Comments on: 7. Pursue Speech, not Sign

By: peter

peter — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 10:26:30 +0000

i have a 10 yr old lad who has downs and autism as well and doesnt recieve speech therapy at the special school, he doesnt talk , but tries hard and is very vocal with sounds,i will be introducing my son to mozart .

By: Amie

Amie — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 18:17:21 +0000

I have a nine year old daughter with a rare chromosome abnormality who did not speak until age 6. Sign language saved our lives and I would recommend teaching it to anyone who is speech delayed for any reason. It does not mean you are giving up on speech. Sign language will facilitate speech not hinder it!!

By: Estelle

Estelle — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 17:38:25 +0000

My kid does not even have Down’s Syndrome and I love your blog. I will feature on August 31 on Blog Day. This article is a gem, I have shared it on my facebook page and on a yahoogroup I belong to. Keep up the good work!

By: Christine

Christine — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 00:30:44 +0000

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your writing! Thank you for everything!! I am a new parent of a daughter with Down syndrome (really HATE this name and think there should be a campaign to change it!). She is four months old. I am determined to do EVERYTHING in my power to help her be as highly functioning as possible!! Thanks for these articles!

By: Einstein Syndrome: Down Syndrome with a positive attitude « One Day At A Time

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 02:33:24 +0000

[...] Einstein Syndrome: Down Syndrome with a positive attitude July 13, 2009 — Sari Pursue Speech, not Sign [...]

By: Alexa DeVoe

Alexa DeVoe — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 05:05:34 +0000

Hi,

I do disagree with the comment on not using sign language at all. My experience with my 22 month old son, Dominick (DS), was that sign baby language was a great bridge for him. It taught him the meaning of expressive communication. I also used “My Baby Can Read” which really helped unlock his ability to speak. He now uses signs, words and he is starting to sight read words. This makes him a tripple threat. He is not just learning one language. Speech, sign and reading – those are 3 different ways to communicate. My approach is a multisensory one. By the way did I mention that he has hearing loss in one ear. Anyways, he’s doing just great.

By: margaret

margaret — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 04:29:31 +0000

My son began with sign. It helped us know what he was thinking about. It facilitated questioning, three word phrases. He could tell us his feelings and request things. He also liked to tell us about his dreams. Speech came later. But at least he was able to converse before speech came. I would recommend sign in addition to what you suggest.

By: Maggie

Maggie — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 15:34:18 +0000

Absolutely fascinating read… I agree and disagree with parts of this. Think I’m probably going to do a follow up post on my boys’ speech experience b/c there’s too much to say about it in a comment. But, thanks for an absolutely comprehensive view of the components of launguage development..

[Maggie, I hope you do post on this and where you agree and where you disagree. I'd love to see a discussion on how to really achieve language development. -Miriam]