#WhyISign

When I entered public school in the 6th grade there were countless new experiences to adjust too. Anywhere from the sheer number of people or to the fact that there were 6 other Ashley's in my grade alone! I quickly became thankful my parents decided to at least go with a different spelling! (Ashl"EE"" instead of the traditional "EY") Yet one area I found particularly fascinating was being exposed to American Sign Language(ASL) for the first time. There were two girls in my grade who were hard of hearing and had an interpreter. Not going to lie...from 6th grade all the way to graduation, if they were in my class I would much rather watch the interpreter than the teacher! In my shyness it took me a while to jump in and try and learn, but by the time I was in high school I could at least carry on a conversation or even work on classroom projects when needed. Post high school i even used the sign language I knew or self-taught in dance performances. Fast forward many years to having an infant and I started hearing about "baby sign language." I loved the idea that teaching my son a few short words would give us the ability to communicate while he was developing his oral motor skills and forming words. Granted I look back and barely remember a time when my son didn't talk in complete sentences so it wasn't long before "more", "please", and "eat" were surpassed by him speaking. Nevertheless I am thankful for that time.


Let's fast forward a few more years...We now have a sweet little girl who also happens to have an extra chromosome! While the news was very unexpected and had its own time of processing, one of the things we knew we wanted to aim for very early on stemmed from something someone shared with us, "expect and don't accept." From that point on we decided that we were always going to expect the most from her and not just accept the stereotypes from having a diagnosis of Down syndrome. Yes there are factors such as low muscle tone, which in turn causes motor skills delays. Yes there can be cognitive delays and even social delays. Yet we always thought that if we did everything we could to help her reach her greatest potential she could supersede the low exceptions our world typically has for individuals with Down syndrome. At times it has been hard because I have always been of the mind that "babies are only babies once" or "kids are only little for so long". Now that we have wanted to think to the future all the while enjoying the moment, that at times meant working on things "earlier" than I normally would.

With the low muscle tone this typically causes delays in speech development simply because all of the muscles around the mouth and tongue are just not strong enough. One of the terms that has been hardest for me is "non-verbal." For a long time I didn't even look into what that meant or entailed simply because I was scared too know that reality. I heard stories of children not speaking for years. When Brighton was 7 months old I even met a young man who I introduced myself too and then his  mother told me he didn't speak. In that moment my heart broke, that while I am sure he has ways of communicating his wants and needs, the full capacity of his personality and ability to communicate with those around him was limited by his speech. I wondered, "what is he capable of that they will never know about?" He was such a kind young man and I could tell that his mother loved him and he was taken care of, but still my heart hurt. Was there the possibility that I would never be able to lay across my daughters bed and chat with her about her time with friends? School? Things she loves and things that make her sad? While I don't remember for sure if that was the moment something in me clicked or rather it was a slower process, I knew that I wanted and needed to go beyond "more", "please" and "thank you" when it came to teaching Brighton sign language. That we would use this incredible language to broaden our ability to communicate with our daughter. Would it take her longer to learn? Possibly. But the results would be worth it. Hearing her "voice" would be worth it. She is worth it.

Here we are, now at 2 1/2, and my Little Miss can understand and use 85 different signs in ASL!!!!!!!! Now, truth be told there are others we are working on, but she requires more prompting either visually with a picture, visually with me signing them, help signing them(some signs are tricky!), or being asked multiple times. But her vocabulary is growing and I cannot tell you how exciting it is!!! Along with this, she is putting short sentences together, she asks for help, or even comes to me and asks for a specific snack! (chips are her utmost favorite) Last week we were at the eye doctor for a yearly check up and there was a little girl in there who is also 2. Her grandmother apologized because the little girls would shriek every time she wanted something. The teacher in me wanted to share the simple way to show her how to say "more." I am not always the most outgoing person so it wasn't until she asked me a question about Brighton signing, our name being called and walking out the door, that I worked up the nerve to at least say, "We started slowly with "more' "please" and "eat," and it grew from there.

Two days ago we were at a party and the lone child there was almost 2. The entire evening all she did was point and grunt or make a noise indicating what she wanted or needed. Call me crazy, but all I could think of was the fact that when my child was that age she was indicating she wanted more to eat, or something to drink, all without a meltdown.

Furthermore, there was a conversation I had with someone yesterday. I was asked a question about Brighton talking and so I of course delightfully shared that she is signing 85 words!! Imagine my surprise when instead of encouragement or congratulations, the response was, "That's great but does she actually say any words?" Of course she does! Also, many of her signs are accompanied by at least the first syllable! But hold the phone. I just told you my child knows 85 different signs in ASL(a language) but you're more worried about her verbally saying them? What about cognitively understanding those 85 words and being able to communicate them? Doesn't that count? The answer is simply, yes. My limited understanding is that a typically developing child without a diagnosis should know/say about 50+ words between the age of 24-30months. I even read on one website where 25 is considered great. Insert sigh. More and more I am learning that my skin is going to have to get a whole lot tougher on this parenting road. I just wish that in that moment I would have been allowed the opportunity to celebrate Brighton's amazing work so far and not have to defend or explain. Because the way I look at it, saying she knows that many signs is no different than if I had been asked, "Does she know English? Well no, but she does know 85 words in Spanish!" (or French or any language!)

I never imagined that one day I would feel led to advocate for a cause or group people. But then again I never imagined having a daughter with Down syndrome. Taking it a step further, I never imagined that I would find myself wanting to share the joy and value of teaching young children sign language! Recently I read a quote by Rachel Coleman of Signing Time that rang true for me. It said, "I see signing as an essential tool, but only if you're interested in fewer tantrums..." Touche!

For a second post I know this is borderline ranting and for that I apologize. I just hope that if you make it this far in reading you hear my Momma's heart wanting to celebrate not only my sweet girl and her accomplishment just as any mother would, but also the value of ASL. It is not secondary and neither are those who speak it.