Many of you, in addition to using the Ask Jenny! and Ask Sarah! features of our website to ask questions of Jenny and Sarah, have been telling us the successes your children have achieved with our videos. We love to hear from parents and professionals! We wanted to share a few of their stories with you. Keep them coming!
I have a three year old who is on the spectrum likely due to a birth injury. He has seizures and developmental delays. He can read and spell like nobody’s business, but was not able to answer any kind of questions at all (such as, “what is your name?”).
I purchased two of the videos in your WH Questions! series, and within days my son for the first time ever was correctly answering “What is your name?” with HIS name. Within another week, he started saying “What be when grow up? I be doctor.” Within two weeks, he has now started saying “Why does…? Because….” I have cried so many tears of joy since purchasing these two DVDs. Before these DVDs, the majority of my child’s language was useless “tv talk” (and we don’t even “do” television of any kind). I finally figured, if he’s going to memorize “tv talk” it might as well be something therapeutic. So I googled till I found your company’s products. But the amazing thing is, very quickly he began using the memorization in functional ways. These two videos in a matter of weeks have done more than an entire year with our school system therapists. Please keep the DVDs coming!
Maria K.., Mom from Lexington, Kentucky, USA
Hi Jenny and Sarah! I am a pediatric speech–language pathologist with a private practice in Cupertino, CA. I ordered the first two volumes of your teach2play series, and I wanted you both to know that we’ve had a number of children respond amazingly well to them! Some of these children have really struggled with using toys in any way except to handle and stim with them. Not only did they quickly transfer the skills they saw on the videos, but they are learning and using those pesky prepositions (e.g., put in / take out) in the process. Thanks so much for putting these together. The parents are also excited about ordering their own copies to use at home. We just wanted you both to know that your efforts are helping lots of children!
The research on the use of video modeling is very supportive. I actually wrote about it an issue of the CSHA magazine. There are only a few programs that use that technique but not for play skills, and not with the repetition and play hierarchy that you have put together. It’s unique and fills that void very nicely. Aside from its usefulness for parents, I think there are many speech language pathologists who really don’t even think to incorporate the “play” aspect into their therapy and perhaps this will help put it on their agenda as well.
Patti Hamaguchi, M.A., CCC-SLP, Speech Language Pathologist
Hamaguchi & Associates Pediatric Speech–Language Pathologists, Inc., Cupertino, California USA
I just wanted to write and thank you for making the teach2talk videos. I bought three at the DAN! Conference, and my son absolutely loves them. He has also taken many of the things he has seen (from teach2play Volume 2 – Core Play) and has generalized the material into playing with his actual toys. He asks to watch “Step 5 –Feed my Dinosaur” – which my husband and I think is hysterical. He is also saying “P.U., stinky – I need a bath” every night before getting into the tub. I am quite amazed at how much he’s picked up from the videos in just a few short weeks.
Unlike most TV that my son watches, he is not picking up any “bad habits” from watching the videos. We are not seeing any video talking except in the context of how the words should be used. We have put a permanent ban on Curious George here because all J.D. would do is make monkey noises after watching that show. He picks your videos over regular TV!
The best generalization of all was the gas station. In Volume 2 – Core Play, one of the play activities modeled is putting gas in the car. We were headed to grab coffee the other day, and J.D. looked out the window and said “gas station – get gas.” I almost crashed the car! Not only did he notice something outside of the car, he labeled it correctly and knew what it was for. It was a great moment, and he got that from your videos!
Thanks, and keep up all of the good work you’re doing.
Tracie O., Mom from Austin, Texas, USA
I thought you might enjoy this picture of Josiah watching the “Nouns” DVD. He goes absolutely nuts (in a good way) when I put it on. He is staring to copy the end sounds of the words … which is HUGE progress … we are hopeful! Thanks again!
Cathlene E., Mom from Yorba Linda, California, USA
Jenny, thank you so much for making this DVD. What you said about trying to communicate with your son and him just repeating the question or saying nothing rattled me a little because my son is exactly the same way. I have owned the “Where” DVD for almost three days, and I can already see improvement. It’s playing now in fact and I’m not sure if this is the tenth or eleventh time it’s been played today, each time asked for by my son. “DVD please,” followed by “more DVD please.” … Thanks again.
Tom N., Dad from Dublin, California, USA
Dear Jenny, my name is Mary. I live in Pampa, Texas with my husband and our three year old daughter Sara who has autism.
I couldn’t help but laugh when you said you’d cut the head off a chicken if you thought it might help, because that is me. I suspected my child had autism for nearly a year and a half before experts agreed with me and finally officially diagnosed her. All the while I tried everything I found at University of Google. Diets. Supplements. Hundreds of dollars in DVDs that claimed they would help. None of them worked. They didn’t even make a dent. Just in the past three months we’ve hired a local pre-school teacher to work with our daughter one-on-one, and finally we’ve seen an improvement.
What makes your videos, teach2talk, so different from all the others is that they use the same ideas that the pre-school teacher has been doing with our daughter. Starting Sara out with toys like puzzles and stacking cups. I just can’t believe how long it took for me to figure this out! The principals used in teach2talk are so simple, yet crucial. They teach the steps that really work!
Thank you so much for your hard work and dedication in helping moms like me by creating these videos! They really work! Plus it’s a lot more fun than cutting off a chicken’s head.
Mary B., Mom and Former School Teacher from Pampa, Texas, USA
We purchased the Basic play and Core play videos along with Verbs and Sharing. My son LOVES the play videos.
I set up a section of my dining room dedicated to the toys he sees in these videos and he is now building block towers, making necklaces, etc. but best of all he likes to play with me in small doses! We feed the dinosaur and babies and ourselves and set place settings on the floor and generally anything he has seen in the video is fair game for play. The other day I saw him walking around with the scarf around his shoulders.
My son is a visual learner and has learned so may preschool skills from movies but nothing is as exciting as seeing him learn how to play. I would think you may even be able to help the kids acquire more play ideas from having a couple basic play videos and a couple core videos, etc. I am home and more than ready to play with him but for some reason learning from the video is easier for him and then playing with me is fun instead of frustrating.
Thank you so much. The $50 we spent on the two play videos is the best money I have spent in a long time.
Tracy K., Mom from Wauconda, Illinois, USA
I was so thrilled when I read about Teach2Talk. I have bought the “Where” and “Sharing” videos. My son has the “where” video memorized already and as funny as it is I have to make him watch the “sharing” one because, well, frankly he doesn’t like to share. So it cracks me up. But he is getting much better at it after seeing your video.
I am anxious for you to come out with more videos as our boys get older. Even my daughter who is 16 months old loves the where video. She brings it to me to watch once a day. It’s so cute.
Anyway, thank you so much for being there for our children and for us parents. I can’t thank you enough and can’t tell you how much you have helped me through such a difficult time.
Please continue coming out with videos to help my son communicate. I’d much rather have him ask me “where” questions than tell me about crabby patties on spongebob. I’d love to help him answer more questions. This is something he struggles with.
Kate C., Mom from Owatonna, Minnesota, USA
I am a 30 year old mom of four kids and two of my sons are autistic. My youngest son, Elijah age four. My question is “When will you be making more DVDs”?!
Elijah is still considered non-verbal because he does not communicate with others. He has been alphabetizing and counting since he was 18 months old. I bought the teach2talk Verbs! DVD and received it last Saturday. He watched it the first time and said each word. The second time he watched he traced the words with his finger and said them. Later that evening he saw me with a bobble head pen with a big goofy grin on it and said “SMILE”! I was so thrilled that he had used one of the verbs in real life. By Wednesday he used “throwing” while he was throwing rocks, “counting” while he was counting my calendar, he brought me a hammer and said “hammer,” and the list goes on … I dare same I am pleased. I will be buying more teach2talk DVDs.
[Later]
I have an update. Elijah (age 4) can sight read every word on the verbs DVD. He is having a breakthrough with his speech right now and the DVD is a huge part of it. We were told he had hyperplexia a year ago, but didn’t know how to help him use his reading skills to talk. After watching the video for about a week he can now read and say all 37 vebrs in the DVD and uses the words appropriately. He was considered non-verbal but reading is helping him break through. He loves it.
Carmen A., Mom from Alabama, USA
I had to tell you! We bought the teach2play Volume 2 – Core Play video this past Sunday. When I got home I played it for my son, he laughed out loud! Then to my shock, just two days later, we were playing in our backyard and he takes a stick and feeds it to his play horse. I started to cry. I am keeping my video camera handy from now on. I want to tell you thank you, that he loves the video, and is laughing out loud, and yes, he is still improving in his play!
Chari, Mom from Gilbert, Arizona, USA
I have an autistic son who is nearly four years old, with very few words. We loves your teach2talk videos. We just got the videos 2 weeks ago. He used to say very few words, but all of a sudden runs round the house saying “put on,” “put on.” This weekend someone went past on a skate board, and Em ran after him saying “wait for me” – which I know is form the Sharing video. I find all of this amazing. He is using what you taught him appropriately. He is already picking up so much from the videos, honestly, that we can’t wait for your new releases. I wish you the best for the videos, they will be a huge help for these children. We just threw out all the [other educational video series] and now the only TV will be teach2talk for a while, while he learns his basic language.
Gabby G., Mom from Pacific Palisades, California, USA
 
I just wanted to tell you guys that both my kids LOVE your learning DVDs SO much! They put the [other series] and [other series] DVDs to shame (and they love those ones, too!). My nearly three year old is enunciating the words more clearly (perfectly DURING viewing) after watching a few of the DVD’s every day. My seven year old who has Auditory Processing Disorder and ADHD is also putting sentences together more efficiently this week! You should see how both of the kids’ faces light up while they watch the DVDs.
Our educational day starts out with an hour of your DVDs. Both kids watch their own levels while I get ready for the day and then we really start to work hard because the DVDs allow both my kids to think more efficiently. Thank you so much.
[Later]
I noticed last week that immediately your videos helped Tristin compensate for his older brother not speaking as clearly or as fluently as he needs him to for his own developmental growth. I can’t tell you how much more language Tristin has developed since last Monday when viewing your videos for the first time. It’s shockingly wonderful! Same goes for Joseph! Joseph is using the same language process spoken in the videos and you have helped ME help HIM go forward dramatically just in this last week. You have no idea the gratitude I feel. Joseph would be grateful, too, if he understood what you’ve been through and what you have done for everyone else who goes through similar experiences. Also, within only a couple of days of viewing the teach2play Volume 3, Joseph is now pretending that familiar things are other things (such as his bicycle is a horse) and for the first time ever, he is playing make believe with nothing but his imagination and his hands. He’s only truly done that when pretending to be Harry Potter or Spiderman and now he’s pretending more intricate make believe like pouring Mommy a pretend cup of water with a pretend pitcher and telling me to drink the pretend water. He’s doing this a lot, actually! I’m going to wait a few more weeks before we move to teach2play Volume 4.
Apryl R., Mom from Livermore, California, USA
Please note that in some cases we have edited the responses we received for clarity and length, but the words are all theirs.
