Meet Your Teacher: Shira Fogel
When her daughter was a baby and too young to talk, Shira Fogel began researching baby sign language hoping to better connect. Shira’s daughter absolutely thrived with her newfound way of communicating and consequently became a very early speaker as a result of signing. Naturally, when Shira and her husband had their second child, they were eager to teach him sign language as well. By 18 months of age he knew over 125 signs and was also well on his way to being a prolific speaker as well.
Both of Shira’s children were able to be an active member of the family at a very early age by expressing their most basic needs as well as engaging in conversations. Shira also noticed that most of their non-signing peers were still grunting, pointing and having melt-downs over miscommunications with their caregivers who weren’t able to decipher their needs.
Your instructor, Shira, found herself getting asked a lot of questions everywhere she went when other parents noticed her children signing to her with effortless communication. Shira loved talking with others so much about the benefits of teaching hearing babies sign language that she thought about expanding it into a business concept.
Certified by a speech and language pathologist, in 2009 Shira started Tiny Talkers. She has worked with thousands of children and caregivers. It is her vision to spread this knowledge of American Sign Language (ASL) with other parents who want to be less frustrated, give their child a gift of communication and have a greater bond with their child/children. Shira is grateful to have had this absolutely amazing experience with both of her children and hopes that others will also want to give their children the gift of communication so that they can express their needs and desires at a very early age.