Ireland and Gibraltar

I recently returned from a dual-country trip to Ireland and Gibraltar with eReadingPro. Reading workshops were organized in both countries, with the first one in Dublin, Ireland, and the second in Gibraltar.

The workshop in Dublin brought in 73 participants, and included parents and educators all looking for a way to teach their child(ren) to read. It was a packed room at the Dublin West Education Centre! Special thanks to Marie Brady, a special education teacher in Birr, County Offaly, who organized this workshop with the assistance of Eileen Fitzgerald of the Dublin Branch of Down Syndrome. They both did an amazing job! There is clearly a need for our program in areas like Ireland, and it was wonderful to be welcomed with such a large group.

From Dublin I went to Gibraltar to present a workshop there to the Down Syndrome Association of Gibraltar. Annette Zammit and Jane Payas also did an amazing job organizing this workshop within just two short weeks. I was introduced by the Director of the Ministry of Education, and given a very warm welcome to Gibraltar. Everyone was very friendly and helpful, and I was even able to see most of Gibraltar (it's only 3 miles x 2.5 miles in size!) during my short stay there. Dr. Paul Lyons of Bishop Fitzgerald Middle School even invited me to visit his school and meet some of the children they will be using eReadingPro with. It was a beautiful experience! Vikki Horner, a numeracy advisor for Maths Extra Limited presented a workshop the day after, and I was fortunate to meet with her prior to my departure. For all those parents looking for a math solution for their children with Down syndrome look no further. I will be blogging about Vikki and her program in the very near future, so watch for it!

NEW CD With Printable Flashcards!

Finally! No more writing flashcards!

We have just released our newest eReadingPro CD with Printable Flashcards that allows EVERY flashcard in our program to be printed right from your home or work computer. In fact each flashcard can even be shown to your child right from the computer if you would rather not print them off!

This new CD contains the full Instructional Guide, labels, 659 flashcards, AND all images for the original 14-month program. Everything is printable onto 8 1/2" x 11" card stock and Avery label sheets. The cost is only $99.95USD plus shipping. It is also available in other currencies.

For those individuals who purchased an eReadingPro eBook in the past and would like to upgrade to the new CD, we will offer you a $25 credit towards the new CD. Simply contact us with your registered username and password for the eBook and we will take $25 off the total cost!

Christmas is only weeks away, and this new CD would make an excellent gift!

eReadingPro, Reading and Teens

Many times parents email me asking what reading programs eReading has for teenagers.


While we are currently working on a program specific to teenagers and their interests, I firmly believe that our existing program is perfectly appropriate for individuals of all ages who are not currently reading. My reasoning is that our main program consists of 128 words that all teens would be very familiar with. The way our program takes the individual through each word as a single word, then couplet, then phrase and finally sentences will help any teen in more areas than just reading. It will help with verbal articulation, reading fluency, reading comprehension, as well as assist with creating longer phrases and/or sentences when they speak. It truly is a building block process.

That being said, I am going to share a little story with you! A really great thing happened recently at an eReadingPro workshop in Rapid City, South Dakota. Rachel (the 15-year old girl in the above photo) and her mom were present during the workshop and Rachel was eager to participate. Rachel has always wanted to read but has never been able to. Her mom Rhonda was hopeful that the workshop would be of benefit to them, as she was told by someone that our program was only for young children. (She came to the worskhop hopeful, despite this untrue comment.)

Rachel joined in and wrote her own flashcard out along with the other participants. Then it came time in the workshop where the participants practice flashing the cards they've written within small groups of five people. After seeing the cards in her group shown only twice, Rachel wanted to have a turn at reading the cards by herself. Rachel proceded to read all five cards - without error! Her name was the only name that she would have ever seen written down before, and some of the people in her group were individuals she had just met. It was truly wonderful for the other workshop participants to see this, and it brought tears to her mother's eyes.

We will be following Rachel's progress as she uses eReadingPro, since her mother has agreed to document her progress along the way. Thank you Rhonda!

Amazing Individuals with Down Syndrome

As I mentioned in my last post, I was very fortunate at the 10th World Down Syndrome Congress to have met many amazing individuals, with and without Down syndrome!

One young woman who really impressed me was Karen Gaffney. Karen is a '30-something' year old self-advocate from Portland, Oregon. Karen has earned a regular high school diploma, and graduated from Portland Community College after completing the requirements for an Associates of Science degree and a certificate to be a teacher's aide. An accomplished public speaker, Karen is also the President of The Karen Gaffney Foundation, which is devoted solely to helping other individuals with Down syndrome. In addition to all of the above, Karen is also an incredible athlete and has even swam the English Channel in a relay swim during the Summer 2001!

Karen's mom, Barbara, said that Karen learned to read at an early age using the whole-word approach and flashcards. She said they are strong advocates of teaching reading this way! They were both very happy to see that eReadingPro had put a reading program together using all of the research that is available on how children with Down syndrome learn to read, making it easy for parents (and educators) to teach their children to read early. She even purchased a program to give to Karen's previous Grade 5 teacher, who had a huge impact on Karen's academic success!

Karen, her family, and The Karen Gaffney Foundation are "dedicated to championing the journey to full inclusion for people with disabilities. Many young families around the country have become dependent on Karen, her messages to help them on the journey to full inclusion for their child." (Quoted from the Foundations's website). I urge you to visit their website for more information on The Karen Gaffney Foundation.

I sincerely hope many of you have the opportunity to meet Karen Gaffney at some point, (if you have not already). She is stunningly beautiful, has an amazing presence, and will inspire you beyond your wildest imagination!

Dylan Kuehl

While I attended the 10th World Down Syndrome Congress in Dublin, Ireland, I was fortunate to meet some really amazing people with Down syndrome.

One young man really stood out for me - perhaps because he was exhibiting at the booth directly across from us (eReadingPro), and that gave me a chance to watch, listen and understand him more than others indivuduals I only met briefly.

Dylan Kuehl is an extremely talented human being. He is an artist who like others, uses his art to express himself. It allows him to be focused and detailed, while enabling him to build confidence and character. Dylan is a visual and performing artist, a writer, and a speaker. His art is simply beautiful.

When I fell in love with one of Dylan's paintings I pointed out how I loved the way the clouds in the picture parted to form a heart shape. His Mom said that they never even saw that until quite some time after he had created the picture. I realized today when I was staring at the beautiful card that he gave me as a token of our friendship, that the existence of this unintentional heart was like a profound reflection of what I see when I look at an individual with Down syndrome. The heart within is so pure and open, and many individuals overlook the joy that can be found from someone with Down syndrome, simply because they have not taken the time to look within. I am eternally grateful that I have 'tripped' into the world of Down syndrome, and devote every day to helping individuals like Dylan learn to read so they can lead rich and fulfilling lives like him.

If you would like to learn more about Dylan and his art, you can find him at: http://www.dylankarts.com/.

10th World Down Syndrome Congress huge success!

Just got back from Ireland, and from speaking & exhibiting at the 10th World Down Syndrome Congress. Wow - what a great success in many, many ways! As a result, I will write a few blog entries about this conference, as there is so much to say!

I was very excited about officially launching our new CD/DVD combination at this conference, as what a better way for individuals to take eReadingPro back to their countries than in a compact pack such as this. It was a big success! So much so, that a number of people are taking the initiative to work with us to translate our reading program into the language of their country so that many, many more children can also gain from using it to learn to read!

Pictured with me here is Mr. Stanley Reddy from Down Syndrome South Africa - Durban group. His son Max is an amazing self-advocate who works full time and drives himself to and from work in his own car! The next World Down Syndrome Congress will be held in 3 years in Cape Town and eReadingPro plans to be there!

NEW Products and NEW Lower Prices!

eReadingPro has a lot of great news to share!

At the 10th World Down Syndrome Congress in Dublin, Ireland we will be officially launching the release of our program on CD, while at the same time introducing a new name for our 14-month reading program. The new '10-Minute Reading Program CD' will be packaged along with our free bonus DVD 'Step by Step with eReadingPro'. (Note: the new name, '10-Minute Reading Program by eReadingPro' simply clarifies what our program is!) This combination package allows our entire program to be in the hands of parents and teachers at a much lower price than ever before!

The new CD-ROM contains our full 14-month reading program and includes:

• Instructional Guide
• 14-month Presentation Schedules (what to show and when to show it!)
• Printable label sets for all word cards
• Printable full-color images for all abstract concepts!
• 36 Full-size downloadable color images to complete 9 books (8.5" x 11")

The NEW Bonus DVD is our all NEW Step-By-Step video featuring 'yours truly' (Denise MacDonald, Founder of eReadingPro) taking you through the set-up and execution of the program making it easier than ever to use eReadingPro! Learn how to create flashcards and flash them effectively, how to create your child's own booklets, and how to follow our full 14-month presentation schedule.

In addition to all of this excitement, we have finally succeeded in finding a new, lower-priced supplier for all of our materials. As a result, all of our prices have been been cut - in some cases up to 45%!

Check out our new product page at: eReadingPro NOW! You will be amazed!

National Down Syndrome Congress 2009 Conference

Well we have just returned from California (2 days ago) and the National Down Syndrome Congress' 2009 Conference in Sacramento. It was truly wonderful being reacquainted with friends that I've made along my way. My husband came with me, and was a wonderful help at our exhibit during the three days of the conference. We made some really great new friends that we have already arranged to be visiting in Ohio in September! The exhibitors around us were wonderful people, and we are very grateful for having the opportunity to meet them. It was such a reminder that we all have things happen in our lives for a master reason - one that we are not always aware of at the time. We each had different reasons for creating 'things' for children with Down syndrome, and it was a beautiful thing.

I have to say, the most rewarding aspect about this conference was having a number of individuals come up and hug me, thanking me profoundly because their children were now reading as a result of my reading program. One wonderful lady had her 15 year old grandson with her. She said that she bought our program when we were in Stockton about 2 years ago (I remember her very clearly), and within three short weeks her grandson began reading - and now he LOVES to read! She was so grateful!

The next hug was from Dr. Rosanne Oggoian-Donnellan. She was just bubbling over telling me her story. Her daughter is 34-months old (with Down syndrome). She had been showing her the flashcards (from eReadingPro), and thought she wasn't really comprehending. So she set the cards down in a corner and had almost forgotten they were there when one day her daughter went over and picked them up. Then she began signing the words on the cards! Rosanne said she just about fell over! She said that she felt the size and color of those cards was extremely important, as she knows that one of her daughter's favourite colors is red. She said that even though she hasn't been as consistent as she had hoped, she has re-started the program with her daughter, as she now knows that she IS processing the information and IS learning to read. Rosanne was very, very happy to share her story with me and said that she is telling everyone she knows about how amazing our program is!

California here we come!

As many of you may know, the 2009 NDSC Convention is being held in Sacramento, CA this year. As I am preparing to attend and exhibit for eReadingPro, I am thinking about the many friends and acquaintances that I've met along my journey and am looking forward to seeing many of you in Sacramento. I'm also looking forward to taking my husband along with me and carousing through Napa and Sonoma areas exploring various vineyards after the conference!

Calls and emails are beginning to take over my office once again as parents and educators begin to also get ready for their children returning to school in many states. eReadingPro workshops are being scheduled, and the excitement begins once again about the prospect of enabling more and more children in the quest for learning to read! If you're planning to host a workshop, be sure to book early - spaces are filling up!

Summer

Well, it has been some time since my last post...!

As you can see, I've been enjoying some time at our cottage and practicing my photography skills.

While summer is a wonderful time for exploring the gifts of nature, it's also a time for planning. We are currently booking eReadingPro workshops for this fall, and are excited about our destinations over the next few months! At the end of July we will be heading to Sacramento, CA for the 2009 NDSC Convention, and then only ten short days upon our return we will be flying to Dublin, Ireland for the 10th World Down Syndrome Congress. I'm looking forward to my first European eReadingPro speaking engagement, and to introducing our incredible reading program to a whole new area! Fall workshops will include more new territory for us when we present in places like North Dakota and Bermuda. Stay posted for more exciting locations!

Parents should remember that summer is not the time to set your reading program aside. Rather, it is the time to pick off where the teachers have left off, and continue the learning process with your child! Take your program on holidays with you - it only takes 10-minutes a day!

Upcoming Reading Workshop in Peterborough, ON

It's funny that I've presented this workshop in over 80 cities - predominantly in the U.S. over the past 4 years, and I've never presented for the local Down syndrome association here in my home town until now.

I'm very pleased to be offering a FREE workshop to participants. The reading workshop will be held at the Peterborough Public Library (Auditorium) on the evening of June 8th, from 6:30pm - 9:30pm.

To REGISTER, click here.

Reading and children who are non-verbal

"How can I tell that my child is learning the words if they cannot speak?"

This is a very common question, coming from parents of children who are non-verbal, or simply too young to 'prove' they can read the words they are being shown. My response to this is that input and output are two different functions, and just because they cannot speak doesn't mean they cannot process what they are reading. In fact children are often overlooked and undertaught because of this very thing.

The video below is of a young boy, David, who is 5 years old. David was born with Down syndrome, and is also deaf. He has learned sign language, and is using his sign language to show his mom that he comprehends the words she is flashing to him. David and his mom are doing amazing work and we are very grateful to her for sharing this video with us!

Tips for Using Flashcards

When using flashcards, there are some important points to keep in mind:

1. Present the cards ONE SECOND per word. Any longer is simply too long, as the brain only needs that long to take a 'snap-shot' of the word.
2. DO NOT ask the child to repeat the words back to you as you present them. It is about giving information, not asking for it back. Remember that input and output are two very different things. Just because they may not say it back to you doesn't mean they are taking the information in and processing it.
3. Only present 5 or 6 cards per session. Any more may be too much at a time.
4. Shuffle the cards after each presentation. Otherwise, your child may begin memorizing the order of the cards rather than learn to read them.
5. Try and keep the cards still when presenting. (Don't move them up and down, etc.)
6. Avoid obvious distractions during your presentation. (television, etc.)
7. Present the words in a 'sing-song' voice to encourage enthusiasm!

Remember, if your child is learning sign-language, they are also old enough to learn to read. The written word is a visual representation of a word just as much as a sign is and they can learn to read just as easily as they can learn to sign!

eReadingPro workshops are being presented around the world. Parents and educators learn how to prepare flashcards, how to use them, and above all, how to teach their children to read. Visit our Workshops page to see if there is a workshop coming to your area. If not - contact us to arrange for one!

Happy Easter

I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Easter. I hope that everyone is able to gather with family and take a few moments to realize how fortunate we all are!

I have been busy presenting eReadingPro workshops and planning even more workshops (Bermuda is in the works)! Last weekend I was in Jefferson City, Missouri and had a fabulous workshop. We had the highest percentage of educators out and it was a wonderful thing! I even got to visit with my friend Amy Allison in Kansas City, and join her for a fundraiser trivia night for the Down Syndrome Guild. (Good thing she didn't know how pathetic my trivia knowledge was before she put me on her team, lol!) Next weekend I will be presenting in Plattsburgh, NY. This is one of the few workshops that I will be able to drive to rather than fly, and I will be looking forward to visiting my long-time friend in Montreal on my way home!

The best part of all the travel is that more and more children will be learning to read! I recently received the following testimonial after presenting a workshop in Lansing, MI last month...

"We just got back from Orlando vacation. Cameron is loving playing the “Word game”. He knows at least 5 words when he sees them. (he has been at this for 3 weeks at the most) Cameron, age 4 and 3 months
(we are not quizzing him...as you reminded us NOT to do :) He just says the words before we do when we flash the cards. EXCITING

I know he learns visually...his first word was “Disney”. He saw it printed at my optometry office on the frame board and he pointed and said “Disney” plain as day...I was speechless, amazed...jumping for joy.

Thanks for your help in getting the reading going in our house. You have provided amazing, understandable tools to do this. My husband is excited as well...he is one of the analytical types but sees the amazing progress just after 2 weeks!" ~Cheri~

Have a blessed Easter my friends!

Is eReadingPro Research-Based?

I often get asked whether eReadingPro is a 'research-based' program. The simple answer is that the research has all been done by people like Sue Buckley, Patricia Olwein, Glen Doman, etc., we’ve just simply provided the tools based on the existing research.

You know I have to tell you I was at the gym today, and picked up this magazine to read. I opened it to a page that was titled “The man who made the whole town lose weight!” It went on to talk about a man who was a health food store owner. He was recommending mulberry tablets to a customers for various reasons, and began to notice they would lose weight. So he went back and did a bunch of reading about the effects of mulberry on fat burning, etc. He then made the realization that if people took two mulberry tablets before each meal they would lose weight. He ended up having about 1500 customers lose weight using this regime!

My point is this: the man was not a doctor; he didn’t do the clinical testing; he didn’t do the research. He simply took the research that had already been done, and instructed his customers on what the best way to benefit from the research already existed!

With my program, the research has already been done. I’ve simply taken that research and provided parents and educators with a systematic product that makes use of that research.

Reading and Down Syndrome

While presenting a workshop in Utah this past weekend, a woman approached me telling me about her friend who had video-taped her son as he read words off of flashcards. She went on to tell me that the woman had been using our reading program! It was as a result of seeing her friend's video that she came to our workshop, as she wanted her child to be reading as well as her friend's child. She said that I should try really hard to get more people to see that video as they would be 'blown away'!

Upon returning home I emailed her friend. She was very happy for me to share her video and to encourage other parents by having them see it too! She said that her son " is now on day 313 of the program (yay!) and he is still going strong! He is very stubborn :), but we have tried to be very consistent and make it fun! We are now involving his little sister (21 months old) and he thinks that is great! So now our daughter is starting to pick up on it, too... we couldn't ask for anything better!"

Thank you so much Tiffany for sharing this video with me, and for allowing me to share it with everyone. I'm sure the work you have done with your children will be an inspiration to many!

Workshop Success!

We had a very successful workshop in Salt Lake City on Saturday, hosted by the Utah Down Syndrome Foundation! Over 90 participants attended, including both parents and educators. Many people raved about how informative and helpful they found the workshop!

Chris Russell is pictured here as he practices flashing cards to others in the group. Participants learned about reading and Down syndrome, had an opportunity to try writing flashcards, and then were able to practice moving the cards in their hands as they worked in small groups.

A special thank you goes to Suzie Smith of the Utah Down Syndrome Foundation for organizing such a successful workshop!

Workshop in Utah

Just wanted to remind everyone that I'll be presenting an eReadingPro workshop in Salt Lake City, Utah this upcoming Saturday. The details are as follows:

February 28th, 2009 - Salt Lake City, UT (9:30am - 12:30pm)
Hosted by: Utah Down Syndrome Foundation
Location: Murray High School, Salt Lake City, UT
Cost: FREE
To Register: click here.

Look forward to seeing you there! We already have over 80 people registered, so be sure to come early and get a great seat!

Denise

10th World Down Syndrome Congress

The 10th World Down Syndrome Congress will be held in Dublin, Ireland in August 2009. The main congress dates are the 20th to 22nd of August, with additional events taking place on the 19th of August. eReadingPro will be presenting a workshop (details will follow at a later date) at this conference!

Personally, I'm very excited about going to this conference. It is an incredible opportunity for individuals outside North America to see our reading program and understand the amazing results it produces - especially for children with Down syndrome!

Back from Cuba

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to tell you that I just returned from a week in Cuba where Kirk and I got married! We had all of our children with us, and everyone had a really great time. Getting married on a beach is such a beautiful experience - and far less stressful than the traditional style. It was truly magical!

Cheers,
Denise

Awesome testimonial! Thank you!

I recently discovered this posting on the Canadian Down Syndrome Society's Online Community and wanted to share it with you. It was written by a woman who has been using the Out of the Box Reading Program (as you know, after the dissolution of that partnership I re-opened under the name of eReadingPro). I hope you enjoy reading this...

"Hello out there! I purchased the Out of the Box Reading Program in Nov '06 when my daughter was 5. It took me 8 months to get around to writing out the cards and getting them ready for her. Since the first day it has been a complete success!! .... I'm getting twice the mileage out of the program because it is helping both of my children learn to read!!" (click here to read the entire post).

It is by people like this sharing their stories that we can ensure that ALL children learn to read! I encourage any users of our reading program (eReadingPro AND Out of the Box Reading) to share their stories of success with other parents and eductors! Feel free to post them as a 'Reply' to this Blog!

eReadingPro Instructional Guide is now available separately

Another frequent request that we receive (especially at workshops) is whether our Instructional Guide could be purchsed separately.

Now that we have everything changed over from 'Out of the Box Reading' to 'eReadingPro', I wanted to let everyone know that our eReadingPro Instructional Guide is NOW available for purchase separately! The price is $149.95.

Enjoy!

Starter Kit now available!

People have asked us for some time to try and bring the cost of our kit down. Unfortunately, the bulk of the cost is in the printing of the book, images, and of course the materials.


To respond to this, we now have a 'Starter Kit' ($199.95) available for those who want to use the program but have access (and the desire) to cut their own cards. It will mean that you'll have to find your own card stock, cut your cards, organize them, and find a place to store them. However, it does bring the cost of the using the program down.


What I fear happening though is that people will purchase this new Starter Kit, save money, and then a delay will happen because they haven't found the right card stock, or haven't had the time to cut the cards. Either that or they will try and make the flash cards smaller to try and cut costs. Remember that the size of these cards is important - they need to be large! Ours are 4" x 20". Remember that any time there is a large delay in executing a plan of any kind, the less likeliness there is for success. It's kind of like a diet - "I'll look at it tomorrow". So IF you plan to use the Starter Kit, please promise yourself that you will get started cutting your flash cards and preparing your program right away!

Upcoming workshop in Salt Lake City, UT

Just wanted to let you all know that we have a workshop coming up in Salt Lake City, Utah on Saturday, February 28th, hosted by the Utah Down Syndrome Foundation. The 3-hour workshop will be held from 9:30am - 12:30pm at Murray High School.

Workshops attendees will learn:

· The importance of teaching a child to read early;
· An understanding of learning styles and learning strategies;
· Reasons why your child may be struggling with reading and how to help;
· How to set up a reading program;
· How to create flashcards and books;
· How to use flashcards effectively;
· How to progress with teaching your child to read single words, couplets, phrases, sentences and books using our program, and why this method is so effective;
· How teaching reading improves speech, language and memory development! (see: Teaching Reading to Teach Talking - Sue Buckley )
· How to teach reading to teens and adults. (see Reading & Writing for Individuals with Down Syndrome )

To register, click here. Hope to see you there!

Out of the Box Reading

I had a phone call a couple of days ago from a woman in Manitoba, Canada (we have a great number of people there using either eReadingPro or Out of the Box Reading program with their child or students). She commented that their school Psychologist had recommended using the Out of the Box Reading program, but that she tried to look it up online (outoftheboxreading.com) but was unable to find it. Therefore, I thought I might try and clarify things...

I was a founding partner of Out of the Box Reading. However, the partnership was dissolved almost a year ago, at which time I created eReadingPro. The actual eReadingPro Complete kit is based on the original Out of the Box Reading kit, with the program and kit content being exactly the same (except for the logo). With eReadingPro, we now offers more options as far as what people can purchase (for example you can purchase eBooks).

If anyone has any further questions, I would be happy to address them! Thank you :-)

Another Great Read!

It's amazing how much reading can be done while you are sick! I am finally back up and working, but I wanted to mention one more book that I read during the holidays and while I was coughing, sneezing and nose-blowing.

The book is by one of my favorite authors - Bryce Courenay (he also wrote Potato Factory, which is a long time favorite book of mine!). The book is called The Persimmon Tree. It is a beautiful love story of a young man and woman that originates in Java 1942, when the Japanese were beginning an invasion. It is beautiful story that has no gender boundaries - could be equally enjoyed by both men and women, as there is much a soldier's story as their is a love story. It combines evocative surroundings with an engaging story line that will keep you reading all 500+ pages! I hope you enjoy!

Happy New Year!

Well it seems that I've had quite a reprieve from writing in my Blog. Between preparing for Christmas, becoming engaged, celebrating New Year's Eve, and nursing a horrible cold that has hit almost everyone in the house, a great deal has happened in the past month!

Now that I'm back at it, I wanted to share a special blog with everyone. I came across it while reading another blog: My Life With Gabriel, which is a blog by a mom named Lianne and is about raising a young boy with Down syndrome, and is a lovely read. In Lianne's blog, she mentioned a blog called Daniel Drinker. Dan Drinker is a young man with Down syndrome, and his brother, Will, is documenting different times and experiences in Dan's life. It is truly enlightening! I urge you to pay a visit to the blog!