WHEN MY CHILD STUMBLES OVER A WORD, DO I STOP HIM AND HELP HIM FIGURE IT OUT?

Short Answer:

No. You flat-out bust his comprehension engine if you do that.

Long Answer:

We want to encourage a flow in reading, because fluency and speed help comprehension enormously. We also need to remember that our children with Down syndrome have challenges in working memory (the number of items the brain can hold and work with at one time), and we want to respect that and work with it, not against it.

When we stop a child in the middle of a sentence to help him decode, we’ve stopped not only fluency, but interrupted comprehension. “Where was I? What was this about? I don’t remember…”

So What Do I Do?

Immediate:

First, give him a quick verbal prompt. For example, if the word is “here,” give him the sound of “huh–huh–huh”. If he doesn’t get it within a second or two, tell him the word and let him keep right on going as if nothing had happened.

If it’s a multi syllable word, such as “balloon,” cover all but the initial syllable with a blank card; encourage him to try that syllable, giving a verbal prompt of “buh-buh-buh.” Then quickly pull the card away and tell him the rest of the word. Then keep right on going! Keep in mind that you have approximately 1 or 2 seconds in which to do this without derailing his flow and stalling his comprehension engine.

Meanwhile, you keep a running list of the words he missed.

Later:

When he’s finished reading that material, then you can help him decode his “missed” list, one by one.

What’s The Advantage of This Approach?

Several! And they’re all important.

First, you are helping him to understand that reading is about understanding; reading is not about decoding. The story is ‘way more fun than decoding is. At least I hope it is; if it’s not, toss that book and get a better one! In the early stages of reading, we want the material to be super-appealing.

Second, you are giving him the idea that he can do this. You’re not stopping him every few words to decode, correct, or otherwise make him feel he can’t do it. He’s on a reading roll; you take 1 or 2 seconds to jump-start his engine again, and then he’s off and running.

Third, you are walking him through the decoding process at a time when the pressure is off. He’s not in the middle of reading a paragraph. He can take his time as you help him understand.

Just keep the engine running…