{"id":14116,"date":"2021-08-23T09:00:42","date_gmt":"2021-08-23T14:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.allaboutlearningpress.com\/?p=14116"},"modified":"2023-03-17T14:19:07","modified_gmt":"2023-03-17T19:19:07","slug":"all-about-reading-down-syndrome","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.allaboutlearningpress.com\/all-about-reading-down-syndrome\/","title":{"rendered":"Real Moms, Real Kids: All About Reading<\/cite> and Down Syndrome"},"content":{"rendered":"\"Real\r\n\r\n

Learning to read isn\u2019t always easy, even under the best of circumstances. But what if you have a child with a significant learning disability like Down syndrome? What’s the best way to teach reading in that situation? <\/p>\r\n\r\n

Jennifer and Heidi are real moms with real kids who happen to have Down syndrome. But Down syndrome didn’t stop these amazing moms from believing they could homeschool their boys.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

And it didn\u2019t stop them from believing they could teach their sons to read. But both moms knew they would need the support of just the right reading program to help them teach their special kids. Read Jennifer's story<\/a> and Heidi's story<\/a> below to discover how they are teaching their sons to read.<\/p>\r\n<\/a>\r\n

Here\u2019s Jennifer...<\/h2>\r\n\r\n

Joseph has Down syndrome. Being the fifth\u00a0child in our clan, it only seemed natural to us to homeschool him just like his older brothers and sisters. However, the rest of the world doesn't always agree.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

There's a common belief that children with special circumstances need special education teachers. But we chose to homeschool Joseph\u00a0because it's what we know how to do. We\u2019re comfortable with homeschooling, and after living with Joseph for five\u00a0years, it didn't seem like it would be much different homeschooling him with Down syndrome than it was homeschooling his siblings.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\"Real\r\n\r\n

But after teaching four children to read using various methods, I wasn\u2019t convinced that any of those open-ended methods would work for Joseph. And with our history of dyslexia (two out of four children), I wanted to find a reading program that was well laid out, specific in its instruction, multisensory-based<\/a>, and dyslexia approved, and that still allowed for flexibility.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\"Real\r\n\r\n

Reading Lessons That Work!<\/h2>\r\n\r\n

When I first looked through the All About Reading<\/cite> Level 1 parent guide, I immediately noticed the number of lessons\u201449. Only 49!<\/span> So many reading programs plan for 180 days, or 36 weeks of lessons. To get through that many seemed nearly impossible. Forty-nine sounded so very doable.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Once we began Lesson 1 and I realized I had to break the lesson up into multiple mini-lessons, I knew I had made the right choice with AAR<\/cite>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\"Real\r\n\r\n

Each lesson is divided into multiple segments including \"Before You Begin,\" \"Review,\" \"New Teaching,\" and \"Read-Aloud Time.\" \"Before You Begin\" is perfect for the novice parent\/teacher; it prepares you, in fewer\u00a0than three minutes, to teach the lesson. The short prep time means more time actually reading with Joseph.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\"Real\r\n\r\n

The \"New Teaching\" section is also comprised of smaller sections. I love that we can sit down for 7-12 minutes and complete one section, such as \u201cChange the Word.\u201d It\u2019s a very short lesson, but anything over 15 minutes and Joseph\u2019s eyes are too tired to continue.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\"Real\r\n\r\n

The \"Read Aloud\" reminder is helpful. We all know how important reading aloud is, but with a pile of kids in multiple grades to homeschool, sometimes this cuddly, happy activity gets pushed aside for other, more important subjects. Before we begin the lesson, Joseph picks a book off the shelf and sets it next to him as a reminder to us both that a story will be read once the lesson is complete\u2014a little motivation for him.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

The Ease of Scripted Lesson Plans<\/h2>\r\n\r\n

Homeschooling Joseph takes a lot of my brain power, and having the AAR <\/em>script ready is such a blessing to my well-being. It\u2019s one less activity I have to plan, and on hectic days it\u2019s so nice to grab the bag, open the book, and begin. I wasn\u2019t sure if I\u2019d like that, but it helps me stay on track and not say too much.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Experiencing a beginning reader read his first sentence out of a book is a joyful moment worthy of celebration. Hearing Joseph read his first sentence from the Run, Bug, Run!<\/cite> reader brought tears to my eyes, and I\u2019m so happy All About Reading<\/cite> helped that happen.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

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An Update on Joseph's All About Reading<\/cite> Journey<\/h3>\r\n

We were excited to hear from Jennifer recently with an update on Joseph's progress! Here's Jennifer...<\/span><\/p>\r\n

It\u2019s hard to believe that Joseph is now a teenager! He had his 13th birthday last week and All About Reading<\/cite> is still a part of our homeschool. It took a couple of years to get through Level 1, but it was a success, and he became a reader.

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Joseph loves the Beginning to Read books by Margaret Hillert and picked up on the sight words very quickly. We spent a full school year reading through every single one of those books (there are many) before returning to All About Reading<\/cite> Level 2.

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Level 2 is slow going, but I\u2019ve always been a believer in progress over perfection when it comes to Joe. To some, remaining on the same level for 3 years in a row might be discouraging, but remember for a person with Down syndrome there can be many challenges to overcome. In addition to AAR<\/cite> lessons Joseph is also learning to write.

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Learning is tiring for Joe and so I like to keep his reading lesson times short. Each year I add about 2 minutes of instruction time; this year he\u2019s up to 15-18 minutes of AAR<\/cite> time. He loves the AAR<\/cite> readers and keeps those at his bedside\u2014well, technically strewn about his bedroom floor\u2014but they are treasures to him and when I say it\u2019s time to read, he always grabs his Level 1 readers, sits down and begins to read. I enjoy seeing his confidence build as he adds another completed reader to his pile. And now that the new readers are in full color and the pages are glossy, it\u2019s even better for him!

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Read more on Jennifer's blog about how she is using All About Reading<\/cite> to teach Joseph how to read:<\/h3>\r\n