Jenny has had a sign language goal for a little while during her time at Garth Homer. Improving her sign language skills and knowledge is something important to her and her family. Jenny has a good understanding of a few words but has been challenging herself to learn more. This year we are focusing on new words that are common in her daily vocabulary as well as others that might be less common. She is in a sign language group with two friends from the Dreams Team and their teacher Dorothy once a week as well as has her own one-on-one time with a staff to practice new signs once a week.
During her time with Dorothy, they focus on signs she knows as well as new ones, so she has time to practice and get comfortable with each word. This is a great time for her and her friends to practice patience, turn taking and listening. They get options to choose the topic and answer questions from Dorothy. Jenny was noticeably more confident in her signs and memory. It used to be that I would show her the sign before she would remember how to do it but now if Dorothy asks her to do a sign Jenny can show it very easily and quickly on her own! It has been great to see her grow and be more confident in her abilities to use these signs.
Once a week Jenny and her staff utilize the quiet space in Room #7 and focus on sign language for about 30 minutes. This is a chance for her to choose the signs to practice herself and have no distractions. Her staff will often help hand over hand while she learns the new signs and practices the right movement. This has been a wonderful time to see her expand her vocabulary in a quiet setting.
Through her hard work it has been wonderful to witness her using and repeating her signs more in her day-to-day activities. While going through her schedule in the morning with her staff she is practicing the signs for each activity. I have also witnessed her using her signs independently through her days to communicate well with her staff and peers! Jenny is pushing herself and learning lots through these two weekly programs. As a team, we are very excited for what’s to come in her sign language journey.
