About Me
Hi! I’m Mary Buckley, founder of Signs & Smiles. That’s my oldest daughter, Maura, and me in the picture doing the sign for pig. We have lots of fun signing together. Maura was able to sign before she could even walk or talk!
Let me tell you a little bit about me…I hold Certificates of American Sign Language, Deaf Studies, and ASL/English Interpreting from Northeastern University. I have worked with deaf and hearing children from pre-school to high school. I have enjoyed working as a teacher of the deaf, educational sign language interpreter, freelance interpreter and, of course, teaching babies, children, parents and educators how to sign.
Naturally, when my first daughter was born, I started teaching her to sign. At this point, I realized how rewarding it would be for other parents to be able to establish signed communication with their own babies. My first daughter started to mimic signs at nine months and using them effectively at 10 months. She has always been able to communicate with us and we never had to guess at what she was in need of. We enjoyed conversations and silliness long before she could grasp the complexities of speech.
Our second daughter began signing even earlier! She starting playing with signs at 7 months. Her signing took off and by 18 months, Rebecca knew over 100 signs. She continues to learn even more but we stopped counting! Her speaking skills are beyond her peers and she is a fabulous communicator.
My littlest, Will is just beginning his journey learning to sign. He knows dozens of signs and is learning more everyday! It is amazing to all my children using their speech and signs everyday at home, in school, and for fun!
But, of course, all parents have their own story to tell. Let your child begin to tell his or her story with signs. Feel free to contact me about how to get started, where to go for support, or for any other questions you may have. I would love to hear stories from you and your little one!
Signs and smiles,
Mary