I have just attended the fifth class on the BSL Introductory course. I have really enjoyed the course and found it very helpful and an insight into how people who cannot speak or hear cope with life.
I would say that this should be taught in all schools as children would find it interesting. Thank you for providing the class.
Congratulations on the Happy Faces Group for the Cleft Lip and Palate Association, it is wonderful that as someone who has been there you are reaching out to families who need the support and providing them with the opportunity to meet many other families so they don’t feel alone. It really means a lot to know that you aren’t alone, so thank you from Isaac, Gareth and myself!
Mandy is one of our most inspiring clients on the Outset Plymouth programme and we are delighted that she has now started Happy Signers. Mandy is always positive and this is also shown when she talks about her business and demonstrates her wealth of experience in her field. We are thrilled that Happy Signers is developing new opportunities to grow and develop and wish Mandy every success for her new ventures and for her to know that we are here to support her and help her grow.
I first started going to Happy Signers with my baby girl Eloise when she was 7 months old. I really enjoyed the sessions and Eloise loved it too but I was a bit unsure to start with about how many of the signs I was going to remember at home and how likely it would be that a baby could really pick it up! But to my amazement, after just 6 weeks or so, (during which time Eloise would watch me signing at home and smile) she began signing milk! The first time she did it, I still wasn’t sure if it was just something random she was doing with her hands while she was having her milk and I hadn’t even noticed until Adele pointed it out to me at the end of one of the sessions! After that I started signing much more regularly, and it wasn’t long at all before at 9 months, as soon as she was hearing the word milk, or seeing the bottle of milk, she was doing the sign for it. I am still amazed by it even though it’s a daily occurrence now! At the moment, she “answers” all the signs I do and say by doing her “milk” sign but she’s only 9 and half months and it just shows that she’s really thinking about what I’m doing and she’s trying to communicate back!
I have found Happy Signers to be a really rewarding, interesting and fun activity to take part in and a great skill to learn and most importantly I believe my child is getting so much out of it. I would recommend it to anyone with a baby!
Dear Mandy
I just wanted to write and thank you for the great Happy Signers course that
I enrolled on this year with my 17 month old, Charlie.Despite only completing 5 weeks and a slightly slow mother and even slower
father, Charlie has been gradually picking up on signs and it has really
improved his communication. Initially it was just milk for about 3 weeks
and that was probably down to the fact that we only did the milk sign. He is
brilliant with that now and depending on the urgency of his requirements
depends on how many hands he uses and how frequently he flashes! Since
completing the course, we have used a few signs (but not fantastically as
Daddy didn’t attend and Mummy often forgets), despite our weaknesses,
Charlie has lapped it up, he has started to indicate food, please (which he
can’t say, sometimes I think Charlie thinks it means ‘I MUST HAVE THAT
NOW’), duck, change nappy, poo poo (although that sign has prompted him
using the words rather than the sign, even better), brushing teeth, washing
face, getting dressed. I’m working on the ‘I love you’ but so far he’s
avoided doing that to me (hmmm). We are also working on Sorry which is
really hard to communicate with toddlers but I really believe its breaking
down a barrier there, at a time when its already difficult. The other sign
that Charlie uses is the ‘where’ which he uses when he doesn’t know what is
happening and I love this. What is really lovely is when we are talking to
him that he is going to eat his tea, then wash his face, brush his teeth,
drink his milk, he signs as we go along (again we often don’t remember) but
throughout this he is showing us that he totally understands what we are
saying.Since he’s been doing the signing, I have also found that Charlie is keen to
spend time cuddling and putting his face close to ours – not sure if that’s
at a development point or because the communication between us is so much
better but it does feel like a link has been established.The course itself was great value for money, it was great to have an almost
rhyme time session with lots of songs and signing and great to have sheets
to take home – having learnt the words at the sessions it was handy to have
a reminder.I am very much hoping to have the opportunity to sign up for another course,
I have another baby on the way and really hope that I will be able to start
signing even earlier with that one and that the signing will improve the
communication between Charlie and his sibling in the future.Thank you to both you and Adele for organising and presenting such a great
course.Kind regards
Nikki Hirst
