As a board certified Obstetrician/Gynecologist I have spent my life taking care of people and helping to make their lives better. When my son was 14 months old, we found out that he had Apraxia and severe global motor planning difficulties. He could not speak or produce any intelligible sounds and he could not even roll over or walk. All he could do was scream and throw things.  At this point, I decided to take a hiatus from my medical career, and focus on helping to make my son’s life better.

He and I were very frustrated at his inability to communicate.  At first we used picture boards for pointing to objects.  However, that was not enough expanded language. It was also very inconvenient to use. Then, in between taking him to 8 therapy sessions/week (Physical therapy, Occupational therapy, and Speech therapy), I discovered Signing Time. We started watching it together, which we both loved. I started incorporating the signs into our everyday activities.

I was told that my son would not be able to sign because of his motor planning difficulties. Through the use of daily repetitive signing along with speaking to him, he finally began to sign back. It was a miracle!  Now he was able to tell me what he wanted and not just scream! His signs were not perfect, but they were his best approximations, recognizable, and reproducible. A door had opened for us. It felt as if a weight had lifted, because I knew that even if he never spoke, he would be able to communicate with the world.

I wanted to teach him as many signs as I could. After learning the many signs in Signing Time, I went further and took several classes at a School for the Deaf. By the time my son was a little over 2 years old he had the ability to sign 5-6 word sentences! He was developing his language capabilities even though he could not speak a single word.  He could tell me what he wanted, he could comment on his surroundings, he could tell me what he was feeling. It was amazing! Then after his third birthday, something wonderful occurred.  He started figuring out how to form some speech sounds with his mouth. By 4 years old he had an unbelievable speech explosion. Sign language set the foundation for his communication, and was a bridge to his verbal speech.  As a result, he learned to speak quickly, as soon as his muscles were able. He went from having no intelligible words, to speaking non-stop in full sentences in a short time! He is now 6 years old and in a regular mainstream kindergarten class, something we had only hoped for in our wildest dreams.

When my daughter was born, I began signing with her immediately. By 9 months, my little baby was signing back and telling me what she wanted and needed. By 13 months her signing vocabulary was enormous, even though she could not yet speak. She is now 2 years old and her speaking vocabulary is huge!  She never went through the real tantrum phase because she could always tell us what she wanted or needed. It was just fantastic!

Now you know why I feel like Signing Time saved our lives.  There is no doubt in my mind that learning sign language as a baby can enhance bonding, stimulate language, and decrease many frustrations.  As a Certified Master Signing Time instructor, I can’t wait to share with you the benefits and joy of signing with your child, just as I do with mine!

Yours Truly,
Brooke Bloom, M.D.