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