It’s Friday morning at the St. Mary’s County Recreation Center in Leonardtown, and Jodi Cacko is trying to teach two toddlers how to communicate using sign language.
Cacko hands the toddlers’ mothers small bottles full of bubbles, encouraging the parents to blow bubbles and get the kids to use sign language to ask for more bubbles.
The toddlers have other ideas.
Joshua Brindley, 16 months, of Valley Lee is far more fascinated by a power extension cord lying against the far wall. September Fletcher, 13 months, of Leonardtown simply bypasses the adults’ scheme by locating and raiding the box full of bubble bottles by herself.
Cacko is not a bit flustered.
“Sometimes your toddler is not in the mood to learn sign language this early in the morning,” Cacko says, stressing that her classes are very non-formal. She encourages the parents to absorb what she teaches in class and apply the concepts at home when the child is more focused.
“Do whatever you need to during class,” Cacko says, adding that parents can take diaper or feeding breaks when necessary. Cacko asks the parents why they signed up for the class.
Paige Fletcher said she has already started teaching September a few signs, but she received the class as a gift from her sister.
Tammy Brindley’s answer was fairly typical of parents who search out sign language classes to learn to communicate with their rambunctious toddlers. She says, “I wasn’t to help him relieve some of his frustration.”
Cacko assures the mothers that teaching their children sign language will not impair their vocal development, but, as studies are now showing, help them develop language skills at an earlier age.
“I’ve been signing all my life,” says Cacko, who adds that she has absolutely no problem talking.
However, Cacko admits that even she was slow to catch on to the idea of teaching sign language to toddlers. But once she began teaching her own children how to sign, she was overwhelmed with excitement.
“I called up my mom and said, ‘This is the coolest thing!’” Cacko exclaims.
Cacko confesses that her children served as her “guinea pigs” as she developed her signing curriculum for toddlers. She says she stays true to standard American Sign Language, rather than using the more popular simplified “baby signs.” Although, ASL is more complicated, Cacko says that small children can approximate the correct signs closely enough, and will get a head start on learning a true signing language.
The hands-on part of the class begins with Cacko directing the mothers to “assume the signing position,” sitting cross-legged on the floor with their children facing them. This is more difficult than it sounds.
After much squirming, squealing and negotiation, the two children are momentarily transfixed as the women sing and sign the song “Itsy Bitsy Spider.”
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