Tiny Fingers - Baby Sign Language

Whose hands are behind
tiny fingers?

All Tiny Fingers teachers are fluent in American Sign Language.

The tiny fingers program was developed by Eileen Ladino. Eileen is a state certified

teacher with a B.A. in Elementary Education from the State University of New York and an M.A. in Deaf Education from Gallaudet University in Washington, DC. She has spent the past 15 years teaching both hearing and deaf children of all ages and abilities. She has taught in both mainstreamed and self-contained settings for various programs in New York, Virginia, and South Korea. In addition, Eileen has enjoyed working as a freelance sign language interpreter since 1989 and is currently experiencing the joy of using American Sign Language with her own daughter. Eileen is dedicated to improving communication between babies and their parents & caregivers through her tiny fingers classes.

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Alexis Greeves, LPC, RPT-S is a Licensed Professional Counselor and a Registered Play Therapist and Supervisor with a specialized training in work with children, adolescents and their families. She received her undergraduate degree from Wesleyan University and received her MA from Gallaudet University. Upon graduation, Alexis worked as a school-based mental health counselor at the elementary school on the Gallaudet University campus. She then worked in the training department where she presented nationally on using play therapy techniques with deaf and hard of hearing children. Alexis sees children of all ages in private practice and teaches the graduate-level Play Therapy class for the Department of Counseling and the Department of Social Work at Gallaudet. Alexis has experienced the benefits of using sign language with typically developing hearing babies and toddlers and is enthusiastic about bringing her knowledge of sign language and its benefits in early communication to families.

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Kristie Ketchum started signing in 1975, while working on her BA in

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Lisa Blumenthal is certified Elementary School teacher, with a B.A. in Elementary Education from Washington University in St. Louis and a M.A. from Gallaudet University in Deaf Education. She has spent the past 5 years working at Deaf Addiction Services At Maryland (DASAM) working with Deaf adults throughout the State of Maryland. Lisa believes in the use of sign language as a natural manual communication tool for children. Lisa has been using American Sign Language to enhance communication with her daughter since she was 9 months old.

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Kelly Caraher has bachelors' degrees in English and Psychology from Niagara University. She has also completed a Master's degree in Higher Education from Canisius College in Buffalo, NY. Kelly grew up signing with Deaf family members and has studied extensively with Western New York Deaf Adult Services. She will be pursuing another Master's in Family Centered Early Education at Gallaudet University starting in Spring 2008. Kelly has been a nanny for several families including one family of premature triplets and has taught each of the children American Sign Language in order to improve their

development and assist with their communication (both non-verbally and verbally). Kelly believes that learning ASL at a young age can help a child in so many ways as she has witnessed it improve many children's' emotional, behavioral and cognitive development.

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Kristie Ketchum started signing in 1975, while working on her BA in Deaf Education. She got her MA in Deaf Education from Gallaudet University in 1982. She’s had a varied 25 year career in education, including working as an au pair for a deaf toddler in Belgium, teaching at a private pre-school in Washington, DC, and providing speech and language services for infants and toddlers at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, DC, for 13 years. Apparently unable to get enough of Deaf Education, she returned to Gallaudet University, and got her Ph.D. in 2001. As her own children reach adolescence, she is reminded daily of the value of good early communication, and she thoroughly enjoys facilitating language and communication between infants and toddlers and their families.

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