How and when should I get started with See and Learn?
See and Learn is a range of evidence-based resources designed to help promote early development for children with Down syndrome. There are four programs under development - speech, language and reading, numbers and memory. Children start each program at different ages. The programs are designed to be used alongside each other.
See and Learn is a range of evidence-based resources designed to help promote early development for children with Down syndrome, starting with the earliest pre-verbal speech skills. Children will typically start each program as and when they reach an appropriate stage of development. All of the programs are designed to eventually be used alongside each other.
When to start
Each See and Learn program targets an area of development from its earliest foundations. The ages at which children with Down syndrome begin to develop skills in each area vary quite widely, but we can provide some approximate estimates - as shown below.
| Program | When to start | Approximate earliest age |
|---|---|---|
| See and Learn Speech | When a child is showing interest in noises or voices | From around 6 months |
| See and Learn Language and Reading | When a child shows an understanding of objects and what they do, and may be attempting to communicate by babbling or using simple gestures | From around 18 months |
| See and Learn Number | When a child understands and can say (or sign) at least 100 words | From around 3 or 4 years |
| See and Learn Memory | (under development) |
Starting See and Learn with older children
You can start an older child on a See and Learn program where this is developmentally appropriate. For example, a 4 year old child who already understands over 100 words could start the See and Learn Language and Reading program without working through the first vocabulary steps, but rather starting with See and Learn Phrases 1.
We provide guidance about the suitability of each step on the See and Learn web site, including full lists of the vocabulary, phrases and speech sounds taught - and what a child needs to know in order to start each step.
Working through the See and Learn programs
Each program is divided into a series of steps. (Each step if offered as a printed kit or as an app.) Generally, the programs are designed so that children complete each step before moving to the next, although sometimes children may be working on more that one step at a time within a program. We provide guidance about when to move from one step to the next within each program.
