Sign Language

One thing I'm very glad we are doing with Caleb: using sign language. While loud at times, Caleb is not overly verbal, but he still wants to communicate. Sign language has helped us to do that effectively.

We started with just a few signs when Caleb was about 8 or 9 months old. Since then we've added to our sign language vocabulary, and in June Caleb's ability to communicate really took off.

Sometimes I teach Caleb a sign because I think it will be helpful; other times Caleb learns a sign because he really wants to "say" it. I taught Caleb "more" and "all done" because I thought it'd be helpful at mealtimes. Caleb learned "ceiling fan" and "shoes" very quickly because he really likes those things. (Ceiling fans are simply fun to watch, and shoes mean that he gets to go outside.)

Here are a few of Caleb's signs that I've managed to catch on video.



Currently his sign language vocabulary includes (give or take a few): milk, eat, more, all done/all gone, clean/clean-up, kiss, hello, goodbye, help, please, thank you, ball, shoes, and ceiling fan. He's also made up his own signs for "Daddy" and "swing."