Running head: READING FOR CHILDREN WITH DOWN SYNDROME

Reading Instruction for Children with Down Syndrome Autumn B. Combs Samford University

READING FOR CHILDREN WITH DOWN SYNDROME

As inclusion becomes more prevalent in the school systems, it is important for teachers to know as much as they can about the students that they will be helping and the best practices for instructing them. Down syndrome is one type of disability that will be present in the inclusion classroom. For every 691 births one is a child who has Down syndrome (Facts about down syndrome 2012). This statistic is quite large and for these children growing up, it will have an impact on the classroom environment as they are included. It is important for educators to understand the implications that will come from having a child with Down syndrome in the classroom. What does the child look like, how does he act, how does he learn, and what are the best ways to present materials are all questions that an educator should ask about students. This paper will examine Down syndrome briefly and explain the effects that variables such as family involvement, learning capabilities, and classroom instruction have on their acquisition of reading skills. Down syndrome is a genetic disability. It can be diagnosed during pregnancy by way of two different tests that are available to the parents (Facts about down syndrome 2012). Down syndrome can also be and is usually diagnosed early in the childs life and simply means that the child has one more chromosome than usual (Facts about down syndrome 2012). It is more likely that the child will have Down syndrome the older the mother is at conception (What is down syndrome 2012). Refer to the following table as a reference to the increase in probability of Down syndrome as the age of the mother increases (What is down syndrome 2012). Because there is one more chromosome, there are also differences that are present. For a child with Down syndrome, there is a delay in physical and intellectual development (Facts about down syndrome 2012). There can and usually are health issues that accompany the disability as well. The child may have heart conditions, higher risk of infections, respiratory problems, vision

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problems, thyroid issues and/or other conditions (Facts about down syndrome 2012). In the classroom, these conditions may affect the learning abilities of the child and should be looked for by the teacher. Despite delays in physical and intellectual abilities, it is important to know that these individuals are more like others than they are different (Facts about down syndrome 2012).

With a large statistic of children being born with Down syndrome, it is inevitable that those children will become students in inclusive classrooms. It is important for educators to understand what these health conditions mean for the student in the classroom and what needs to take place in instruction for the child to learn as much as possible in the given time. There are many components of instruction of children who have Down syndrome such as family involvement, childs ability, and classroom instruction. All three of these components play a significant role in the acquisition of reading skills in children, especially those who have Down syndrome.

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Reading is one component of education that is the most vital to a childs life. Reading is the center that most instruction revolves around because of the necessity that it has in life. Reading instruction is required by federal law and requires that it be taught in the classroom (Ricci 2012). Students with Down syndrome are also included in this law and factor into scores that the school has to show (Ricci 2012). Some people feel like this is a negative thing, but students who have Down syndrome have the potential to learn to read on a functional level (Ricci 2012). This fact gives hope to those involved in the reading acquisition of a student who has Down syndrome. Instead of thinking of the student as the Down syndrome disability, it is important to focus on the positive and to keep the above statement in mind. When educators remember that their students are capable of learning when they are given the opportunity, then the learning environment is more conducive to that childs learning of the subject matter. The question that most educators learn from their pre-service days is how a reading instruction program looks in the classroom. The question stands for how this instruction program should look for a child with Down syndrome. It is important that the best practices are used so that the child with a disability is getting as much help from the instruction as the other students. Researching this topic and discovering what is needed for children specifically who have Down syndrome will help teachers to enhance their instruction in the classroom and provide the optimum teaching available. It is also important for parents to understand their role in their childs reading, especially those children who have Down syndrome. For young children, it is important to introduce them and surround them with text so that they become familiar and comfortable with it. The beginning years at home are crucial for the children to see text being used and have the opportunity to use it themselves. Text rich homes provide the child with more experiences with the text and promote reading before reading can

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happen. This text rich environment provides children with many opportunities to handle books, see words, have parents read to them, and hear phonemes. It also results in childrens growth in language skills, conceptual knowledge, phonological awareness, letter knowledge, knowledge of print conventions, reading strategies, and interest in reading (Ricci 2012). With all of these areas being affected just by the number of books and the number of times parents read to their children, it is important to emphasize this component of reading instruction to parents of children who have Down syndrome because they need to know that home literacy environments best predict childrens interest in reading (Ricci 2011). Interest in reading will lead to an emergent reader who is on their way to fluency. Not only does the amount of books have an effect on the reading of children with Down syndrome, but so does the amount of reading that the parent and child share. This is an important time for any child, but when reading to a child who has Down syndrome it is important to make sure that you are asking questions (Ricci 2011). These questions that are asked cause increases in the childs vocabulary and comprehension abilities (Ricci 2011). It is important to emphasize to parents the profound effect that their involvement with the text has on the child. These gains can be made if only the parent will take out time to read to, ask questions with, and talk about pictures with their child (Ricci 2011). It is important that the parent also tries to use stories to teach the child a lesson or moral. This also improves the vocabulary and comprehension of a child with Down syndrome (Ricci 2011). Parents should be aware that they have an influence on their childs reading acquisition. When the child is read to and participates in the reading, the parent is helping to increase vocabulary and comprehension in the child. These two subjects are major parts in reading instruction and will help the child if reading and an increase is happening at home as well as school. Educators should be aware of this fact and provide that information to

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families in the classroom, especially those families whose child has Down syndrome. By warning and providing this information to parents, the educator is able to better equip the parent in helping their child learn to read. Another issue in reading for children who have Down syndrome is the mental age of the child. Because the syndrome effects the development of the child, it is important for educators to realize that chronological age and mental age will not go hand in hand for these children. One thing to keep in mind however is this does not limit the students abilities. The child is still able to learn and has the ability to read despite the developmental delay (Ricci 2011). Mental age can be used as a predictor of the childs ability to read. One study even found that children with Down syndrome who had a mental age of 3.50 years could achieve alphabet and sight word knowledge above years and print knowledge above years (Ricci 2011). This study underscores that children with DS should not be limited in their access to literacy, and shows that educators should work hard to provide moments at home and school for the children to see and handle text in order to increase the alphabet and sight word knowledge discussed previously (Ricci 2011). While the home literacy indicates and predicts a childs interest in text, the mental age of the child is the best predictor of literacy skills. These facts are important for educators. As discussed earlier, educators should understand as much as possible in order to be adequately equipped to give advice to parents that will be in the classroom. If the parent does not realize the impact that access to books at home can have on the childs interest in reading, then the educator should be there to present the research and help the parent begin the process. Likewise, the educator should make the parents aware of the significance that they have on the vocabulary and comprehension skills of their child. Again, if the parent does not know, the educator should point out the research and make sure that they are shown that asking questions, talking about pictures,

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and teaching morals of stories while reading together will help increase the childs comprehension and vocabulary skills. Finally, as educators, it is important to realize the role that mental age plays in literacy skill acquisition for children with Down syndrome. This is important for educators to remember for two reasons. The first is that there must be patience surrounding the idea of teaching reading if the child is not at the mental age yet. The second is that if the child has reached this mental age, then expectations should be set that he is capable of learning to read. The classroom environment should be focused on reading instruction for this child with the understanding that he will be able to learn and that his disability will not prevent reading from occurring. All three of the components talked about so far address issues that the educator should be aware of in order to warn and educate the parents about when the time comes. All of this should be kept in mind in the classroom and at home so that the child is receiving the best that he can receive. In the classroom, instruction should be geared at building skills in children who have Down syndrome so that they will be able to read. Teachers are encouraged to use evidencebased practices for reading instruction (Lemon 2012). The instruction that would be best is debated. It has been argued that whole word/sight word instruction is not best because there are limitations with this technique (Lemons 2012). In the whole word/sight word instruction, the student would be taught from solely a picture and word correlation. There are thus limitations that arise with this instructional technique when the student comes to a word that has not been taught. The student will not have any tools or knowledge of how to interpret the word or read it. These are the limitations that were alluded to before and are a problem when trying to teach students with Down syndrome to read. The solution to this problem would be using phonological and phonemic techniques in the classroom to help with teaching children with Down syndrome

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how to read. In a study of the effectiveness of teaching decoding and phonological skills to children with Down syndrome, two reading intervention programs were looked at that have been shown to be effective instructional guide for students who struggle with reading (Lemons 2012). These intervention programs deal with phonics and phonological awareness (Lemons 2012). Fifteen children between the ages of five and thirteen were included in the study (Lemons 2012). The trained instructors presented the material to the students with Down syndrome in a direct and explicit way during a rigorous session. The children worked with an instructor one on one four times a week for twelve weeks (Lemons 2012). During this time tests were given and material was introduced through the two reading intervention programs that were chosen. The method allowed for control groups and different times for the two programs so that there would be an ability to measure the outcomes of the students (Lemons 2012). The study found that decoding intervention was helpful for these children (Lemons 2012). It also proved that it is important for phonological awareness and phonics instruction to be included in the reading instruction of children with Down syndrome (Lemons 2012). This is especially good news for educators. Because gains can be made by switching from whole word/sight word programs to phonics instruction, there is research to back up this instruction in the classroom. If this instruction will cause gains in reading skills for children with Down syndrome, then it should be implemented and used as often as possible. Not only should this switch be made to phonics and phonological awareness instruction, there should also be review sessions and practice for the students so that they have repeated exposure to the ideas and concepts that they learned (Lemons 2012). This can be said for reading instruction in an educators classroom in general, the more practice that the children are allowed, the better they will be able to recall the information later. Another implication for the classroom is that teachers should increase the amount of time that

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students use the new skills while reading books (Lemons 2012). These chances allowed for students to find the information that they just learned used in books will create connections for the students and increase the amount that they will actually remember and know how to use. Finally, the study found that the instruction that the students received help to improve their speech as well (Lemons 2012). This is a very exciting piece of information for people working with children with Down syndrome. Speech is one of the difficulties that these children face. If phonological and phonics instruction can help students with Down syndrome make gins in their speaking abilities, then two things are being accomplished with the programs. Teaching children with Down syndrome is becoming more prevalent in the general education classroom due to the increase in schools participating in inclusive ideas. With inclusion increasing and the number of children born who have Down syndrome at a high number, parents and teachers should be aware of the implications that should be made for the student in order to increase his or her ability to read. This paper addressed the idea of reading instruction for students with Down syndrome and the many factors that play a role in the acquisition of these skills. For parents, it is important to realize that text rich homes provide environments that encourage reading and improve a childs interest towards reading. It is also important for parents to know that the amount of time and the quality of reading time that they spend with their child is proven to increase and enhance the vocabulary and comprehension of the child. Another point for parents and educators to remember is that mental age plays a role in the childs readiness for reading. It is important to remember that chronological and mental age are not the same for children with Down syndrome so that excessive stress is avoided when wanting them to learn at quick pace. Finally, for classroom instruction and teacher implication, phonological awareness and phonics instruction provide greater gains than sight word

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instruction. The instruction should be explicit and provide visual aids and repeated exposure to the material covered so that the students are able to retain the information. All of these components of reading are important for children with Down syndrome to acquire reading skills. It is also important for educators to know these facts so that correct implications can be made in the classroom for these children and meaningful advice can be given to parents of children with Down syndrome so that everyone will be working together in a positive direction to increase the quality of reading instruction for children with Down syndrome.

READING FOR CHILDREN WITH DOWN SYNDROME References

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Facts about down syndrome. (2012). Retrieved November 21, 2013, from http://www.nads.org/ pages_new/facts.html Lemons, C. J., Mrachko, A. A., Kostewicz, D. E., & Paterra, M. F. (2012). Effectiveness of Decoding and Phonological Awareness Interventions for Children with Down Syndrome. Exceptional Children, 79(1), 67-90 Ricci, L. A. (2011). Exploration of Reading Interest and Emergent Literacy Skills of Children with Down Syndrome. International Journal Of Special Education, 26(3), 80-91. Ricci, L., & Osipova, A. (2012). Visions for Literacy: Parents' Aspirations for Reading in Children with Down Syndrome. British Journal Of Special Education, 39(3), 123-129. What is down syndrome? (2012). Retrieved November 21, 2013, from http://www.ndss.org/DownSyndrome/What-Is-Down-Syndrome/