtful and an intelligent piece of work (as a whole). I recommend ST to all my friends who may be parents and/or professional colleagues.

JCEngh | 5:33 p.m. Jan. 14, 2008

Signing Time was our first introduction to ASL and the Deaf Community. We have learned so much from the videos, after 5 years, and we totally recommend them for all children and all abilities.

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4 photos

Liz Martin, Deseret News

Leah Coleman signs with her family. Leah is the star of "Signing Time." "I like the acting part and when we get to dress up, but it's hard to smile all the time," she said.

Gallery (4 photos)