Sign Language {31 for 21}

I have a confession.  Reagan is an addict.  What started out so innocently a few months ago with the arrival of a bright shiny DVD in the mail has gradually morphed into an obsession.  I've created a monster.  A Baby Signing Times monster.

I've written about Ds & speech delays before.  To be perfectly honest, this is the area of development that causes me the most worry with Reese.  I know she will eventually walk & eat with a fork & drink from a cup, but I don't have any idea how well she will communicate. 

According to Sue Buckley, a guru in the field of speech & language in individuals with Ds, "children with Down syndrome are usually good communicators. They are keen to interact socially right from infancy but they have to rely on non-verbal skills such as gesture for longer than other children because they usually experience significant speech and language delay."

Can you imagine having the receptive language to understand what is going on in your environment but lacking the expressive language to be able to convey your needs or be an active participant in conversation?  We see a lot of folks in the ICU following strokes who often experience the same phenomenon.  The frustration is palpable.

Thankfully, a very proactive & bright group of people hypothesized using sign language with kids with Ds might help alleviate some of this frustration.  It would provide a way to communicate until speech was more developed.  Well, they were right & the sign language boom is in full force. 

That's all fine & dandy, I thought, but how will I teach Reese to sign when all I know is the alphabet (okay, part of the alphabet)?  Enter Baby Signing Times, a.k.a. Reagan's current addiction.

I heard about this series EVERYWHERE.  Some parents equated it to "baby crack" & it was plastered on the forums & blogs I frequented shortly after Reese's birth.  Of course I jumped on the bandwagon & our collection keeps growing.

I distinctly recall the first moment I witnessed Rachel Coleman cheerfully singing & signing the theme song.  I looked over at Reagan & she was mesmerized, almost catatonic.  Nine months later & the kid is still hooked.

Reese is slowly gaining an appreciation for the antics of Hopkins & Alex & Leah but she loses interest quickly.  Reagan, on the other hand, is a true addict.  Unlike most addictions, this one has proven quite beneficial.  I'm guessing Reagan knows at least 100 signs but it's actually probably closer to 200.  She is now teaching me.

Articulation is not one of Reagan's strengths.  I can understand most of what she's saying but there are still times I have no clue.  So now when I'm struggling to understand her, she opts to sign the word instead.  It is so freaking cute.  And awesome.  Reese will have the best teacher & interpreter in her sister. 

There is some controversy in the Ds community regarding the use of sign language.  The opposers speculate speech will be even more delayed if our kids rely on sign.  Personally I think the opposition is hogwash.  We don't exclusively sign with Reese.  We say & sign the word simultaneously.  In my opinion, we are merely providing our daughter with an alternative method of communication until she can fully rely on her speech.  Nothing wrong with that.