31 for 21 Day 8: Signing Time

Micah used to sign... A LOT!  I had the Signing Time theme song running through my brain all.the.time.  I truly believe that signing has helped Micah speak.  We don't teach him new signs very often anymore because he is vocalizing more and he has a lot of other educational stuff going on.  Signing is beneficial for ANY child, not just those with Down syndrome.  It teaches the value of language (note that there is a difference between language and speech) at an early age and encourages effective communication.

I'd like to add that because Micah's feeding tube would result in lower strength in his facial muscles, combined with the low muscle tone present in kids with Down syndrome, well, I was TERRIFIED that Micah wouldn't speak.  Learning sign language definitely helped (along with a LOT of hard work by his therapists).
Anyway... I'd like to pass along a great sale coming up on Monday.



Our favorites have been the Baby Signing Time series for the little people.  Then we "moved up" to the regular Signing Time series.  Micah's favorite videos then became My Favorite Things (colors and foods), Leah's Farm, and Zoo Train.  From there, he went on to love My Neighborhood and Welcome to School.  He enjoyed the others in between... I just thought I'd share what his favorites have been.  For those of you with littles... consider asking for some videos for Christmas gifts.  The 25% off sale on Sunday and Monday is a great deal.  Have fun shopping!