DOWN SYNDROME + ASD: ONE TIP FOR TEACHING READING (It works for a single diagnosis, too!)

Dual Diagnosis: Double Whammy

Jacob, one terrific reader now,
saw only one line of type in the beginning.

Teaching reading to a child with both Down syndrome and autism/ASD is a complex subject, and that of course is an understatement. Over the years, I’ve taught reading to a number of students with this dual diagnosis, and I have one tip today that might help you.

Ido in Autismland

Right here in Los Angeles, there is a 16-year-old boy, Ido Kedar, who is severely autistic and has just authored a book (by typing himself), “Ido in Autismland.” I ordered the book (yes, you can get it on Amazon) and have just begun to read it. Some of it, I suspect, may break my heart, but from just dipping into the book, I’ve been able to make reading easier for one of my students.

Reducing Overwhelm

I have an 11-year old student with DS/ASD whom I’ll call Katie. Having just scanned some of Ido’s book, I went into Katie’s reading/writing lesson yesterday with different eyes. Ido’s book had reminded me that, to most individuals with autism, sensory input is indescribably beyond overwhelming, since unlike us their brains do not automatically dim down the unimportant and highlight the important. Everything overwhelms the senses. Everything screams at them for attention. Self-stimming like some of my students have done, such as rocking back and forth, chanting sounds such as “eeeeeee”, shaking a wiggle worm for hours, etc., helps them deal with this overload. I’d do it, too.

The Awesome Cover-Up

So even though Katie is bright and can read, when she looks at a book, she may rapidly “read aloud” something that has nothing whatever to do with the words in front of her. Why? Because she can’t see the words in front of her; she sees those words along with every detail in her visual field: me, the desk, the lamp, etc. So yesterday, I took a 5×8 index card and cut a window into it the exact dimensions of one line of type. All teachers have used this focusing tool at some point, of course, but I suggest going a step further.

In addition to that windowed 5×8 index card, I used two more blank 5×8 cards: one above the focus card, and one below. In other words, NOTHING AT ALL showed anywhere in her reading visual field except that one line. Presto. Her accuracy, fluency, and speed took a leap. For the rest of the hour, she insisted on the use of all 3 cards. If I tried to use only one or two, she corrected me and refused to budge until I had covered the entire visual reading field. She had the best reading session ever, by far.

Keep It White On White

For kids with this dual diagnosis of DS/ASD, please don’t use colored “focus cards” to isolate a line or cover the book’s page; that just adds one more bit of sensory input that the brain needs to process. It can distract, derail, and delay learning and focus. Just keep everything white!

You’ll love what this does for your young reader…