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ecki

Although I hope that one day Kayla will talk, it's not really looking that way. I was just wondering how the heck you teach reading to a child who can't talk.

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Ecki

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kittycat3376 · Posted: September 16 2007, 6:07 PM Post subject:

I notice you said in your brag that Kayla is starting to sign again. You could try starting with a few simple sight words and pictures in a small photo album and teach her the signs. Point to the word, then say and sign it, she might just surprise you and start saying a few of the words, and even if she doesn't, it will help her to understand the word when she hears other people say it. Once she starts to sign the word, take away the picture. Add a few new words a month, or at whatever rate she seems to be learning them.

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kwisteena1021 · Posted: September 16 2007, 6:17 PM Post subject:

Not sure if you have read the book teaching reading to children with down syndrome...but it does give ideas for how to teacher younger kids(ie most likely not verbal yet) reading(more so recognition). Start with pictures of you daddy sister and herself. Put the picture on a big card and the name below it. Once she can point or sign when you show her one then you can cut the name off the card and then have her match it. Once she masters matching it you can take away the picture and ask her to show you the word you ask for. This is how I taught Kallie to read, granted she was verbal so I just would say what does this say, but for your case I would say you can just change the way you ask the question and it all works the same! Again I highly recommend that book.

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Helen · Posted: September 17 2007, 4:28 AM Post subject:

Yeah, I'm asking the same question ... Matt has no signs or speech. Sorry if I'm hijacking this thread, but we're probably in the same boat.

18mths ago, Matt could read names - Matthew, Rachael, Daddy, Mummy, Hannah, Wiggles. Then he would look at the word, sign it and/or say it, then match it to a photo. Or he'd match word to word. Now he won't/can't do that. But Kayla might? She might be more compliant!!!

He also knew 12 of his phonic letter sounds by sight, so would see the letter, and do the sign for it, and although he only said the sound for half of them, the rest he'd do the mouth action for. We used to repeat this in front of a mirror, and show him how it should be done.

However he won't/can't do this any more. And I'm at a loss to know where to start .... Any ideas?

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waith · Posted: September 17 2007, 6:47 AM Post subject:

Check out the Downs Educational trust site. They are piloting a new reading scheme for our kids which is free and you can download.

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momofrussell · Posted: September 20 2007, 6:54 AM Post subject:

Well, for Russell we aren't at that level yet to teach him site words or reading. A child needs to have "PRE LANGUAGE" skills first in order to do the next step... language, reading, ect.. and Russell is STILL in the "pre language" skills phase. We've been stuck in this phase for, ohhhhh, 7 years? It SUCKS! He still has a hard time initiating language and communication and we truly don't know what he understands... so reading and language are just really tough for Russell.

Russell is JUST learning what the ABC's are... but he can't speak the sounds... we don't hear his real voice even. When he learns site words it will probably be things he knows... like his address, pictures, ect... which ARE site words..just modified and more "functional". At 9 yrs old I need functional skills.

Helen, I think if Matt knew/knows those things, I would think he has a potential to achieve those things again!!!

So... the answer is I don't know how you'd teach reading to a non-verbal child, but I do know they need to have some pre-language skills. And then you need to figure out what reading you want for your child. Books, pictures (something more functional), ect...

Good luck! And if you find anything out on this.. let me know! LOL

A.

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ecki · Posted: September 20 2007, 1:15 PM Post subject:

Adrienne, that's the thing, I don't know if Kayla will get those pre language skills. Sometimes I just get so frustrated because she's SO delayed, I just don't know where to start with her. It's the usual "Am I doing enough?" vs. "Am I pushing too hard?" dilemma. And also "Are we working on the RIGHT things." I would hope that she could learn to read. But where that fits in among all the other stuff she needs to know, what's more important, what will be more functional in her life.

She has so few communication skills now. The only thing I know she communicates is "all done" when she's fed up with something and "more". Not sure if I can even count "eat" right now since I think she just does it as an automated response when she is sitting in the kitchen and I ask what do you want. Sometimes she'll sign "eat", I'll put her in her chair and she'll throw all the food on the floor. Rolling Eyes

I have some hope, though. When the autism hit, I was so scared that she wouldn't be able to learn ANYTHING. But she's learned the color RED. So, if she can learn RED, why not learn to read and count? I'm just not sure how to go about it.

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momofrussell · Posted: September 20 2007, 3:34 PM Post subject:

I know.. it's tough to gage our kids and it sucks! LOL She knows the color RED?? WOW.... that's awesome!! If Russell knows or acknowledges any colors, I have no idea! He has never shown me in "his way" that he does. He responds to letters so we have started there. Which I think is a great start. But I can't say "pick/point to the Z" or something like that. He CAN sign his name which is just an "R" alone... he knows that is his name and he giggles.

We have also been working on Russell using his letters, laminated, to spell his name... first matching to a RUSSELL already there... and then on to just using the laminated letters to spell Russell. We've been doing this for gosh...almost 2 yrs now and he can't spell his name... but he can match like the star he is! LOL

We use to have more language skills on his IEP and we went to the DS clinic and she and one of our old teachers said the same thing to us "WHAT THE HECK ARE THESE GOALS"? LOL Russell was 5 and had cutting goals, ect... MANY language goals and he had NO pre language skills ..it's like someone just thought they'd bypass the pre language and didn't really "get" who Russell was and what he didn't know... and his goals were silly. They weren't meaningful to him either.

That is my new mantra... "That isn't meaningful to Russell'... or "Let's make it meaningful to Russell". I realized through the years that functional skills are what he needs.. and MEANINGFUL things. It's amazing how much is NOT meaningful to him... things they work on daily that aren't meaningful. So they get phone calls from me once in a while saying "can we switch it up? It's not meaningful".

Oh.. and to ramble more.... I have an example. They had community access (SPED field trip) yesterday and went to the grocery store. They cut out pictures of a few brand name food items for Russell to find in the store. NOW... you'd THINK they'd do stuff HE eats and HE knows... but nope... he had to find things like "Frosted Flakes" and then circle the picture of Frosted Flakes. Russell has never seen Frosted Flakes... never eats cereal.. only pancakes and oatmeal.

So.. you know.. it's hard..even for the educators... to be 24/7 on your game with meaningful tasks. It's SO easy to NOT realize the task was great but it could have been more meaningful. So, Russell worked on fine motor for circling... but all the items he didn't eat or know.

I am going to save the thing he brought home on it and suggest they tell me prior to the event, so I can maybe see how we can make this stuff as meaningful as possible!

It's always a work in progress isn't it? Very frustrating!!!

But hey..thanks for letting me ramble and take over your thread for a second! LOL

A.

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ecki · Posted: September 20 2007, 3:59 PM Post subject:

That's funny Russell responds to letters -- Kayla is OBSESSED with letters! Every free chance in school she goes up to the letter poster and touches all the letters, or grabs the letter flashcards. I have NO idea if she has any idea what letters ARE, but it's kind of cool that she likes them!

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Ecki

MomMom of Kayla (Ds/Autism 4/5/04) and Laurie (PDD-NOS 7/12/01)

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Tom · Posted: September 20 2007, 4:07 PM Post subject:

Try letter matching. We had some kind of kid's toy that had all the letters and numbers on it and it would ask you to push the letter A button. And if you did it would say "Hurray". And it had levels so that you could go to harder tasks. Mikey became obsessed with it at one point. I'll see if I can find it or if Michel remembers the name of it.

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Barbara · Posted: September 24 2007, 3:05 PM Post subject:

Read, Read, Read!!! Sometimes use your finger to help "scan" the words.

Use a magna doodle board to re-write words from the book saying the words. Henry would use his little bit of speeching to repeat words written on the magna doodle board. We started with alphabet first.

Henry would take a book to a secluded place and attempt to re-tell the story.

It helps and will reinforce SPEECH!

Henry could prove he could site read long before speeching well.

SherryinWI · Posted: October 18 2007, 2:51 PM Post subject:

I just want to add...check out http://www.readingrockets.org

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