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Reading and writing for infants with Down syndrome (0-5 years)

Sue Buckley and Gillian Bird

Teaching reading to teach talking is probably the single most effective intervention for helping children with Down syndrome to overcome their learning difficulties. Reading and writing skills are important for everyday life and for access to the world of literature for all children. They are also powerful tools for teaching speech and language to children with Down syndrome and for mediating their cognitive development. Beginning early, by introducing young children to reading from two years of age, will promote the development of both their spoken language and their literacy skills. This module explains how to teach reading to teach language and how language and literacy teaching can work together to promote the development of children with Down syndrome, beginning in the preschool years. Guidance on teaching methods and examples of activities show parents and teachers how to introduce young children to reading and other literacy activities. This module is linked with Reading and writing development for individuals with Down syndrome - An overview,[DSii-07-01] which should be read first, to provider the reader with evidence for the benefits of early reading and the rationale behind the programme.

Buckley SJ, Bird G. Reading and writing for infants with Down syndrome (0-5 years). Down Syndrome Issues and Information. 2001.

doi:10.3104/9781903806104

Introduction

The importance of early reading for all children with Down syndrome

See also:

Reading activities may be the single most important intervention for promoting the speech, language and cognitive development of preschool children with Down syndrome. Leslie Duffen first drew the benefits and effectiveness of teaching reading to teach talking to our attention in 1979.[1-3] Leslie had introduced his daughter, Sarah, to reading at 3 years of age and observed that she could learn and use words that she had seen in print much more easily than words she only heard.

Since that time, we have taught many children with Down syndrome to read from 2 years of age and we are quite convinced that it is the single most effective way to help children overcome the learning difficulties associated with Down syndrome. All the early readers we know have made exceptional progress through school and into teenage life. All these children have been taught reading and language side by side by their parents in their preschool years. It is not difficult to teach children with Down syndrome language through reading, and most children would succeed and benefit if those around them had confidence in the value of reading and worked consistently in small steps.

Teaching reading - Key principles

  • Teach whole words first (phonics later)
  • Start with words that the child already understands
  • Choose words to build short sentences
  • Focus on reading for meaning from the outset
  • Develop writing skills alongside reading skills
  • Teach new vocabulary and grammar through print, once reading is progressing

Case studies, illustrating the progress of some of these children, and our research studies of reading, are discussed in detail in Reading and writing for individuals with Down syndrome - An overview. We hope that all parents, home teachers, nursery and preschool teachers will use reading activities to help their children from the stage when they understand 50 words and are beginning to link two words together. We also hope that teaching reading will quickly be seen as an easy activity to plan and to develop, with parents and practitioners always working together.

We encourage record keeping and we are keen to collect information and as large a sample of early readers as we can to expand our knowledge of the short and long term benefits. If you are prepared to keep records of your child's progress and interested in joining a research study, please contact Down Syndrome Education International. We will provide regular feedback and advice to those who wish to take part in the study.

Why reading helps

Reading accelerates spoken language progress

Children with Down syndrome of all ages are usually able to learn more effectively from what they can see than from what they hear. Therefore, children will understand and remember how to say words and sentences earlier if they learn to read from a young age.

The benefits of teaching reading to teach talking

  • Children with Down syndrome have difficulty in learning their first language from listening
  • They find learning visually easier than learning from listening
  • Printed words seem to be easier for them to remember than spoken words
  • Print can be used from as early as two years of age to support language learning
  • Many children with Down syndrome can begin to learn to read from this early age and are able to remember printed words with ease
  • All language targets can be taught with the aid of written material, even to children who are not able to remember the words and read independently
  • Reading activities, at home and in the classroom, teach new vocabulary and grammar.
  • Reading enables the child with Down syndrome to practise complete sentences - teaching grammar and supporting correct production
  • Reading can help speech at the level of sounds (phonemes), whole word production and sentence production
  • Reading to children with Down syndrome and teaching them to read, may be the most effective therapy for developing their speech and language skills from infancy right through school years
  • Research studies show that reading instruction in school has a significant effect on language and working memory development for children with Down syndrome

The progress of children varies

Some young children learn to read words and understand their meanings readily, even if they are unable to say them, and their reading skills go forward at a rapid rate. Most young children with Down syndrome can remember words if they are taught them, and even a small sight vocabulary (a reading vocabulary of words learned as whole words) helps them to develop language and reading skills in preparation for school. A small number of children find it difficult to remember words even with structured teaching, but can still gain from the language activities and games that are used to teach reading, especially if the activities are supported by pictures.

Some children will first need help to learn the basic skills used for learning how to read, for example; how to watch, listen, match and select, and they require positive teaching methods to successfully learn these skills. Once they have them, these skills will be used for learning across the curriculum for many years.

Early reading accelerates reading progress in school

Most children with Down syndrome will learn to read at school, even if they have not started earlier, but introducing reading at an earlier stage is likely to accelerate their progress, even if the child can only read one or two words when he or she commences school. Showing that children have already begun to learn to read and enjoy this activity may prevent unnecessary delays in teaching reading at school, especially if teachers are waiting for signs of 'reading readiness', as such signs do not apply to children with Down syndrome.

Children benefit from reading even when they cannot read by themselves

This module focuses on how to teach young children with Down syndrome to read, to help them to develop their spoken language skills and their independent literacy skills in later years. However, the authors also 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 storybooks to children. It should also include the making of individual books and topic books.

Parents are the most effective teachers

For the majority of children with Down syndrome, as for other children, parents play a major role in developing early and later reading success, by providing enjoyable experiences with books and by playing reading games, as well as specifically teaching their child. Enjoyment and familiarity with books and reading games at home will give children confidence to continue to develop their reading skills when they start school.