Ethan's Signing Time Audition

Anybody who knows me well knows that I have been teaching ASL (American Sign Language) to Ethan since he was a baby. I first fell in love with ASL when I was in middle school and took an ASL class. I found that it came pretty naturally to me and since then I have been teaching myself here and there and I also took some classes in college. While I was taking those college classes, my sister and I came across the first Signing Time video and decided to teach my one year old nephew some signs. My family and I were amazed at how quickly he caught on and how well he could communicate before he could even speak. From then I decided I would teach my children to sign as babies. Ethan used his first sign (more) at about 10 months. He learned very quickly from there. I loved that he could tell me what he wanted instead of crying and making me guess what he wanted then. Now it's just fun that my son knows a second language. Ethan loves watching Signing Time and learning new signs. When we heard that they were holding auditions for Signing Time, I thought it would be fun for him so we did it. It is produced here in Utah, so it won't be too hard to get him to the studio if he makes it. You can watch his audition here.
To anybody who has little ones (especially those that can't speak yet) and hasn't heard about the benefits of signing with your child: I strongly recommend Signing Time as a way to get started. Not only is it great for your kids, but the signs are taught so simply that you can learn along with them so that you can then reinforce their learning. This is what they say on their website (signingtime.com:)

How can Signing Time help your children?

• Would you like to communicate with your child before they can talk?
• Do you want to increase your child's reading and language abilities?

Scientific studies show that "typical" children who learn to sign:

• have higher IQ scores
• are better adjusted
• read at an earlier age

Many parents observe that by learning to communicate earlier, the "terrible twos" are not so terrible—children can use a sign instead of throwing a tantrum to express their needs.

And I'm a believer! I have heard of other companies who are trying to cash in on this concept that do not teach true ASL (I think one is called Baby Signs). Those I do not recommend. This could confuse children, especially if they think they know sign language when they're older and they try using it and aren't understood (that's strictly my opinion). I'm not sure when we find out if Ethan "made it", but I will definitely post about it if he does.