Heather Gartner met a signing toddler one day and immediately knew she had to teach her own son to sign. She bought a book and began teaching her son, then 12 months, without success. In March 2004, Heather attended a Signing Smart parent workshop. Within 5 days of using the Signing Smart strategies, her 14 month-old son produced his first sign—DOG. His sign vocabulary grew from there and at the height of his signing he could produce over 130 signs and recognize countless others. Now 3 1/2, her son still uses signs. Heather and her husband continue to use signs and Signing Smart techniques to explain concepts to him.

One year after taking the Signing Smart workshop (March of 2005), Heather became a licensed instructor. She has been leading a support group for Signing Smart parents since August of 2004 and is a member of three online signing message boards. She hopes to share the joy and excitement that communicating with your baby and Signing Smart can bring to your family!

Heather is a full-time mother, member of Mothers of The Woodlands and the MOTW leadership team, and also holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Southwestern University.