Teaching Reading Comprehension to Students With Down Syndrome

As a speech language pathologist that works with children and adults with Down's syndrome, I wanted to accept a look at some research virtually how literacy is afflicted in this population. I also wanted to find some valuable and evidenced based information to share with the families that I work with to help their children develop more than advanced literacy skills. I found an interesting commodity titled The Evolution of literacy skills with Down syndrome: Implications for Intervention (Apr, 2008) by Margaret J Snowling, Hannah N Nash and Lisa M Henderson. To access the full commodity, click hither. In this study, the authors outlined the research with regards to literacy and Down Syndrome, the variations in literacy, and different variations. Below is some important points that I constitute important in this article:

Phonological Awareness: "It has been suggested that as compared to typically developing children, the evolution of phonological awareness follows a different path in children with Downs Syndrome. Gombert found that a group of French children with Down's syndrome were poorer on tasks of rhyme oddity, rhyme judgement and phoneme syntheses than tasks borer more explicit awareness of phonemes such equally phoneme counting, phoneme spelling and phoneme deletion". They also found that "children with Down's syndrome could identify initial sounds in words but establish identifying words rhymes difficult" (Snowling, Nash, Henderson, 2008). For a detailed summary of phonological sensation and important terms, accept a await at this article here.

Reading Skills: According to the authors, Snowling, Nash and Henderson (2008) in this written report, "Reading skills are often an surface area of relative force of individuals with Down's syndrome". Other studies have suggested that "word identification skills develop relatively well in Down syndrome". The authors also discussed the human relationship of receptive language skills, understanding of grammar and auditory retention to be amend predictors of a child's reading abilities.

Reading Comprehension: According to the authors Snowling, Nash and Henderson (2008), "Reading comprehension appears to lag behind accuracy in Down's syndrome because it is limited by language skills".

Now that nosotros know some of the challenges facing children with Down's syndrome and literacy, here are some tips that I have created to piece of work on at habitation:

1. Since individuals with Down's syndrome accept strengths in their visual skills, use this to their benefit by providing visuals with a literacy activity.Work on weaker phonological skills such every bit rhyming! Read such books as Dr. Seuss that emphasize rhyming and brand the feel motivating and engaging. For instance, the words "hat" and "bat" provide pictures with the words to help a child come across the word and the picture. This exercise can assist build more than sensation of rhyming words and build auditory skills.
2. Provide a literacy learning environment within the home. One of the not bad predictors of literacy success starts at home and having a enriched learning environment can help a child immensely with a beloved of reading.
3. Eastward xpand on receptive linguistic communication! From the articles I read, one of the keen predictors of success with literacy depends on a child's receptive language. Make articulation reading a linguistic communication opportunity for expanding vocabulary. As you are reading a story, use print referencing skills to build sensation of print, sight words and expanding of vocabulary. Do you desire to learn more than about vocabulary growth during reading? Check out this article here.
4. Work on improving grammar and syntax using both visual and auditory models. Ane of the means to work on grammer and syntax is by modeling and using a visual language system to help create and combine words into a sentence. I ofttimes do this blazon of practice with a tool such as a communication app considering it provides a wonderful visual in building sentences. As a voice communication language pathologist who specializes in Augmentative and Alternative Communication, I oft use these visual systems to help build grammar and syntax with individuals with complex communication needs. This type of visual system tin can help aid a child with Down's syndrome who struggles with syntax and grammar because it makes a linguistic communication system visual. Often the parts of oral communication are too color coded which helps a child learn parts of speech.
5. Target reading comprehension by scaffolding, request "wh" questions and encouraging give-and-take throughout reading. Use manipulatives and visual cues to help assist in reading comprehension. Additionally, when reading longer books, cease frequently to epitomize the story and check comprehension. Repeated readings tin too help improve comprehension of the story. To learn more about repeated readings, click here.

To learn more about reading interventions for children with Downwards Syndrome, cheque out this enquiry article by Kelly Burgoyne hither.

To learn more nearly Downward Syndrome Education International, click here.

Resource

Snowling, Margaret, Hannah N. Nash, and Lisa 1000. Henderson. "The Development of Literacy Skills in Children with Down Syndrome: Implications for Intervention." Down's syndrome Online – Reliable, Upwardly-to-date Information about Down syndrome. Down syndrome Didactics International, Apr. 2008. Web. sixteen January. 2017.

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