How to Help Children With Down Syndrome Comprehend Stories

Downs Syndrome is a chromosomal disorder characterized by having reduced cognitive ability and delayed physical growth. The effects of the syndrome vary in each individual case, but for the majority of sufferers, increased assistance with cognitive and language skills can help them to live an almost completely normal life. The most common way to help a child with Downs Syndrome boost their language skills is through telling stories.

Instructions

• 1

  Choose books carefully. Sufferers may need to call on a selection of senses to understand the story, so pick a book with pictures and graphs, as well as text.

• 2

  Read slowly, and correctly. Stick to the sentence structure, pausing at full stops to highlight that the sentence has ended and allow the child to take in what has happened.

• 3

  Gesture when possible. Point at people in the pictures, indicate your own dog when discussing dogs--use any gesture which is appropriate to help your child link the story to their world.

• 4

  Discuss the book after reading it. Remember that while your child may not be able to communicate their thoughts effectively, they are likely to understand a lot more then they can say. Allow them to speak, and add your own input.

• 5

  Make books. Take pictures of your child doing something, such as with the animals at the zoo, or the activities they have done that week. Then ask your child to explain each picture, and convert his words into a grammatically correct sentence. For example, "Saw elephant," would be written as "I saw the elephants."

• 6

  Allow children to read words they commonly see. They may start with simple, common words such as "Mommy" or "Dog" but will soon build up to recognizing whole sentences.