Imagine the frustration: You
’re ravenous, but can’t communicate hunger; scared, but cannot
express fear. It’s a daily struggle for newborn babies who cannot
tell their parents what their needs are and a Morgan Hill couple
hopes to bridge the communication gap.
Imagine the frustration: You’re ravenous, but can’t communicate hunger; scared, but cannot express fear.
It’s a daily struggle for newborn babies who cannot tell their parents what their needs are and a Morgan Hill couple hopes to bridge the communication gap.
“Instead of crying, screaming and throwing things, they can learn to communicate their needs,” said Debbie Pardue, who, with her husband, Brett Stocksick, teaches a class Monday mornings at the Community Center. “We help parents teach them to sign, and that way they can express themselves before they can speak. As their vocal chords catch up, we believe it’s actually easier for them to learn to talk if they have learned to sign.”
Some people believe if children are taught to sign before they can speak, it will delay their speech development, Pardue said. It’s falsehood Pardue hopes to dispel through her efforts with the weekly class.
“That’s a myth,” she said. “They are actually able to put words sooner to the sign.”
And Pardue should know. Her 2-year-old son, Hunter, learned to sign at an early age and has been speaking for some time, she said.
Stocksick is a certified interpreter and works with the deaf and hard-of-hearing. He taught Hunter to sign, and, Pardue said, when family members and friends met Hunter, and saw how he could communicate, they wanted Stocksick to teach their children.
“As we took Hunter all around with us, he would sign things like ‘mommy,’ ‘daddy’ and ‘movie,’” she said. “People would say, ‘I really want my kids to learn it.’ So we began to think about teaching other parents.”
The parents are the ones who are the actual students in the class, Pardue said.
“It’s all up to the parents,” she said. “We work with them, help them to become comfortable with what they’re doing, and then it is all up to them to teach their children. The more they use it at home, the quicker and easier their children will pick it up.”
As an aerobics instructor, Pardue said the idea of sharing their skills with others seemed natural. They started teaching earlier this month and will be holding their third class on Monday. They would like to keep the classes small, she said, so that they can work closely with parents.
Anyone with children ages 9 months – 2 years who is interested in the class can contact the Community and Cultural Center, 782-0008. The cost of the class is $40 for residents, $50 for non-residents.
