Our address has changed! To ensure you receive TOS Newsletters,
please add speciallearners@tosmagazine.com to your address book.
If you are having trouble viewing this email, click here!
(Mailing list information, including unsubscription instructions, is located at the end of this message.)

Special Learners e-Newsletter, June 2006
In This Issue Signs of Summer! Rachel Coleman: It's Signing Time Resource Links Andrea's Story, by Tanya Scarpitto Looking for YOUR story!
Signs of Summer The signs of summer in Wheaton, Illinois, are unmistakable. The pool is open, the Memorial Day parade has passed. Gardens in the neighborhood are in full bloom. We saw a huge bumblebee lazily buzz by while we were planting pansies. The trees are fully green, and we are awed by the growth and splendor provided by our awesome God for our enjoyment. This month we're going to look at another sign-sign language! It's becoming increasingly popular with homeschooling families. Some are even using it as their foreign language requirement for high school. But Rachel doesn't talk about high school credits. She talks about a real need that emerged in her own family, which she turned into an opportunity. She is the creator of Signing Time and visits us this month with her story. Welcome to another edition of The Old Schoolhouse Special Learners e-Newsletter! We also have another mom's real-life story. Tanya Scarpitto shares the heartaches and blessings she has been through in her piece, Andrea's Story. Rachel Coleman: It's Signing Time! We are delighted to have as our guest Rachel Coleman, creator of Signing Time. She took a personal challenge and turned it into an opportunity to bless many. Let's hear her story. Christine: What inspired you to create Signing Time? Rachel: In December of 1996 my daughter Leah was born. At the time, I was writing music and performing with my band. My husband would bring young Leah to band practices and concerts, and we were amazed that she was able to sleep in spite of the loud music. When she was fourteen months old, we discovered why: Leah was deaf. She never heard the music. She never heard me sing! When I realized my daughter was deaf I couldn't find a way to rationalize spending hours working on my music. My priorities changed. I put down my guitar and picked up sign language. My husband, Aaron, and I immediately started learning American Sign Language (ASL) so we could teach it to Leah. Within six months, Leah's sign language vocabulary far surpassed the vocabulary of hearing children her same age. While her little friends could only point at something they wanted, Leah could actually tell us. Because she had learned to use sign language so early, it was not long before she could read written words, even though she was only 2 years old. Meanwhile, one of my sister[s], Emilie (I have five sisters and three brothers), also started teaching sign language to her infant son, Alex, so that he would one day be able to communicate with his cousin Leah. Emilie was thrilled one morning when Alex, then only 10 months old, stopped fussing, looked up at her, and made the sign for milk. A few years later I had a second daughter. After dealing with Leah's deafness, I thought, "This is going to be EASY!" However, my little Lucy was born 8 weeks premature, with spina bifida and cerebral palsy. Doctors told me that, due to her cerebral palsy, Lucy would never be able to communicate with Leah. And they told me that she [might] even be mentally retarded. I was not ready to hear that. In the midst of all of this, Emilie and I had this crazy idea. We wanted to create a video for hearing children that would be captivating, entertaining, and would make sign language accessible to all children. So that's what we did! The first volume of Signing Time was released May 2002. Then something unexpected—even miraculous—happened. Shortly after the release of the first volume of Signing Time, my daughter Lucy decided to sign in spite of her cerebral palsy. And then, she started talking … and singing … and has never stopped! Signing Time opened up a world of communication for her, and she literally had a speech and language explosion. She now attends a mainstream kindergarten class—something I never thought possible! So our "little sign language video" inspired by my first daughter, Leah, ended up being the key that opened up communication for my second daughter, Lucy, and for many children who face similar challenges. That was totally unforeseen. Christine: Was communicating with your hearing-impaired daughter Leah difficult before learning how to communicate through ASL? Rachel: Well, first of all, she's not hearing impaired, she's actually deaf. There is a difference. Saying someone is deaf is not an insult. There are various ranges of hearing having to do with the range of decibels their ear is able to pick up. Hearing impaired is just that, they can hear, but their hearing is impaired to a certain degree. Leah, on the other hand, is profoundly deaf. She can't hear at all. To answer your question, though, we didn't know she was deaf until she was 14 months old, so we just interacted with her as if she could hear because we had no reason not to! But as soon as we found out she was deaf, we taught her as much ASL as we learned, as fast as we could learn it. She picked up right away, and her communication blossomed. Christine: Was it difficult to teach Leah ASL? Rachel: No more difficult than it is for a parent to teach their baby to talk. ASL is a real, living language and is learned just like any language. You know, kids don't start out speaking full sentences. They say Ma-ma, Da-da, birdie, whatever. So she picked up on those signs first and just progressed from there like any kind of language progresses. We had a deaf mentor—a member of the deaf community-come to the house regularly to "immerse" us in sign language. Wow, that was so nerve-racking, only being able to communicate in sign. But you know, when there is you and your child and the only thing between you is communication, you learn. And you learn fast. I did have to sit through a lot of boring, dry videos and try to learn from books. Learning a three-dimensional language from a two-dimensional book can be pretty hard! That was also one of the reasons I wanted to create a video that was entertaining and engaging. Christine: Who is Hopkins, and what inspired you to create him? Rachel: Hopkins is an animated frog character that we introduced in volume 4 of the series. He was originally supposed to be a gecko that was a gift from Grandma and Grandpa at the end of episode three, and was going to be named Twerp, which is a play on words for the nickname "Terp" for "Interpreter." He was going to be Leah's interpreter and therefore "voice." But since Leah's speech is developing just fine on her own, Hopkins evolved into more of a funny sidekick pet frog who doesn't talk-he croaks! He was named after Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, who created the first free school for the deaf in America. Christine: How do you think sign language improves communication between children and their parents, friends, or teachers? Rachel: One of the biggest ways is because sign language is multi-sensory. We all have different styles of learning: some children are auditory learners (learn by hearing), others visual (by seeing), others kinesthetic (by doing or touching with their hands). But most education is auditory or visual. Sign language is the only language where you are seeing, doing, and hearing (the spoken word). It is amazing for those children who learn best with their hands. They can fingerspell vocabulary words, slow down concepts, use their bodies to communicate. It opened up a whole world for my daughter Lucy and has really helped her develop her fine motor skills, which were extremely low due to her cerebral palsy. Besides that, it is a very right-brained language that uses images and symbols, which is very different from English. (Leah is bi-lingual-ASL is her native language, and then she had to learn how to read and write English in school). Lots of kids like to use sign language as their "secret language." It's also extremely useful for communicating in noisy places or over long distances like across a soccer field, or even in quiet places like church where talking would be discouraged. It comes in handy too when you have to express something that you don't necessarily want others to know, like "I have to go to the bathroom!" Also, imagine how empowered your child would be, even with a few signs, in actually making friends with someone like my daughter Leah. No parent wants their child left out. One woman wrote us to share an experience she had on the playground. She bought Signing Time to teach her daughter sign language as a baby and they just kept with it. Her daughter saw another boy her age signing with his mom (because he was deaf). The little girl thought it was so cool that he signed too and went up to ask his mom if she could play with him. The mom explained that she would have to help them talk to each other, and the little girl said, "That's OK, I can talk to him myself." She then turned to the boy and signed, "Hi, friend, you, me, play?" and off they went. The boy's mother was in tears and could not believe her eyes. See, when you are the parent of a deaf child you can only dream of other parents of "typical" kids caring enough to teach their kids to sign so yours isn't left out. By teaching your child sign language you have no idea how others' lives will be impacted! Christine: Do you think kids enjoy communicating through sign language? Rachel: I know they do! I have seen it. And we have heard from countless fans who validate that as well. I have had the privilege of seeing children perform the songs I've written—both signing and singing—and they are so PROUD! And parents just can't believe how much their children are able to learn and how quickly they pick it up. Very impressive! They think it's incredibly cool and useful. I could tell you story after story! Christine: How can we encourage our kids to use sign language in everyday communication? Rachel: Use it yourself. Incorporate a few basic signs in your everyday routine. Every time you say a word for which you know the sign, sign it too. Look for opportunities to use it. Kids model what you do, and if you are using it, they will too. You don't have to be fluent; just pick a handful of words and add from there. For example, every time you say "please," sign it too! Christine: How can we incorporate sign language into everyday learning, particularly if we homeschool our children? Rachel: Oh, goodness, there are so many ways! Whenever I write songs for the series, I try to take the "daily routine" and set it to music. So I find myself singing and signing all day, every day, because now things like eating, washing up, playing, learning, and going to bed all have theme songs! The Signing Time series teaches a set of vocabulary words and then has a song to tie it all together. Adding music to learning, as I'm sure you know, really impacts your ability to remember the signs you have learned. We also have a great resource page, www.signingtimekids.org, that is chock full of free lesson plans, games, ideas, and activities. Every homeschooler should bookmark it! Christine: How do you think sign language reduces the tantrums and frustration kids experience? Rachel: Well, a lot of frustration comes from not being understood or not being able to communicate their needs. Speech is a pretty complex physical process and takes time to develop in children. Children are physically able to communicate with signs much sooner than they can speak. Scientific research has validated this. When your child is empowered with even a few signs to express their basic needs, instead of throwing a tantrum they can just sign what they need. No more guessing or running down "lists" to try to figure out what they want. They can just say "Change diaper" or "hurt" or "hungry" or "sleepy." Signing is natural for children, and they love to do it, especially when they see it gets their point across! Christine: In what way can parents learn with their kids and increase their bonding with them? Rachel: Sign language is a face-to-face mode of communication. You can't sign to someone who is in another room around the corner! So it increases face-to-face time, which is naturally bonding. Signing Time is designed for families. Parents love it just as much as the kids do! They can learn so much by watching it together. And as far as bonding goes-this is about communication. Sign language is an incredible tool for communication and often allows children to express their needs in ways they never had access to before, because it is literally a hands-on language. Some parents of children with special needs never heard their child utter a word until they started signing along (and then speaking along) with Signing Time. Imagine hearing and seeing your speech-delayed 4-year-old sign and say Mom for the first time! Or your 10-year-old child being able to sign, "I love you, Dad," in front of their friends and not be embarrassed! One woman even wrote that her perfectly healthy 11-month-old sleepily signed, "Thank you, thank you, thank you," after his feeding. She remarked that none of her older children (who didn't sign) ever thanked her for nursing them. Now that's bonding! Christine: How many videos are currently available from Signing Time? US Subscriptions: 19 FREE GIFTS Whether you are new to our magazine or a long-time subscriber, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine has an incredible offer that you won't want to pass up! In the past, we couldn't offer the renewing subscribers the 19 free gifts - those were only for new customers. But for a limited time only, RENEWING subscribers get all 19 gifts (over $200 value), too! I'm a new subscriber…what do I get? With your paid two-year subscription to TOS you'll receive: •A 2-year/3-year subscription to The Old Schoolhouse Magazine •19 FREE gifts for you All this for ONLY $39 for 2 years and ONLY $59 for 3 years Click Here to Purchase Online Or, call 1-888-718-HOME Already a subscriber? Renew now and receive: • Two or Three more years of your favorite homeschool magazine and 19 FREE gifts (valued at over $200)! All this for ONLY $39 for 2 years and ONLY $59 for 3 years Click Here to Purchase! Or, call 1-888-718-HOME The first 3,000 two-year or three-year new subscriber or renewing your two or three year subscription, you will receive (by USPS mail) NINETEEN free homeschooling gifts. But you don't get four gifts - you get 19! And yes, even the shipping is paid for - and you are not required to buy anything again - EVER. Hurry! Promotion will sell out fast! - TOS Staff (US Residents Only) Click Here to View the FREE Gifts Rachel: We have thirteen episodes, plus music CDs with sing-along tracks, board books, and a series for younger kids called Baby Signing Time. We also are developing a set of flashcards to support the first three volumes. Christine: What else can we find at your website, www.signingtime.com? Rachel: There are tons of articles about Signing Time, activities, resources for research validating the benefits of signing, plus a discussion forum and chat room for parents to ask questions and share experiences, form playgroups, and find out about special Signing Time events or news. We have weekly scheduled chats that I participate in, so you can "meet" me online and talk about or ask me anything you'd like. Christine: After watching all of the Signing Time videos, how can kids continue learning sign language? Rachel: The Signing Time series is a vocabulary-building series where you will learn literally hundreds of useful signs, so that will keep you busy for a while. If you pay close attention to the songs, you'll learn even more signs that were never officially taught in the show. The most important thing is to use sign language as often as you can. Make friends with someone who is deaf! In my experience, members of the deaf community will appreciate ANY efforts you make to communicate with them! (Note—though millions of deaf people do use ASL, not all of them do. So make sure you check that out first by asking them if they sign!) Leah teaches all her friends and family new things every day. There are lots of other resources out there-books, videos, etc. I know of people who have formed ASL clubs or playgroups in their communities that have been tremendously successful. Also, many areas have deaf community centers with lots of opportunities to volunteer or learn more. Christine: Rachel, this was fascinating! Thanks so much for all you do! Special Needs Resource Links Do you have some favorite special needs resource links? Where do you go when you need some encouragement or a fresh idea or HELP? Share you links with our readers here. Sharon Hensley's website: www.almadenvalleychristianschool.com Our friends, Tom and Sherry Bushnell: www.nathhan.org Terry Spray—diagnostics and curriculum: www.christiancottage.com Woodbine House—books and materials on special needs: www.woodbinehouse.com Lifeway Homeschool Message Board—As many of you know, Lifeway is associated with Broadman & Holman, publisher for Homeschool Methods by Paul and Gena Suarez and my own Homeschooling the Challenging Child. They have launched a message board just for homeschoolers, and I get to moderate it! Come join the conversation! Go to http://forums.lifeway.com/groupee/forums/a/cfrm/f/35310209. I'll see you there! Do you have some special links or resources you'd like to share? Send them to me at christinefield@sbcglobal.net. Thanks! Andrea's Story By Tanya Scarpitto Like every young couple, we all wish for that perfect newborn. We ask God for a happy, healthy baby and hope that God will somehow grant us our deepest wishes. On February 16, 1990, I was induced and endured a difficult delivery. I can recall my obstetrician calling for help from the anesthetists and from her nursing staff. Our desire was to endure a natural childbirth, no matter how long labor took, with no medical interference. As 9:45 PM came, so did the entire medical staff from the first floor. The obstetrician decided that I was in labor too long and decided to move the labor along a little faster. She used a suction cup extraction method on our baby. This method was rather painful as the obstetrician tugged and pulled. Our baby was delivered on February 16, 1990, at 9:45 PM. She was ever so beautiful and had a wonderful cry. International Subscriptions: 19 FREE GIFTS Whether you view your subscription as a gift for yourself, a homeschool conference delivered to your door, a professional journal, or simply a wonderful opportunity to fellowship with other homeschool families around the world, subscribe now to insure that you are in the first 2,000 and receive this incredible International Subscription Homeschool Gift Pack! One-Year International Subscription: Receive four issues of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine delivered directly to your door and 19 FREE gifts from our generous sponsors. Subscribe now! Only $38! And we have an additional gift for two-year and three-year subscribers! Two-Year or Three-Year International Subscription: Receive eight issues of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, the 19 free gifts, AND our Secrets of Successful Homeschooling e-book! Subscribe now! Only $69 for 2 years and $83 for 3 years! These special offers will expire soon, though. Subscribe or renew today so you don't miss out on this opportunity! We have three easy ways to subscribe! Subscribe online Call 1-888-718-HOME Mail your order to The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, LLC PO Box 10 White Pine, TN 37890 Hurry! Promotion will sell out fast! - TOS Staff (International Residents Only) Click Here to View the FREE Gifts As time went on in getting to know our baby, we noticed that there were some rather interesting anomalies that she acquired. We were concerned if these anomalies were genetic or acquired during the time of labor and delivery. One of the many anomalies we noticed was that her head was very swollen. Given that she was born with suction cup extraction, she had a pointy skull, which remained swollen for years. We suspected that this method of labor and delivery was questionable, as after the birth I had hurt for the entire full year. We took Andrea to a neurologist, who did some testing and determined that Andrea would suffer from severe headaches. Her headaches kept us up all night. At various times, feeding was very difficult. I always prayed, "Please, God, help us! Please take this pain away from my daughter." Going back to the pediatrician many times, we were given some relief of pain medication for her. Time was the factor given to Andrea as her skull began to heal, so her headaches lessened. Another anomaly that Andrea had was she was born with club feet. We were not sure what to do for her feet, so we brought her back to the pediatrician. They referred us to orthopedic specialists. The specialists took X-rays of her spine and feet. The orthopedic doctor ordered that she have her feet in casts for nine months to correct both in-turned feet. During Andrea's school years, she was tested at a local district for special needs concerns. We were told that Andrea would never talk or walk or progress pass the fifth grade. We were told that she needed therapy to help her along. The therapy that they recommended was physical therapy, speech therapy, and occupational therapy. As Andrea grew older, we begin to question why it was that she took so long to walk and talk. The neurologists answered a few of our concerns, but we had more questions and were wondering if her developmental issues could somehow be in relation to a genetic disorder. We took Andrea to a local geneticist. The geneticists performed what is called a FISH test on Andrea and took some family history information. It was not more than a month after the test was administered that we were told Andrea had Velo-Cardio-Facial Syndrome (VCFS)/DiGeorge syndrome. What we have learned about Velo-Cardio-Facial syndrome is that it is a genetic disorder—a disorder as common as Down syndrome but not widely recognized. To describe VCFS, one must look at the word Velo-Cardio-Facial. In Latin the word "velum" means the palate, "cardiac" means the heart, and "facial" means the face. Not all of these identifying features are found in each child who is born with VCFS. The more common features are cleft, heart defects, characteristic of facial appearance, and minor learning problems and speech and feeding problems. In viewing all of Andrea's diagnosed problems and complications, we truly were given a miracle. The doctors' and therapists' expectations of Andrea were that of being labeled "failure to thrive"—we were blessed. When Andrea was in the fifth grade was when we decided to pull her out to homeschool her. By this time, after Andrea had been officially diagnosed with VCFS/DiGeorge syndrome, we felt that the staff at the educational level did not want to help our daughter. It was the one-on-one experience that our daughter required and demanded with the diagnosis we received. With an exhaustive amount of prayer and sheer exhaustion to get her needs met at the brick-and-mortar level, we decided that homeschooling was the next best thing for Andrea. Homeschooling was a godsend. I have found I can give her the one-on-one without having to struggle to fight to get her needs met. Every day we start out with prayer and Bible reading. I have seen tremendous growth with all subjects. She has grown into a beautiful young woman. Andrea is now a freshman in homeschool and is involved as an acolyte in her church. She loves going to youth group every Sunday evening and participates on mission trips. Here at our home, we truly do believe in miracles. Our daughter, who was never expected to move past the fifth grade, overcame all the negativity [and] truly is a miracle. Our expectations for Andrea are that she continues to remain happy and healthy. We hope that she continues to love life. Tanya Scarpitto You can contact Tanya at tms65@cox.net if you'd like to chat or get more information. Share Your Story! We are looking for real parents to share their stories of real life with their special learners. If you would be interested in writing a short piece for us, contact me at christinefield@sbcglobal.net. Do you ever wonder if you really have what it takes to homeschool? Paul and Gena Suarez, publishers of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, just released a brand-new e-book, Secrets of Successful Homeschooling, to show you that "Yes! You CAN homeschool!" Whether you are a new parent thinking ahead to your family's educational years, a homeschooler in the trenches, or a veteran who has "been there, done that," this e-book holds something for everyone. "You will cry, laugh, and feel inspired at the different stories ... I think that this book will springboard a new homeschooler to venture out into the unknown and inspire veteran moms to hang in there and keep going." -Karen Flores, homeschool mom of two boys Affordable and instantly downloadable, this e-book would be perfect to help you start out the new year inspired, motivated, and encouraged in your homeschooling journey. To order your copy, visit our Schoolhouse Store! About Your Editor Christine Field practiced law for eight years before becoming a full-time mommy. She and her husband live and homeschool their four children in Wheaton, Illinois, where her husband, Mark, serves as Chief of Police. Three of their four children are adopted, one through a private adoption and two from Korea. She is the author of several books, including Coming Home to Raise Your Children (Fleming Revell, 1995), Should You Adopt? (Fleming Revell, 1997) A Field Guide to Home Schooling (Fleming Revell, 1998), Life Skills for Kids (Harold Shaw/WaterBrook, 2000), Help for the Harried Homeschooler (Harold Shaw/WaterBrook, 2002) and Homeschooling the Challenging Child (Broadman & Holman, 2005). She serves as a correspondent and Resource Room columnist for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. Her articles on life skills have appeared in Focus on the Family Magazine and Single Parent Family. To contact her about your special learner, or to have her speak to your group or conference, you may email her at christinefield@sbcglobal.net or visit her website at http://www.HomeFieldAdvantage.org. Her mailing address is The Home Field Advantage, P.O. Box 261, Wheaton, IL 60189-0261. Visit her blog at www.HomeschoolBlogger.com/christinefield.

• Subscribe to this or other free TOS e-Newsletters.
• Subscribe to The Old Schoolhouse Magazine.
• Advertise in this newsletter: email Sales@TheHomeschoolMagazine.com.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The following information is a reminder of your current mailing list subscription:
You are subscribed to the following list: The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Newsletters - Special Learners using the following email:
speciallearners@tosmagazine.com

You may automatically unsubscribe from this list at any time by visiting the following URL:
http://www.tosmagazine.com/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/u/speciallearners/

If the above URL is inoperable, make sure that you have copied the entire address.
Some mail readers will wrap a long URL and thus break this automatic unsubscribe mechanism.

You may also change your subscription by visiting this list's main screen:
http://www.tosmagazine.com/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/list/speciallearners

If you're still having trouble, please contact the list owner at: speciallearners@tosmagazine.com

The following physical address is associated with this mailing list:
http://www.theoldhomeschoolhouse.com/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------