DOWN SYNDROME and THE 11th COMMANDMENT

They Shalt Not…

This tidbit was buried in last week’s blog on classroom reading woes, so I decided to pull it out and let it stand on its own.

We all know about our offspring’s tendency to shut down, turn off, turn away, reenact “flop and drop” on the floor, and generally zone out when faced with something they don’t want to do. But did you know there’s a commandment about this?

The Eleventh Commandment

I wrote an Eleventh Commandment just for fun–and to drive home the point to anyone trying to teach reading (or anything else) to our kids. I include it on a PPT slide in my workshops, and it goes like this:

“Children with Down syndrome shalt be interested in only what they are interested in, and shalt not be interested in any other thing. Woe be unto those who do not revere and abide by this commandment. Amen.”

At my last reading workshop, I had to back up again to that slide and wait while the audience snapped it with their iPhones. I think it hit a nerve.

The point, of course, is to use this understanding in teaching our children with Down syndrome, and nowhere is this easier or more natural than in teaching them to read: until we get them “hooked” on loving to read, we teach initially using topics that float their boats.

We want to go in through the front door, through the heart, so that they’re with us: so they’re on board, open and receptive. Respecting that 11th commandment will do it!