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Reading and writing for children with Down syndrome (5-11 years)
Sue Buckley, Jane Beadman and Gillian Bird
Reading and writing skills are important for everyday life and for access to the world of literature. They are also powerful tools for teaching speech and language to children with Down syndrome and for mediating their cognitive development. Reading and writing can support communication, enable children to achieve greater independence and enrich education and academic attainments across the curriculum. This module explains how language and literacy teaching can work together to promote the development of children with Down syndrome. Guidance on teaching methods, expectations and examples of children's work combine to show teachers and parents how to include children in literacy learning programmes, with an understanding of particular issues related to speech, language and memory development.
Buckley SJ, Beadman J, Bird G. Reading and writing for children with Down syndrome (5-11 years). Down Syndrome Issues and Information. 2001.
doi:10.3104/9781903806111
Introduction
The reading achievements of children with Down syndrome
have been steadily increasing during the last 20 years. Research studies have shown
that learning to read and the activity of reading accelerates children's development
of memory skills and their acquisition of language knowledge. Many children with
Down syndrome excel at reading and perform within the range of their typically developing
peers at school in this skill area. Reading comprehension and learning to write
should always be taught and developed alongside reading instruction. The beneficial
effects of reading for development are significant for children of all reading and
language abilities and reading can produce gains in life skills and independence.
This module focuses on how to teach children with Down
syndrome to develop useful and independent literacy skills. However, the authors
wish to stress that being involved in the literate community is the right of every
child and does not depend on being able to read or write independently. Many of
the benefits for knowledge and for language learning that come from being able to
read can be gained from being read to every day. This should include the daily reading
of story books and poems. It should also include the making of individual books
and project books, which are read together. Enjoying stories and participating in
story telling through acting, making picture representations of stories, and creating
poems can be group or whole class activities. An excellent resource containing many
ideas that can be used in any classroom is Literature for all.[1]