Samantha Phillips - Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, Texas
Samantha grew up in Houston and received her BS in Elementary Education at the University of Texas at Austin. After working for several years in advertising and public relations, she and her husband Grant decided she would leave the corporate world to stay home with her first child, Lauren, when they discovered she would be born with Down Syndrome. Samantha's passion for ASL was sparked during her early years of Lauren’s education: Lauren’s preschool, The Rise School of Dallas, integrated ASL signs into their curriculum – thus baptizing her into the world of sign language.
Spending extra time in Lauren’s classroom and with her teachers, Samantha learned many signs to use to when speaking and interacting with Lauren. As Lauren grew and was still not able to verbally express herself (children with Down Syndrome typically have difficulty with muscle control and strength, making speech, walking, writing and many more activities very difficult to learn, therefore reaching those milestones much later than typically-developing children) she would use the signs she knew to communicate her needs and wants. Pairing the signs with the spoken word and a picture of an item gave Lauren several avenues to learning something, thus enriching her receptive language much more than if the word had just been spoken. Samantha found she was able to understand and see the world through Lauren's eyes as she signed the things she saw and heard throughout the day as sign language also enriched their everyday routines. Going for walks around the neighborhood became an adventure of teaching and learning opportunities.
When Lauren’s little sister, Chloe, was born, it only seemed natural to continue using the signs, as they seemed to enhance interaction between mom and baby. This also gave Lauren something to “teach” her little sister and helped her gain much-needed self-confidence as she grew out of the baby position in the family. ASL has become an invaluable communication tool between parents and child. At the dinner table, the children were able to let Samantha and Grant know when they wanted "more," when they'd had "enough," or when they wanted water rather than juice. By allowing Lauren to communicate and interact with her world, her development has flourished. Now at nearly ten years old, she communicates clearly with her peers in her 3rd-grade class at Moss Haven Elementary. Now little brother Grey walks into preschool and teaches signs to his friends.
What a wonderful experience this has been for their family! Samantha looks forward to sharing her knowledge of ASL and life experiences with other parents.
Visit Samantha’s My Smart Hands Dallas website at www.mysmarthandsDFW.com for more info and class schedule Download our class inquiry form to be placed on a mailing list for upcoming classes. Remember to email the form back to Samantha completed at samantha@mysmarthands.com.
