Teaching reading to kids with ID

[Kanin]

Hi everyone,

 

I finally enrolled in a special ed master's program (woo hoo! so far so good!) and I'm writing a summary-ish paper about teaching reading to kids with ID. It's something I'm really invested in after an experience I had this school year.  :thumbup1:

 

For the parents of kids with ID, if you wouldn't mind sharing your general experience with reading, I'd be so interested! I've read through most of the threads I could find, but a short, this-worked, this-bombed thing would be really helpful. The paper I'm writing is mostly a summary of research on the topic, highlighting the most effective methods so far. I say so far, because not too much research has been done compared to teaching kids with learning disabilities like dyslexia. :crying: This paper is supposed to be something that could be useful to teachers and parents - something they could read in one sitting and get some useful advice. If there's a way to share it here after it's done, I'd be happy to do so, or via email.

 

Thanks!  :hurray:

Edited June 27, 2016 by Mainer

[Lecka]

My son is making progress with Reading Mastery.

 

He has autism, no official IQ scores right now but he is a program for "cognitively impaired."

 

It is explicit and made for direct instruction, which is helpful for him.

 

He also has done some Lexia, and the intervention level of the school reading program (though this is modified I guess).

 

He also has had phonemic awareness goals in the speech section of his IEP, which I have a really good impression of.

 

His handwriting is surprisingly good.

 

He had probably 3 years of fairly/pretty solid HWT.

 

He is able to blend now, but it is not like it is a mastered skill.

 

We have many concerns for him related to language skills and comprehension, so he has not had this as a high priority, but a "do a little every day" kind of thing.

 

It is just expected it will take a long time.

 

But overall, he has done other things too, but Reading Mastery is supposed to be a good fit for him and I have a good impression of it! But it is taking a long time, but with signs of progress.

 

My older son has more of a dyslexia thing, and I see a big difference in two ways.

 

One, my younger son does not really make abstract leaps. If you want to say "this represents this" even with using a counter to represent a letter sound, then that by itself is going to be a concept! But his speech therapist uses toys for that and it seems to make it more high interest. I want to say she showed me some big duplos? I can't quite remember. But it was like -- she spent time on that, it wasn't assumed he would pick that up.

 

Two, nonsense words are going to be probably too confusing, and phonics readers of the type that are decodable but a little hard to understand are probably going to be too confusing. Or "weird sentences that cover the phonics we are working on."

 

I have also been surprised that he liked a "reading motivation" program this year, where he read a little folder book (made for him) with some sight words and then pictures of things over the other words.

 

It did increase his motivation! I thought it looked dumb, but my son did like it, and the purpose was to try to increase motivation towards reading (but just a "one thing we do 5 minutes" kind of thing) and I think it did.

Edited June 27, 2016 by Lecka

[Ottakee]

I taught 3 kids with ID to read....iqs of 50-65.

 

We used the I See Sam readers www.3rsplus.com it was S L O W going. It took one child weeks to be able to read the word I. She could tell you it's name but not read it as the word. Now though this child with I Q test scores of 38-58 can read at a very functional level, use the internet, email, Facebook, texting, etc.

[Kanin]

Thanks so much! You are awesome!!!!  

[Lecka]

I am going to add about Reading Mastery, my son is already known as a child who can benefit from DTT (discrete trial training) for learning some skills, and then RM fits well with DTT.

 

That is basically a reason it is good for him.

 

It is like -- since he is already doing a bit of DTT, and it is working well for him, what reading program is known to fit well into DTT? And that is RM.

 

There is another program that is also good for DTT, but it is sight word based. But at school they swear up and down that they have some kids who are motivated by their success with it (like my son with the motivational program that I have to say, it did work).... And that they don't only teach sight words..... But I have a lot of issues with it. I have heard it is very boring, too! Well -- I'm sure RM is boring, too, to other people, but I don't think it is boring, my son likes it (in conjunction with a lot of things to make it positive for him!).

 

For motivation he also apparently really likes Readers Theater. He likes to say his line.

 

He has also been doing, along these lines, a kind of readers theater kind of thing with the "Elephant and Piggie" books where he has mostly memorized the books, but he likes to say one character's lines. And he can read a few words, too, there is one that has "zip, zap, zup" that he can read.

 

So anyway I guess there is an acknowledgment that RM is intrinsically a bit of a boring slog (but he does like it and feel a sense of accomplishment) and so he needs to have positive, motivating reading experiences at his own level.

 

And then there are social skill goals that can tie in with the readers theater, too, and so that is a big case of killing two birds with one stone.

 

He also used to hate books and hate story time, and I/we intentionally "paired books with edibles" aka had good snacks available during story time. And lots of "pairing with positive reinforcement" in general.

 

Which -- I think many parents do, who make story time a nice cozy, snuggly, sweet time together.

 

It is just a bit harder to make that happen at first sometimes.

 

Now we have gotten from Point A to Point B and he does like to snuggle up for a story.

 

Last night I read him Henry and Mudge and the Cold Shivers, and the covers shows a boy and a dog on a bed, and we were in bed and had our dog.... He got a huge kick out of that.

 

But it is not something that would have happened 2 years ago (he is almost 8 now).

 

But there are things like this that I think matter a lot, that are outside of just "okay he is doing RM."

 

Where for my other kids -- they have always loved story time! So it is just not an issue to even be worried about "positive feelings towards books."

 

Edit: Also we (I) do not want him to go back to hating reading, and he is at a fairly high risk for refusing to "work" (here aka do RM) or just have a series of behavior issues that equal "not doing RM" and then equal "not learning bc behavior issues" and so he IS doing well, but there is always this idea like if we are all doing these positive things and adapting things to him, then we are doing something generically good to do, but also making it much less likely that he start having behavior issues when doing RM...... And this is pretty crucial for him I think. Bc is is quite capable of just not doing what he is supposed to do, and so he really needs to feel like "hey, I do want to learn to read" and not just feel like "I hate this."

 

When he hates things, to some extent we have to back up to just having him basically like things, before we can move on to learning.

 

If he hates something he can't learn about it, bc he just will not participate in learning.

 

But he can go from hating something, to tolerating it, to liking it, and somewhere around tolerating and liking he can learn.

 

So that is a big variable with reading I think.

Edited June 28, 2016 by Lecka

[VinNY]

I have children with APD, language impairment, dyspraxia, apraxia of speech and dyslexia ...one very severe. 

 

I have relied on O-G based reading programs like Writing Road to Reading and Recipe for Reading to help with explicit instruction. LiPs and speech therapists and programs like Earobics to help them hear and form the sounds. I See Sam readers (early grades), REWARDS and Six Minute Solution for fluency work. Apples and Pears for my most severe child for spelling, punctuation and capitalization issues. 

 

 

 

 

[Daria]

I don't have experience homeschooling a kid with ID, but I have a fair amount of experience in the classroom.  

 

I think one thing that is coming out in the literature as current best practice is the idea that quality literacy instruction has many components (sight words, writing, phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, comprehension, independent reading behaviors . . . ) and that kids with ID need access to all of these components as well, although each part may look a little different.  I think that most homeschooling parents probably know that instinctively.  Many of them are also teaching kids without ID and so they build these things into their day.  They read a story to everyone, or provide materials for independent reading for everyone, as a natural part of their day.  Homeschooled kids might be getting DTT or highly structured phonics, but they're probably also getting a lot of other rich opportunities simply by being part of an active family that values learning.

 

But historically, in the public schools, many kids with ID have been educated in segregated settings where they either weren't given access to literacy instruction, or they were only given access to parts of literacy instruction.  For example, I know that our local life skills classes tell parents that they only teach sight words because the kids aren't capable of phonics.  I also asked recently at an IEP for a child with CP (a tutoring client) who isn't able to hold a pencil or really move his hand at all, how they intended to teach him to type (e.g. will he use his eye gaze device to select letters on a screen, or select letters using a switch, or use a flip book with a partner) and they looked at me like I'd ask how they planned to teach him to fly to the moon. 

 

So, if I was thinking of teachers as part of my audience, I'd look for materials that emphasized that literacy instruction that is balanced.  

 

Some people whose work I really admire:

 

For kids with the most complex needs, including kids with complex communication needs, who are still working at the emergent level,  I'd look at the workshops presented at the 2015 Global Summit on Angelman Syndrome, especially workshops by Erin Sheldon, David Koppenhaver, Gretchen Hansen, and Susan Norwell.  You can find them on youtube.  A lot of these strategies will also be useful for younger children with less complex needs. 

 

For learners who are working on conventional literacy, I'd look at some of the work of David Koppenhaver and Karen Erickson.  Their book about applying the Four Blocks model of literacy to kids with disabilities is a good place to start.

 

I think that lots of people here have given you excellent examples of curriculum to teach specifics components of literacy.  Which ones to pick would depend on the child.  

 

Phonics:

 

Phonographix (I like this program for phonics because it leaves out a lot of the memorized rules and if/then type language that can trip kids with ID and severe language disabilities up)

 

Jolly Phonics (the use of hand movements and songs can help draw in a lot of kids who might struggle with other phonics programs.  I also find the hand motions are a great way to clarify work with phonemes for kids with significant issues with articulation).  

 

Systematic Sequential Phonics (especially when paired with the Word Wizard app, this program is particularly suited for kids who are nonverbal, and for work in mixed ability groups)

 

Age appropriate texts for older kids

 

Tarheel Reader  

 

Start to Finish Literacy Starters

 

Start to Finish Online Library (pricey if you're homeschooling, cheap for a school wide license)

 

 

[Lecka]

Thanks for those resources!

 

I have had some frustration with what I think is an over-reliance on sight words, and then a lack of a language-rich environment in some ways (when dtt is happening at a time other kids are in a language-rich environment).

 

/public school parent....... But I would not be coming up with independent reading opportunities without some outside help, it is not stuff that is obvious/natural for me.

[Kanin]

 

But historically, in the public schools, many kids with ID have been educated in segregated settings where they either weren't given access to literacy instruction, or they were only given access to parts of literacy instruction.  For example, I know that our local life skills classes tell parents that they only teach sight words because the kids aren't capable of phonics. Yes, this!  This is what I'm seeing in my research too... a lot of programs that teach sight words, and not a whole lot that teach phonics. If anyone's interested, Jill Allor of Southern Methodist University in Texas is doing a lot of research on reading and kids with ID. She's found that a deficit in phonological awareness is the root of the problem for both kids with ID that have trouble reading, and kids with dyslexia. Her basic point is that kids with ID need the same instruction as kids with dyslexia, perhaps at a slower pace, but that they need all the same elements. It's disheartening to me that a lot of people don't think it's "worth" it to give kids with ID these experiences. 

 

 I also asked recently at an IEP for a child with CP (a tutoring client) who isn't able to hold a pencil or really move his hand at all, how they intended to teach him to type (e.g. will he use his eye gaze device to select letters on a screen, or select letters using a switch, or use a flip book with a partner) and they looked at me like I'd ask how they planned to teach him to fly to the moon. 

 

So, if I was thinking of teachers as part of my audience, I'd look for materials that emphasized that literacy instruction that is balanced.  I love that word, balanced. I think I'll steal that for my paper :)

 

Some people whose work I really admire:

 

For kids with the most complex needs, including kids with complex communication needs, who are still working at the emergent level,  I'd look at the workshops presented at the 2015 Global Summit on Angelman Syndrome, especially workshops by Erin Sheldon, David Koppenhaver, Gretchen Hansen, and Susan Norwell.  You can find them on youtube.  A lot of these strategies will also be useful for younger children with less complex needs. 

 

For learners who are working on conventional literacy, I'd look at some of the work of David Koppenhaver and Karen Erickson.  Their book about applying the Four Blocks model of literacy to kids with disabilities is a good place to start.

 

I think that lots of people here have given you excellent examples of curriculum to teach specifics components of literacy.  Which ones to pick would depend on the child.  

 

Phonics:

 

Phonographix (I like this program for phonics because it leaves out a lot of the memorized rules and if/then type language that can trip kids with ID and severe language disabilities up)

 

Jolly Phonics (the use of hand movements and songs can help draw in a lot of kids who might struggle with other phonics programs.  I also find the hand motions are a great way to clarify work with phonemes for kids with significant issues with articulation).  

 

Systematic Sequential Phonics (especially when paired with the Word Wizard app, this program is particularly suited for kids who are nonverbal, and for work in mixed ability groups)

 

Age appropriate texts for older kids

 

Tarheel Reader  

 

Start to Finish Literacy Starters

 

Start to Finish Online Library (pricey if you're homeschooling, cheap for a school wide license)

 

[Daria]

Exactly!  The big idea to take away from the current research on ID is that

 

1) Every student benefits from literacy instruction.

 

2) For the most part, kids with ID learn how to read and write the same way that everyone else does, albeit at a different pace and with some accommodations.

 

Apparently it took hundreds of years to reach these astoundingly simple conclusions.

 

The other thing I'd add is that while I agree that it's heartbreaking that kids with ID are so frequently denied phonics, I'd say it's equally common, and possibly more heartbreaking, that they're denied access to rich oral language and activities specifically chosen to increase their vocabulary, comprehension, and composition skills.  In my job, I sometimes have the opportunity to observe in classrooms for kids with ID, and one thing that strikes me is how little talking there is.  Kids with ID learn language the same way their peers do, by using language!  

[Kanin]

Daria, I'm curious what your job is. Sounds like something I'd like to do!  :laugh:

[Daria]

Daria, I'm curious what your job is. Sounds like something I'd like to do!  :laugh:

 

 

I run a small inclusive program for kids with ID and other developmental disabilities in a faith based high school.   I get to visit kids in their middle school settings as part of our admissions and transition processes.  

 

I also do a fair amount of tutoring on the side, some of which is reading, and some of which is with kids who have ID, although I also have kids with other diagnoses and kids I just see for math.

 

I've been in the field for 25 years, so I've been in a lot of roles in a lot of classrooms. 

[imagine.more]

My DD14 has an Intellectual Disability, Hearing Impairment, and Dyslexia. The schools tried Read180 and the usual methods for teaching reading with the result that she was reading at a 1st grade level at 12 years old. That includes repeating one grade. What did work for her is intensive Orton Gillingham tutoring (Barton Reading) with me. Now she's been making good, steady progress for 2 years.

[Kanin]

Such good ideas here. Thank you! 

[bdjjmj]

My DS is 11 with ID (last full scale IQ of 40), apraxia of speech, severe fine & gross motor delay.

 

I started him on phonics programs, he was able to learn all of the letter sounds but as soon as we got to blending with more then 3 letters or 2 sounds he hit a wall. He actually learned his letter sounds from leap frog talking letter factory videos and flashcards. We tried the following Phonics programs and each one failed: Teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons, explode the code, hooked on phonics, rod and staff, click N Kids, and Reading Bear(this was most successful).

 

Though it would seem from the above yourself and others would consider it a "failure or giving up" of sorts we have moved to the sight word program Edmark and he is finally learning some words, instead of getting nowhere like he was.

 

I would take from your screen name you are from maine?? We are as well, do you have SN kids of your own?

 

Would love to see any results you compile!

[Lecka]

I don't think it is like giving up at all.

 

I have more of a situation where if my son is not on the regular classroom, and then he is doing Edmark, he is literally not being exposed to phonics.

 

And then 2 years down the line, it will become "oh, he is this age and doesn't read, he must not be capable of learning except for Edmark."

 

But that does not make Edmark a bad program. I just don't want that attitude

 

There is a woman I follow on Facebook who just posted a companion for Edmark with more functional words for older kids, I will see if I can find it.

[Lecka]

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Reading-Functional-Sight-Words-Task-Cards-Bundle-Special-Ed-Autism-847326

 

Just in case you are interested :)

[Kanin]

Thanks for the input!!!  

 

My DS is 11 with ID (last full scale IQ of 40), apraxia of speech, severe fine & gross motor delay.

 

I started him on phonics programs, he was able to learn all of the letter sounds but as soon as we got to blending with more then 3 letters or 2 sounds he hit a wall. He actually learned his letter sounds from leap frog talking letter factory videos and flashcards. We tried the following Phonics programs and each one failed: Teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons, explode the code, hooked on phonics, rod and staff, click N Kids, and Reading Bear(this was most successful).

 

Though it would seem from the above yourself and others would consider it a "failure or giving up" of sorts we have moved to the sight word program Edmark and he is finally learning some words, instead of getting nowhere like he was. I definitely don't see this as giving up - not even close! I just think it's common to give up too early, or to dismiss the potential of these kids before even giving it a go. You obviously tried a ton of different methods and then settled on the one that's right for your son. 

 

I would take from your screen name you are from maine?? We are as well, do you have SN kids of your own? Yep, I'm from Maine! I actually don't have any kids of my own - I'm hoping to be a foster parent in a few years. I work at a school for kids with learning differences, and there is so much to learn on this website that I read every single post :)

 

Would love to see any results you compile! I'll let you know if I come up with anything good!

 

[Guest]

My son has mild intellectual disability (IQ=60), not co-morbid with anything else. Just ID, but not diagnosed until age 8.

 

I started him a year later than his older brothers, because I could see that he wasn't ready at 5yo like they had been. When he was 6yo, I started with a traditional phonics program (Phonics Pathways), but after a couple months nothing stuck. So, I decided to shelf it for a year and try again the next school year. So when he was 7yo, I tried again. Again, nothing stuck. It was painful. I started to question what was going on. I had already taught four others to read using this phonics program, and at earlier ages. I figured we must be dealing with dyslexia or something, so I pursued evaluations. Hence, the diagnosis.

 

Upon diagnosis, I was given a list of strategies to help him learn best. The top two suggestions were using mnemonics and lots of repetition. So I started searching out a program that I could use myself that incorporated both mnemonics and repetition. I found the Stevenson Reading Program, and it was like a miracle. He started reading almost immediately, and he's progressing well. Slowly, but solidly. He's now 13yo and reading at about a 3rd grade level.

 

ETA: http://www.stevensonsemple.com/stevenson-reading

Edited July 2, 2016 by Kinsa

[chiguirre]

Exactly!  The big idea to take away from the current research on ID is that

 

1) Every student benefits from literacy instruction.

 

2) For the most part, kids with ID learn how to read and write the same way that everyone else does, albeit at a different pace and with some accommodations.

 

Apparently it took hundreds of years to reach these astoundingly simple conclusions.

 

The other thing I'd add is that while I agree that it's heartbreaking that kids with ID are so frequently denied phonics, I'd say it's equally common, and possibly more heartbreaking, that they're denied access to rich oral language and activities specifically chosen to increase their vocabulary, comprehension, and composition skills.  In my job, I sometimes have the opportunity to observe in classrooms for kids with ID, and one thing that strikes me is how little talking there is.  Kids with ID learn language the same way their peers do, by using language!  

 

That mirrors my experience with Geezle. We had to use a lot of reading programs at the 1st-2nd grade level for him to finally get there when he was about 10.

 

We used Five in a Row when he was 6 and 7 and it definitely helped his language acquisition. He's been a chatterbox with an amazing vocabulary for his IQ (60-70, so not super precise obviously) ever since.

[Daria]

My DS is 11 with ID (last full scale IQ of 40), apraxia of speech, severe fine & gross motor delay.

 

I started him on phonics programs, he was able to learn all of the letter sounds but as soon as we got to blending with more then 3 letters or 2 sounds he hit a wall. He actually learned his letter sounds from leap frog talking letter factory videos and flashcards. We tried the following Phonics programs and each one failed: Teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons, explode the code, hooked on phonics, rod and staff, click N Kids, and Reading Bear(this was most successful).

 

Though it would seem from the above yourself and others would consider it a "failure or giving up" of sorts we have moved to the sight word program Edmark and he is finally learning some words, instead of getting nowhere like he was.

 

I would take from your screen name you are from maine?? We are as well, do you have SN kids of your own?

 

Would love to see any results you compile!

 

I think I'm probably one of the people you're referring to, and I'm sorry I made you feel like I'd think you're "giving up".  I certainly didn't mean to!

 

I guess I'd want to know whether you're "only" doing Edmark, or you're doing Edmark as part of a larger focus on language and literacy? Are you talking, and reading books together, and following recipes, and talking about the print on the items at the grocery store?   I have trouble imagining a home schooling family stripping literacy down to just sight words in the way that I sometimes happens in some self contained special education classrooms.

 

I think that Edmark can be a good tool in the toolbox for sight words, and sight words are really important!  Some kids find it really boring, and some kids find it really motivating.  If your kid is in the latter category, then it can be a great way to teach sight words.  It just needs to be balanced with other things, because sight words are just one piece of reading.  

I'll also say that some kids need to have a bunch of sight words to sort of lay down the structure of their reading before they can begin to work with phonics in a meaningful way.  So using phonics (maybe just using the initial sound to narrow down a word with clear context cues*) to figure out a tricky word in a sentence is easier than using phonics to sound out a list of words in an Explode the Code.  So you may find that at another point in his journey, your son is ready to start working with sounds again.  

[Daria]

My son has mild intellectual disability (IQ=60), not co-morbid with anything else. Just ID, but not diagnosed until age 8.

 

I started him a year later than his older brothers, because I could see that he wasn't ready at 5yo like they had been. When he was 6yo, I started with a traditional phonics program (Phonics Pathways), but after a couple months nothing stuck. So, I decided to shelf it for a year and try again the next school year. So when he was 7yo, I tried again. Again, nothing stuck. It was painful. I started to question what was going on. I had already taught four others to read using this phonics program, and at earlier ages. I figured we must be dealing with dyslexia or something, so I pursued evaluations. Hence, the diagnosis.

 

Upon diagnosis, I was given a list of strategies to help him learn best. The top two suggestions were using mnemonics and lots of repetition. So I started searching out a program that I could use myself that incorporated both mnemonics and repetition. I found the Stevenson Reading Program, and it was like a miracle. He started reading almost immediately, and he's progressing well. Slowly, but solidly. He's now 13yo and reading at about a 3rd grade level.

 

ETA: http://www.stevensonsemple.com/stevenson-reading

 

I love Stevenson.  For some kids the long vowels are so much easier to start with!

 

I haven't had a kid who is "right" for Stevenson in a few years, and I haven't run into anyone else using it in many years.  I'm glad you're having success with it!

[bluebonnetgirl]

For my son, learning to read was a cakewalk vs reading to learn. Reading comprehension is proving to be a far greater challenge to overcome than fluency.

 

I would love to know what works best in

remediation of comprehension issues.

Edited July 3, 2016 by bluebonnetgirl

[coastalfam]

My son is 10 and has Down syndrome. Until March of this year he was in a self contained special education classroom, which about an hour at the end of the day integrated in a general education classroom. The approach taken by the school was to teach phonics. Unfortunately, my son has a lot of problems with retaining learning, especially of abstract concepts, so he was basically still working on learning the alphabet at age 10. We pulled him from school for a variety of reasons, and I decided to teach him sight reading because of what is recommended in the book "Teaching Reading to Children with Down Syndrome". Well, I will tell you, that has been successful. He still does not know all the letters of the alphabet, but he is learning whole words. He is most successful with nouns (concrete representation), and especially with high interest words. We are using a program called PCI Reading Program, in addition to adding high interest words. We are making a lot of books, and he is reading them. If he can't remember a word (for example, "this" and "the") we teach him the sign language for that word and sign it together when he gets to the difficult words, and that helps him have a concrete representation of that word and it becomes easier to remember. We do not master a new word completely before moving onto a new one, and we cannot go more than two days without reviewing his word list and reading his books or he starts to loose words. BUT, it is amazing to me that he is making progress. My feeling is that as he becomes more and more accustom to the practice of reading, and he matures, he may eventually be able to be taught to decode words, but I think we are a long time off from that, and we need to take what we can get!

[Kanin]

Congrats with your progress! That's so awesome!!