Customer Reviews

Bounce: Let's Talk!

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

My 20 month daughter is hooked on this DVD. I got it in desperation to see if it would help her talk. She watches it everyday at least twice and now asks for "bounce". The songs are catchy and even my 4 year old will sit down and watch. Has definitely helped my daughter's speech delay. Even though it was developed for kids with autism it is great for all kids who need some extra help to talk.

Elizabeth Balzano is an educated, amazing music therapist! Her program is excellent. My son LOVES Ballou and has a wonderful time interacting with the Spectrum Connection/Bounce Series. Children learn excellent communication and safety skills! Whether your child struggles with developmental delays or has a typically developing brain - they will BENEFIT from this series. Parents - YOU will benefit from the wonderful "Tips: Advice" special features. Bravo!! Brava! to the whole team - including Brandissmo!! & Sprout! This is a MUST HAVE item - the WHOLE series!

All my kids are "on the spectrum"--the older two (now 18 & 11) are extremely verbal Asperger's kids, but the younger two (preschoolers) were diagnosed in June as "severely autistic," with extremely limited expressive language ability. They literally never asked for anything they needed; they would wait patiently for their needs to be magically met, or they would cry or scream until someone guessed what the problem was, or they would "hand lead"--they would try to physically make the adult do what they wanted but wouldn't sign or say something simple like "more," or "open, please."

Of course, we started a variety of approaches once the kids were diagnosed, and we have to give credit to most, if not all of them, for the progress we have seen in just a couple of months. However, these "Bounce!" videos really caused something to "click" with my kids and were exremely helpful in a few key areas.

First, Elizabeth has a "see ya later alligator" toy that signals when it's time to go, and she sings a goodbye song with it (and she has a "hello" song to the same melody.) My daughter (now approx 33 months) uses the song ("Hello, hello, hello!") to greet people now, and we use the alligator to get my son (who just turned 4) to part with his beloved Thomas trains when it's time for him to go to his preschool on the bus. (We place a toy bus and a toy alligator on the table near the front door; the trains wait there too til he gets home.) We received these videos just before his preschool started this year, and he had never been before; I know they made what would have been a major transition for him a LOT easier.

Second, Elizabeth has a song about asking for what you want: "I want a hug," "I want an apple," etc. My son started singing the song to himself after he had learned it (that's the majority of his speech--he doesn't talk so much as he quotes things he's heard.) So when we'd hear him say something like "I want a hug," or "I want some juice," we'd reward it with the hug, juice, etc. This delighted him so much that he started to actually use the phrases appropriately when he did want something, and he has generalized that to other things--so now he'll say, "open, please," or "more, please," which has been a really big breakthrough (and a huge improvement over screaming!)

Finally, they love to watch the other kids on the videos; my son knows all their names and will talk to them: "Alright, Tucker!" I think it's been good for the kids to see how the children in the videos behave for the teacher--looking up at her when she is talking, looking at what she is pointing at, etc. This seems to have improved their eye contact, attention, and general classroom behavior (sitting in circle time, etc.) I would highly recommend these to other ASD parents--and "regular" kids would probaby enjoy them, too!

We were introduced to this series on PBS Sprout. My 14 month old son loves Let's Go, and now, Let's Talk. He is just starting to talk, and he loves music, so this is his favorite video. He is answering Elizabeth right now as I type. I got this one to encourage speech, and already after just one viewing, he is communicating with Miss Elizabeth. I think that this series is actually very sophisticated, although it seems simplistic. The songs are a very easy way to teach things all kids need to learn. I have no doubt it is a wonderful tool for speech delay or autism. I think it is an amazing tool for all children to learn to communicate their needs and feelings. A big thanks to everyone involved in bringing us Bounce! PS: I like the shows that look like a natural classroom over the all white, more sterile background.

I purchased this DVD for my 3 1/2 year old son who has a severe speech delay. It has been very helpful b/c it gives him simple phrases to use, like I want, help me, and give me. Right after watching it, he started testing these phrases out on me to see if I could understand him. Due to the severity of my son's speech delay,this video is just the right thing to get him started with sentences. Up to now he has only used one word or two words together, like "more milk," but no verbs. The songs are good enough to capture his attention and help him understand what "I want" means.

Contained in this "Lets Talk" set is a DVD and CD of the music. In the DVD there are a group of kids in a circle around a women with a guitar singing songs to and with them. Originally, I thought my son wouldn't want to watch something so simple, but he enjoyed it. I also play the CD when I don't want him to watch TV!

To address another review on here that said she didn't want her son to speak like this (I assume she was concerned about manners and politeness), I would say that the song "Give me" is the only song that would not be polite. However, due to my son's speech delay, it is more important to give him words to express himself and than to worry about politeness. Once he can express things better, we can work on politeness, but for now, he just needs to learn to speak.

So, overall, I would recommend this DVD to anyone with children who have a speech delay or who are learning to speak. If your child can speak simple phrases already and you are more concerned with getting your child to speak politely, then I would recommend you look at other DVD's.

On another Note: At the time I purchased this DVD, it was cheaper to purchase directly from the Bounce Website, then from Amazon.

These Bounce videos are great - my two children with Autism continue to view them over the years because, as they grow, they are more interested in the children and their expressions than just the songs. They are starting to imitate the children on the video. The songs are very catchy and teach valuable social skills, and Elizabeth Balzano does a great job teaching the children necessities like waiting on line, saying break and explaining emotions. BUT please buy from Spectrum Connections at half the price!

I got this for my son who had a speech delay. This DVD really helped him.

After watching the DVD, he's learned how to express himself very well, using "I want..." and "I need..." which is a big help for any parent. When he sings "I want a COOKIE!!" it always makes him laugh.

My son loves the DVDs, but even more so, often requests the bonus CDs that come with it. They make him very happy when we listen to them in the car.

I think these DVDs are targeted towards children on the Autism Spectrum, but honestly, ALL children could benefit from these DVDs.

This is a fantastic video! My son was saying more words after the first viewing (he's 18 months) And my 4 year old likes it too- the songs are really good and catchy (and also not annoying). I find myself singing them all day!
Thank you to the creators of this video!

My ASD son who just turned 4 adores this movie! He loves the songs and I hear him humming them often. The DVD comes with a complimentary CD that I have included as a reinforcer for his ABA therapy. He even told me the other day, after he sneezed "I want a tissue." I almost fell on the floor! (Parents that have minimal verbal children will understand my reaction) I recommend this movie. I am purchasing 2 other Bounce movies today!

Good DVD encouraged kids to say hello, I want, etc. Active and engaging, but only 30 min.