Supporting Literacy for Students with Developmental Disabilities Literacy – what is it?

Supporting Literacy for Students with

Developmental Disabilities

Literacy – what is it?

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Making a difference – Believing

Knowing Doing

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Getting connected

Give your name andO a book you have

liked as a movie OR

O your favourite book OR

O your favourite place to read OR

O your children’s favourite book

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What is Literacy?

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What is Literacy?

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What did we believe about literacy development?

O Students need to be at a certain “developmental” level before literacy instruction could be introduced

O If a student didn’t have prerequisite skills s/he had to master them before being considered “ready” to really read and write

O These skills to be mastered had to be taught in a hierarchy, without missing any of the steps

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Now what do we believe about literacy development?

O Learning to read and write begins early in life

O Occurs years before formal educational opportunities begin

O Begins to develop with early communication and interaction skills

O The ability to read is acquired in much the same as spoken language – during the thousands of hours of meaningful interaction with others (often before entering school)

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Also we know …

O Many students with significant (developmental) disabilities CAN learn academic skills and knowledge that was previously not expected

O Literacy and numeracy skills, as well as content knowledge, will increase students with disabilities opportunities with employment and every day living

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Also, Least Dangerous Assumption, says…

To assume students with significant disabilities to be competent and able to learn, because to do otherwise would result in harm such as fewer educational opportunities, inferior instruction, segregation and fewer choices / options as an adult (Ann Donnellan, 1984).

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Balanced LiteracyO Involves words skills,

reading comprehension reading and writing

O Uses the best from phonics and whole language

O No singe intervention works for all

O Students need to read and write about “real” things

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Word Skills

OSight wordsODecoding skillsOPhonicsOUnknown word

attack strategiesOVocabulary

meaning

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Reading

O Daily opportunities to read

O Self-selected booksO Talk about & shareO Guide students in

selecting easy materials

O Enjoyment of readingO Read-alouds

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Reading Comprehension

O Reading is thinkingO Making meaning from

textO Comprehension

strategiesO Connecting

background knowledgeO Study skillsO Variety of books and

print types

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WritingO Write to read betterO Daily opportunities to

writeO Write a variety of textO Support writing with

picturesO Model conventionsO Copying and learning to

print letters is not writing

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Physical Aspects of Literacy Participation

O Literacy or story manipulatives

OPaper booksOElectronic booksOPortable writing

aidsOComputer access

to writing tools

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Cognitive Aspects of Literacy Participation

O Concepts of printO Phonemic awarenessO Sight word recognitionO Phonic/decodingO Vocabulary

understandingO MemoryO Understanding /

connectingO Writing – sentence

construction, spelling