Anyone know how to or had experience of teaching a child to read who can't speak?

Question

My son is 4 1/2 and communicates using Makaton sign language. He is also a whizz on the computer. However he gets so frustrated at times trying to communicate so I am trying to start teaching him his letters/ elementary reading. Although he's at nursery, they haven't started doing this with him yet as he'll be starting school next September, but I want him to have the best start. (It's a mainstream school but he will have additional support.) Does anyone have experience or know how you go about teaching a child to read who can't read aloud and can give me any advice? Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

So his hearing is normal, but he's not vocal in communicating?  Is he trying to speak but having difficulty with it?  I know plenty of children who've been helped a lot by working with a speech therapist to improve their speaking.

To promote his reading, it's very important that he is read to regularly so he can hear how language is used properly and build vocabulary.  There are lots of curricula out there to choose from, but one we found very helpful is _Teach Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons_.

Answer 2

Sadly I do - I didn't teach him to read, his grandmother did, and it was probably the cruelest and most distructive thing you could ever do to a child. With our help, he got through it, but he may well be scarred by the experience.

A child with poor/no speech needs to be able to succeed in other ways, not fail at reading. It is hard to imagine how he will connect the sounds and letters. I would take your nursery's advice on this, most children can't read by 4 and a half, please wait until he's ready.

Without knowing whether your son's speech delay is caused by psychological or physiological problems, it's difficult to know how to advise you.

If he is deaf, then you need specific advice on that. However, if he seems bright in lots of ways but just has delayed speech, you should read The Einstein Syndrome by  Thomas Sowell (it's about bright children who talk late) if that is the case with your son, you must read this book as soon as possible - it explains everything!!

Good luck :- ) but be kind to your son - reading is not a race!!

Can I just ask...does he say anything at all? This sounds so much like the child I dealt with...if he is speaking just a little but is very delayed, I strongly suggest you look at The Einstein Syndrome book - I know I've been given lots of thumbs down, but I am very well qualified to say this and they may not be. It's not a well known syndrome at all, but it gives a clear explanation why some very intelligent children don't talk until they are older...please give it a look (also info on google).

Answer 3

GO AND GET A SIGNING BOOK IT TAKES A DAY OR TWO TO LEARN HOW TO SIGN

Answer 4

I would say forget teaching him to read, it is more important to teach him to enjoy being read to. That way he can begin to make a connection between words and meanings. Look at pictures and ask him to sign what he can see, tell him what you can see and wait for a response.

Answer 5

Have you determined the reason for his lack of speech?  Is he deaf also, or just unable to speak?  If he is deaf, then you will use a completely different approach than you would if he can hear.  If he can hear, then you would teach him just like you would any other child.  Start with letter sounds and symbols.  I am not really familiar with makaton and don't know if they have an alphabet like they do in ASL.  If so, then your son can show that he knows the letter by signing the answer.  For example, after you have gone over the letter "A" and the sound it makes and taught him the sign for it, then you can ask him "What letter makes the ____ sound ?"and let him sign the letter for you.  Once he can recognize the letters by sight and sound then you can move on to combinations of letters and the sounds they make.  Then you move on to words.  Show him a word and let him spell the word out or make the sign for the word to show that he is reading it.  It is really the same as if he could speak, except he signs what he is reading instead of speaking it.

Answer 6

4 1/2 is still young.

But the curriculum we use for your non-verbal or low verbal students is EDMARK.

It requires students to point and match initially and then to show they understand what they are reading by selecting the correct pictures. It s a sight word programs versus phonics so it has some limits but for non-verbal children it is a really good option and it also has lessons for the computer,

http://www.enablemart.com/Catalog/Edmark...

Answer 7

Hello!

This situation is very difficult, but trust in God and don't give up!

Well, if he can hear and understand what you speak, try the following:

- Visual Activities

Http://www.kidzone.ws/kindergarten.htm

Http://www.dltk-teach.com/

Http://www.first-school.ws

http://www.billybear4kids.com/

- Audio Activities

http://smartkids.terra.com.br/especiais/...

- Education Games

Http://www.wartoft.nu/software/sebran/

Http://www.squiglysplayhouse.com/Games/i...

- Images for colouring

http://smartkids.terra.com.br/colorir/in...

http://www.printpaint.com.br

http://web.educom.pt/~pr1305/primav.m.ht...

http://www.xaxado.com.br/turma/turma_cap...

http://www.1papacaio.com.br

http://www.billybear4kids.com/animal/who...

http://www.dltk-holidays.com/spring/mgly...

http://www.dltk-kids.com/animals/mfarmpo...

http://www.ciaecia.com.br/index.html

http://www.coloring.ws/cartoons.htm

http://www.kidsdomain.com/resources/prin...

http://www.first-school.ws

http://www.first-school.ws/theme/cp_comh...

http://www.comunidadeshalom.com/imagens_...

http://www.gamasites.com/criancas/

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/Home.ht...

http://www.companhiadozu.interdinamica.p...

http://www.teatroconstrucao.org/838

I am Teacher of Pre-school in Brazil and I have a very cool site! There are crafts that her son could do, but my site is in Portuguese ... Do you speak or understand Portuguese?

There are photos of the crafts in the site ... If you can, translate using Google...

http://paginas.terra.com.br/arte/raiodel...

Kisses for you and your son!

Carmen

Answer 8

Start with pictures... I work with an autistic boy who is non verbal.  Have pictures of the things he constantly asks for (various snacks, drink, toys etc.)  then when he wants something have him hand you the picture.  You might need to first give him a small piece o cookie and then when he wants more promt him t show you the picture... after he matches associateing the pictures with what he wants you can start adding words under the pictures and then eventually just the words...  

You may also want to get books that show sign language letters to spell thre words

Answer 9

try to get a puzzel with the abc on it and every day fro a month sit down with your child for a half an hour then on the last day of that month quiz him and see if he was paying good atention to what are yuo trying to teach him how you are saying the alaphabet or sing in over and over till he thinks he gets it and sings it to you!

Answer 10

Does he not speak at all or is he unintelligible?  What is causing him to not be able to speak.  Those things make a difference.

Answer 11

since your son loves the computer so going online might help him more to get interested in learning to read. Try checking the

www.starfall.com The school where my daughter go to uses this also, she is in Kindergarten. Highly recommended.

Answer 12

I am assuming your child is not deaf, have you tried the Letter Land approach each letter has its own character  and explains the sound in each characters rhyme. I have used this with my children and it helped them greatly. It may take time but your son is at the perfect age to enjoy this. I hope this was a help to you both. Take care

Answer 13

First you can do the alaphabet singing and then you say the letters you can even say like A is for ant  it bites  their are stories online that you can print and do with him every day they you can start with the two letter family words like  at  and you can say the mail man is standing at the door etc. These are some of the things I do in my program that assist my student with reading but you must teach him how to indentify his letters and numbers and just try and do two family words a week or if he is advance you can do one each day  some of them are  at, am, then you move on to the three letter family but if he can do it their are books in the library that two word sentences