Comments on: Rilla Signs http://melissawiley.com/blog/2007/10/14/rilla-signs/ Children's Book Author Thu, 08 Jan 2009 05:55:48 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Kris Gilson http://melissawiley.com/blog/2007/10/14/rilla-signs/#comment-5530 Kris Gilson Wed, 17 Oct 2007 00:32:46 +0000 http://72.29.64.190/~mwiley/blog/2007/10/14/rilla-signs/#comment-5530 Wow! That's some painful cuteness there! Hope you guys are well. xx, kris Wow! That’s some painful cuteness there! Hope you guys are well. xx, kris

]]> By: Jane Ramsey http://melissawiley.com/blog/2007/10/14/rilla-signs/#comment-5529 Jane Ramsey Tue, 16 Oct 2007 22:24:21 +0000 http://72.29.64.190/~mwiley/blog/2007/10/14/rilla-signs/#comment-5529 Adorable! Adorable!

]]> By: KC http://melissawiley.com/blog/2007/10/14/rilla-signs/#comment-5528 KC Mon, 15 Oct 2007 16:55:01 +0000 http://72.29.64.190/~mwiley/blog/2007/10/14/rilla-signs/#comment-5528 That's so very cute!!!! I love those little hands making those signs. That’s so very cute!!!! I love those little hands making those signs.

]]> By: Eileen http://melissawiley.com/blog/2007/10/14/rilla-signs/#comment-5527 Eileen Mon, 15 Oct 2007 15:31:50 +0000 http://72.29.64.190/~mwiley/blog/2007/10/14/rilla-signs/#comment-5527 I too have always believed in signing as a path to spoken language--it was practically "bible" when I taught special needs preschoolers (in my past life!) My now 4 year old amazed me at how he picked up signs from videos, immediately putting chosen ones (like "ouch," interestingly) into his gestural vocabulary. But despite his obvious proclivity for signs, I couldn't understand a thing he said (spoken-wise), and I wondered why the signing didn't lead to more speaking. As it turned out, he had a pretty serious speech delay, which a speech therapist miraculously (and I don't use that word lightly) helped him overcome in less than a year. If he didn't have those signs, he would not have been able to communicate effectively with us at all...at a time when he clearly had so much to say! (You are just amazing, by the way. Your posts have a way of giving me the chills every time I read them. I'm going to have to learn to keep the kleenex nearby when I visit your site!!!) Warmly, Eileen I too have always believed in signing as a path to spoken language–it was practically “bible” when I taught special needs preschoolers (in my past life!) My now 4 year old amazed me at how he picked up signs from videos, immediately putting chosen ones (like “ouch,” interestingly) into his gestural vocabulary.

But despite his obvious proclivity for signs, I couldn’t understand a thing he said (spoken-wise), and I wondered why the signing didn’t lead to more speaking.

As it turned out, he had a pretty serious speech delay, which a speech therapist miraculously (and I don’t use that word lightly) helped him overcome in less than a year.

If he didn’t have those signs, he would not have been able to communicate effectively with us at all…at a time when he clearly had so much to say!

(You are just amazing, by the way. Your posts have a way of giving me the chills every time I read them. I’m going to have to learn to keep the kleenex nearby when I visit your site!!!)

Warmly,
Eileen

]]> By: Rachel http://melissawiley.com/blog/2007/10/14/rilla-signs/#comment-5526 Rachel Mon, 15 Oct 2007 12:13:45 +0000 http://72.29.64.190/~mwiley/blog/2007/10/14/rilla-signs/#comment-5526 Wonderful... and not pixellated at all! Good job Rilla, and what a precious gift for Wonderboy to have a sibling to sign with :) Wonderful… and not pixellated at all! Good job Rilla, and what a precious gift for Wonderboy to have a sibling to sign with :)

]]> By: Jeanne http://melissawiley.com/blog/2007/10/14/rilla-signs/#comment-5525 Jeanne Mon, 15 Oct 2007 10:11:17 +0000 http://72.29.64.190/~mwiley/blog/2007/10/14/rilla-signs/#comment-5525 Thanks for starting my week off right! Thanks for starting my week off right!

]]> By: monica http://melissawiley.com/blog/2007/10/14/rilla-signs/#comment-5524 monica Mon, 15 Oct 2007 08:47:07 +0000 http://72.29.64.190/~mwiley/blog/2007/10/14/rilla-signs/#comment-5524 I love seeing what rilla is up to, as my little abram is exactly the same age (born april 20). that smile of utter delight when they do something is better than chocolate. i havent taught our kids sign,just kind of used it for that transition stage before they are talking. I was wondering what the research says about how hearing kids learning sign affects (if it does at all) their verbal speech acquisition. I assume it is like my 4yo learning romanian and english. his english is miles ahead of romanian, but learning romanian hasnt affected his english at all. just wondering if you had read anything about this. I love seeing what rilla is up to, as my little abram is exactly the same age (born april 20). that smile of utter delight when they do something is better than chocolate. i havent taught our kids sign,just kind of used it for that transition stage before they are talking. I was wondering what the research says about how hearing kids learning sign affects (if it does at all) their verbal speech acquisition. I assume it is like my 4yo learning romanian and english. his english is miles ahead of romanian, but learning romanian hasnt affected his english at all. just wondering if you had read anything about this.

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