This “Making a Difference with Signing Time” blog post is an interview with Dr. Emily Jean Davidson, director of the Down Syndrome Program at Children’s Hospital Boston

What types of services does your program provide for children with Down syndrome?

The Down Syndrome Program at Children’s Hospital was started in 1967 with a particular focus on children with Down syndrome from birth to age 3.  The clinic has an interdisciplinary model with each child seen every six months by a team of specialists in speech-language pathology, physical therapy, nutrition, dentistry, audiology, and developmental pediatrics.  In 2009, our program has expanded to follow children with Down syndrome up to age 18.

How did you get connected with Signing Time?

Back row is Dr. Brian Skotko, Clinical Genetics Fellow, left is Dr. Emily Davidson, Director, right is Angela Lombardo, Program Coordinator, Bottom is Ben Majewski, Resource Specialist.

For many years we have encouraged families to begin using sign language as part of a total communication approach. In 2007, we purchased several Signing Time videos for parents to borrow and found that both kids and parents were delighted with them. We noticed that once families actually saw and used a Signing Time video they became more confident to use signs with their children. I can remember one little boy who only had a handful of spoken words telling me a whole story in sign language about being on a boat and being scared.  I asked his mother how she and her son had learned so many signs (over 300) and she told me it was all from the Signing Time videos. We felt that if we could provide one introductory video for each family during infancy, more families would start using signs and more children would benefit.

How many families get these videos each year?

Over one hundred families join our program each year. Our families with young children who receive the videos report back that older siblings pick up the signs quickly and love the DVDs as much as their children with Down syndrome – so this gift is for the whole family!

In what other ways are the videos used?

We include Signing Time DVDs in our lending library and they are EXTREMELY popular also with families whose children are admitted in the hospital.  We have families who are in for longer stays and the children love having the DVDs to watch in their hospital rooms.  We have one family who has been here for a very long extended time period and they have been borrowing 2 or 3 at a time and switching them every so often to keep their son happy and learning more and more during his stay!

How do you raise money for the videos?

In June 2009, our program coordinator, Angela Lombardo, organized “Team Down Syndrome” to walk in the NSTAR Walk for Children’s Hospital Boston.  We use some of the funds to purchase Signing Time videos.

In what other ways has Signing Time supported your program?

Kei Malone, a Signing Time fan and volunteer, donated two Signing Time DVD Collections to our lending library,  so we have videos for the beginner as well as for the more experienced signer.

Thank you, Signing Time, for helping us reach hundreds of families and improve the lives of children with Down syndrome!

Thank YOU for helping us fulfill our mission of helping children of all ages and abilities communicate and connect with the people they love.

FUN FACT:

In 2010, Signing Time partnered with the National Down Syndrome Society and offered a free Signing Time Gift Set to Buddy Walk registrants.  117 registrants took us up on the offer! They each received a Signing Time Gift Set with 3 DVDs and a music CD. The total retail value of the donated products was over $9,000!

We are back…well, Rachel and Leah get back sometime today.

The Triangle Down Syndrome Network Buddy Walk was fantastic. Rachel, Alex and Leah were a smash!

Going down the slide

After the morning show interview that I talked about in the last post, we all went over to Brier Creek Community Park, where we set up and got ready for the big performance. We may have stopped to take advantage of some fun things at the Buddy Walk…

Rachel, Alex and Leah at the Meet and Greet

After a couple of times down the slide, we headed over to our table and set up a place where people could stop and meet Rachel, Alex and Leah. Even before we set up, the hosts of Signing Time were bombarded… and loved every minute of it.

They had a chance to meet all the little buddies who were there to walk, and even got to see some people who came just to meet the Signing Time stars!

We even had the chance to meet 15-year old Noah Long, who (I hope I get the story right) unbeknownst to his family, volunteered them to help at the Buddy Walk so he would have a chance to work for a good cause and meet Rachel at the same time.

Lindsey Meeting Noah Long

Noah, who is blind, happened to stumble upon the music for Signing Time and has been a fan ever since. It was nice to finally meet him and his family.

When it came time to get Rachel, Alex and Leah to the stage, we felt so bad for leaving the booth…but we literally had to run to make it to the stage on time – we were running as they made the announcement. Rachel went on first and sang the Signing Time theme song. When Alex and Leah were introduced, they were greeted by the best applause and hooting and hollering around!

As part of the show, Rachel, Alex and Leah performed the Silly Pizza song, one of Rachel’s favorites It just so happens that all our Signing Time fans love this song and get really bummed if Rachel doesn’t perform it. Perhaps one of the most challenging songs, Rachel, Alex, Leah and a couple of Buddy Walk attendees performed this without a hitch. As a joke, Rachel falls to the stage exhausted. You can view the video below.



You can read all about one fans experience on our forum.

After the performance, Rachel, Alex and Leah joined the walkers for a walk around the park. From the looks of it, there were almost 2,000 participants that came for the walk.

Walking at the Buddy Walk

All in all, the Buddy Walk was a huge success…and we were so excited to be a part of it. You can see more photos on our website in the Photo Album.

The next day, Rachel and Leah were able to host a Signing Time Story Time at the Child Development Center in Wilmington. Students with exceptionalities and disabilities were able to meet these two stars and learned some sign language at the same time. Rachel and Leah were also able to meet with parents and families living in or around Wilmington, where they were able to talk about the importance of giving communication to all children, regardless of ability.

The Wilmington Star News reported before the event: Star News Parents: Meet Signing Time Host.

Just wanted to let all of you know that Rachel will be performing during the Willamette Valley Down Syndrome Association (WVDSA) Buddy Walk from 10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m. on Saturday, September 27th at the amphitheater located in Riverfront Park in Salem. Rachel will also be performing during a fund-raising concert to benefit the WVDSA. The concert will be held on Friday, September 26th at 6:30 p.m. at the Morningstar Community Church located at 4775 27th Ave SE.

Rachel and I will be there to meet you following each event. I also wanted to share a story of one little girl who learned sign language as a means to communicate, and is very excited to show off her signs for Rachel at the event.

Keep reading for more….

Continue Reading »

Rachel and I just got back from Oklahoma City where we had the opportunity to participate in the 13th annual Down Syndrome Association of Central Oklahoma Buddy Walk.

Rachel, Rebecca and Addison Klehm with Jennifer Pierce at the Channel 9 studio

Rachel and I started out early in the morning with morning show host, Jennifer Pierce at CBS: Channel 9. Rachel was joined by Rebecca Klehm – who was part of the planning committee for the Buddy Walk – and Rebecca’s daughter Addison Klehm. You can watch the coverage on the CBS: Channel 9 website .

With the help of all those involved in the Buddy Walk, we were mentioned in a fantastic interview about the Buddy Walk and Rachel in the Oklahoman. Read Child with Down syndrome to meet one of her heroes by Chris Jones.

Here is a snippet of the article:

“When Mike and Rebecca Klehm learned that their second child would be born with Down syndrome and cleft issues, they decided they would bring her into the world and do everything possible to help Addie live life to the fullest.

The Klehms realized their daughter would struggle with communication, so they enrolled in baby sign language classes.

“Her first sign was more, and we were thrilled,” Rebecca Klehm said. “This was just like her first word to us, and we built on that with milk, drink, please. Now she says milk, and signs at the same time. It’s very rewarding for her and us. The news was overwhelming at first, but she is doing great, and she surprises us every day with what she is learning.”

Children sign 'blue' as part of the Signing Time song: Colors of the Rainbow

On Saturday, 4-year-old Addison will meet one of her heroes, Rachel Coleman, the star and creator of Signing Time!, a DVD series designed to teach children to communicate using American Sign Language.”

You can continue reading the article on the Oklahoman website.

It was fantastic to be a part of such a wonderful event. Rachel delivered an incredible performance. Children and families from all over Oklahoma participated in the event, and even helped Rachel out with some of her songs!

Thank you to everyone who made this event a success!

If you are interested in having Rachel participate in your event, please contact Lindsey Blau at lindsey@signingtime.com with the subject line “Rachel appearance” for more information. We are scheduling her calendar for 2009 and would love to hear from you.