Below is the Twins Mom Wendy Pickren told us the story from audition to stardom!


As a pediatric occupational therapist in my prior-to-twins life, I was accustomed to using sign language as one option for communicating with children. When my identical twin boys, Spencer and Bradley, were born in October of 2002, it seemed natural to incorporate sign language into our routine. For example, when the fellas were really little (weeks old), I would sign and say, "wait one minute" when
I would lay the boys down and dash about the house. As they grew, I incorporated signs into the songs I sang and words I used when I spoke with them.

By 11 months old, Spencer and Bradley were clearly using signs to communicate with me. Of course, first signs included "more" and "eat", but those can be lifesavers when you are trying to efficiently meet the needs of twins!! They quickly learned more and more signs, and were able to
often be specific about what they wanted, or what they were thinking!
As a shower gift, I received the Baby Signs book, and I used it as one of my references many times. Also, a friend loaned me a really great DVD, "Signing Time". Although I am not big on TV for the babies, I could see that it was educational, that they loved it, and that I loved it, too! These tools were really helpful in incorporating sign language into their life. Our boys continued to increase their signing vocabulary, even as they increased their vocabulary of spoken words. By 15 months of age, they were able to communicate with approximately 50 signs!!! It was helpful and fun, and I was so proud of my boys andtheir ability to ask for what they wanted, and to use their manners while doing so (they loved to say "please" and "thank you"!).

In March, an e-mail came through my twins group notifying us of a casting call for a part in an upcoming movie. They were looking for twins who were the same age and size as my boys, and they said that they would teach the children to sign. I thought, "I have twins, and they already know how to sign!" I decided that I would just send in a few snapshots of my fellas, just for fun. I received a call the next morning, and we were asked to come to LA for an audition.

One week later, we returned for a call-back, and we were on our way to Hollywood!

Spencer and Bradley were invited to play a principal role in the A spin off of the wildly popular film, Meet The Parents, is in the works. The sequel titled, Meet The Fockers, stars Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller, Dustin Hoffman, Blythe Danner, Teri Polo and Barbra Streisand. It is scheduled to hit theaters December 22nd and is sure to be a success. Why you ask? Because it also stars two of the cutest twins in town who love to show off their ability to sign!

Spencer and Bradley were 18 months old when they began filming. We spent preproduction rehearsal time preparing the boys for their role by perfecting some of the signs that they already knew, and learning some signs which were specific to the movie. As the filming progressed, we continued to teach our boys to sign, even as they began to speak. We noticed early on that they were able to be very specific in their communication, which would not have been possible if they had not had the ability to sign. They seemed to be picking up new signs very easily, so it was clear that they really had internalized the concept of a gestural language!

They were often able to communicate a thought about something they did or saw previously. This enabled us to have a conversation which they had started all on their own!!! (For example, one time they raced into our home with Daddy following quickly behind. From their signs, I was able to learn that they had gone to the park, went down the slide, saw some bikes, and then went out for ice cream!!) I have even seen them do little signs with their hands in their sleep!!! In the movie, you will even see them using many signs in a row! With the great comedic abilities of the actors in this film, you can only imagine the funny scenes which will ensue as the baby begins to communicate with Ben and the others. We had an incredible experience participating in the making of Meet the Fockers, and we hope that you enjoy it as well.
Upon returning home after 5 months in Hollywood, we knew our boys had a positive experience when we witnessed them doing imaginary play in the backyard. They would put on their backpacks, get on their tricycles, and sign, "work, Mommy", as they rode off to their imaginary sound stage!!

Spencer and Bradley have just turned 2 years old. They have so much to say, and they often use a combination of signs and spoken words. As is often true, many newly spoken words sound very similar. We have found that we can ask them to show us their signs as they say the word, and this almost always clears up the confusion!! They also have begun to sign to each other, often using words like "play together", "stop", and of course "mine" (they are brothers!!).

As you might imagine, we wholeheartedly encourage parents to use sign language with their babies. It has enriched our lives in so many ways, and we are confident that it can have a positive impact on so many babies and their families in the future! Keep up the good work!

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We can see them again!!! They're so cute and were wonderful in Meet the Fockers!

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From movie stars to soap stars!!!!! hope they will signing there too!

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Did you see them today on Days of our Lives? I figured you may have missed it, but it was really cute. They didn't have any dialog or noticeable signing, but they were like in a dream, haunting a young lady who had an abortion and is now regretting it. If you did miss it, and would like to see it, you can download it if you have high speed internet. Go to http://www.soapcity.com/days/ and click on "watch now" for today's (Feb. 7) show. It does cost $1.99 to download it, but it's worth it...they are so cute! That show will be available on that front page until 4pm tomorrow when the next show becomes available, but if it's after that, I'm sure you can still download today's show. Anyway, I thought I'd just let you know.

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wow that is so cool! i loved that movie!

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Those boys are adorable!!! It's so cute to see little ones signing even up on the big screen. I noticed the SIGN with your BABY book on the table during one of the scenes with Robert De Niro and the baby and thought that was fabulous!!

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Emma Biedenbender
Signs of Early Life
http://www.signsofearlylife.com

I'm going to unsticky this since it has been up for a while and the movie has been out a while...hope that is ok.

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