The idea is this.....Try going to Microsoft
word processor, choose a very clear font
type. Begin with a readable size. Type in
single words (without telling your daughter
what you are typing) that are within her
reading level.
I would try sentences also
and see how well she tracks the sentence
as it is typed (could be that her motor control is affecting her tracking
ability, can't say since I don't know her). If she
succeeds in telling you what you have
typed, at this size print, maybe try reducing the size and repeat the
process,
to see if she is still able to read smaller
print. Actually it is neat way to improve
a child's visual tracking.
You might want to make written notes of
the times during your assessment that she had trouble processing. (If there
are any).
I would use the Zapdingbats fonts when my daughter was a prereader and I
would type in patterns,such as circle, circle, square (typing in the actual
shape of a circle or square) and say it at the same time that the shape was
being typed.
My daughter (who had POOR vision the first year of her life)
loved the activity. I would use a very large font (3 or 4 shapes might fill
the entire computer screen). We then began to decrease the font size so that
she could try to refine her visual tracking.
As she would hear me say (and
see the pattern),she became able to predict the final shape in the pattern.
For example if I typed the dingbat shape of a circle then typed the shape of
a square then back to a circle (and saying circle, square, circle as each was
typed), I would ask, "What comes next?" She would say "quare". This was at
about a year and a half old.
You can also create a pattern of a flower
or star, it could read..."star, flower, star",
(be sure to type the actual dingbat shape,
NOT the WORD, when working with a
PREREADER) then if I would say "What comes next?" Evan would say "ower" for
flower.
As you start to decrease the font size (which allows for longer
patterns) you could type "star,circle, flower, star, circle"
shapes and ask what comes next.
This helps develop the pattern recognition
needed for reading.
My daughter read her own name at 19 months. And now can
encode words that are auditorially spelled with no visual cues. I can
verbally spell "alligator", "television","hungry" (plus just about any other
word,even words she doesn't know, like nonsense words) at rates faster than
adults can encode the words and she will encode them. She is 4 and half
years old.
Nonsense words are another fun intervention to use in this method, once a
child has become a reader. I try to use words like "goopy", "hoopy",
"loopy" or "snorfy", "porfy" or "plinkle" then "kinkle".
(I type in the first rhyming word and then
backspace to remove it after we've said it
outloud and then type in the next rhyming word and say it out loud. I
usually use center alignment and larger print to help
with visualization).
This is another way to create some pattern recognition.
It is so neat, sometimes when I've typed in a word that is really weird
sounding, this little laugh will erupt from Evan BEFORE we've said it out
loud. I'll know she has read it in her "head" before she is able to make her
speech motor work to say it.
Evan has
delayed speech due to a completely absent speech motor (but has lots of
words). I consider this method to be helping integrate her vision, cognition
and
speech all at the same time.
We use this same method for teaching
math equations. I will type and say
5 + 3 = 8 as each numeral and sign is
typed (I then backspace and type in and
say 8 - 3 = 5). (I previously had introduced quantity concepts through
Cuisinaire strips, which are colored coded
quantity strips). Since Evan's high tone will not allow her to write
equations, this is the method she will use (plus some other ways too) for her
drills with learning math.
It's one among many of our "backdoor"
interventions. If we can't go in the front
door, let's try the BACKDOOR!!
Sincerely,
Joan