The design of See and Learn Language and Reading
The design of See and Learn Language and Reading is informed by what is known about how typically developing children learn to talk and learn to read and by our understanding of how children with Down syndrome learn to talk and to read. It is also informed by our extensive experience of teaching children with Down syndrome.
See and Learn Language and Reading teaches early vocabulary and grammar - from first words to simple sentences. It also teaches early reading and early phonics to support learning to talk and laying the foundations for later literacy learning.
The first goal of See and Learn Language and Reading is therefore to promote the development of language skills - an area of difficulty for children with Down syndrome. Reading is introduced to support the teaching of vocabulary and simple grammar. Written words provide visual representations of language that can be helpful for children with Down syndrome.
An obvious benefit of introducing reading to support language development is that the children begin to learn to read. At first, See and Learn Language and Reading teaches sight words and simple phrases to support early language learning. Later steps in the programme focus more directly on important literacy skills such as phonics.
Here, we describe the design of See and Learn Language and Reading and how it is informed by research into the learning needs of children with Down syndrome:
