How To Help Your Child With Down Syndrome Study For A Spelling Test
When Max, my son with Down Syndrome, was in elementary school every week he’d bring home his spelling words to study for his spelling test on Friday. I learned very quickly the traditional way of studying for a spelling test was not going to work for Max.
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How Do Children With Down Syndrome Learn Best?
In general, people with Down Syndrome are strong visual learners so when they’re learning new things such as new spelling words you want to play to this strength. It’s easier for them to learn when information is presented to them visually rather than verbally.
Repetition and giving your child plenty of time to learn new things is also important. As Dr. David Stein tells us in his book Supporting Positive Behavior in Children and Teens with Down Syndrome the hippocampus and temporal lobe, both of which are very important for learning and retaining new information are quite different in someone born with Down Syndrome.
When a child without DS learns something new their brain processes that info and then “encodes” it by transferring it to long-term memory. Then, the brain “ consolidates” the information permanently storing it in the brain.
In children with Down Syndrome new information is not transferred into long-term memory and stored permanently as easily or consistently.
This is one of the reasons it’s important to remind people that children with Down Syndrome CAN learn, it just takes them a little longer.
Ideas To Help Your Child With Down Syndrome Study For The Spelling Test
Before I got creative I would make flash cards, we would look at them, and then I would quiz him. Of course it was boring and loathsome!
Max was not truly engaged and I know from experience he learns best when I can utilize as many learning styles as possible with an emphasis on visual learning. So, I started brainstorming and soon had an entire arsenal of ways to help, not only Max, but my other two children as well.
Hallelujah!
Mama Bears, don’t you fret!
You know I’ve got your back and will share some of the tried and true methods to help your child get an A+ on that spelling test!
Keep on reading to discover fun ways to study those spelling words!
Now remember Mama Bear, your family and your child with special needs are unique. Some of these things may work and some may not. You are the expert on your child and your family. Take away what will work for you and don’t worry about the rest!
Letter Tiles
I love letter tiles! We used letter tiles A LOT! We used them to study for Max’s spelling tests as well as for his assessment or actual test.
How We Use Letter Tiles
Starting out Max will have an index card with his spelling word written on it. He will then need to build the word underneath the index card with the letter tiles. Once he is done I have him point to each word and orally spell the word to me.
Once Max has been practicing his spelling words for a day or two I will give him the letter tiles he will need to build his spelling word. I’ll say “Max, please spell book” and hand him the exact letter tiles he will need to spell book. At this stage, I don’t make him pick through letters he will not need.
Near the end of the week when Max has been practicing his spelling words for a few days I will give him a group of letter tiles that he will need to sort through to build his spelling word. Typically, I don’t give him a ton of letter tiles to sort through.
For example, if his spelling word is book, I will give him between 8-10 letter tiles. He’ll have to decide which letters belong in the word book, which do not, and then build the word.
Index Cards
We always have index cards in our home! When the kids bring home their spelling lists one of the first things we do is sit down and make flashcards for each word. Sometimes we even make two.
How We Use Index Cards
Just the activity of copying the spelling word from their list helps them learn the word. This activity is really good for the visual learner.
When we make two sets of each spelling word throughout the week we can play a game of Memory with our spelling words. If we get a match we have to spell the word out loud.
Oral quizzing. Yes, sometimes we just do the plain old vanilla method of reviewing the spelling word on the index card and then Mom or Dad orally quizzing the child. This is good for our auditory learners.
Tracing
There are SO many ways you can do this! I would go with what you have on hand in the home and what would really motivate YOUR kid. I have seen parents have their kid trace spelling words in sugar/flour/salt.
How We Use Tracing
Using a highlighter (I usually avoid using a yellow highlighter because it is harder to see) and a piece of paper I will write out the spelling words and then have my child trace over the word with pencil.
Put sugar or flour in a plastic bin or on a plate. Have your child use the eraser end of a pencil to write their word.
Using small chalkboards the kids write their spelling word in chalk and then using a q-tip dipped in water they then trace the word and make it disappear. If your child struggles with fine motor skills they can simply dip their finger in water and trace over the the word to make it disappear.
Microphone
Max is a total performer! Give him a stage and a microphone and he is a happy kid! He is a total ham and I totally capitalize on this when practicing spelling words.
We have one of those super inexpensive toy microphones that just echo like the one below…
If you want something fancier then check out this microphone…
How We Use the Microphone
This is super simple. In the beginning of the week Max will simply look at the flashcard he made and spell the word using the microphone. He loves it.
After a few days of practicing his spelling words I will orally quiz him and he will use the microphone to make it more fun. Sometimes, I will video him using the microphone to spell his words and then he’ll watch it. He gets a total kick out of seeing himself on video!
Spelling Word Game Show. This is totally a Mathe tribe original creation. Max likes to act as the “host” and using our spelling word flashcards he will pick one up and say the word. Using our laptop I will then try to find a YouTube video of the word. This is much easier when his words are something like “shark” or “continent”. If his spelling word is something like “because” I will simply make up a sentence using the word. After we watch the video or I make up a sentence Max then has to spell the word using his best game show host voice.
Physical Activity
Some of our kids learn best when they are moving and grooving.
How We Use Physical Activity
The Mathe kids LOVE balloons. We blow up a balloon, choose a spelling word, and then as we bat the balloon around we must spell the word. We try to completely spell the word before the balloon touches the ground.
Jump. Yep, just jump around as you are spelling the word. This totally can turn into a giggly mess but it sure is fun.
Spelling word hopscotch. We do not have a nice paved driveway or sidewalk, but if we did we’d definitely utilize sidewalk chalk, write our spelling words in a hopscotch pattern, and then jump and spell them at the same time.
Play Dough
Play dough is SUPER useful when teaching children and just makes learning more fun!
How We Use Play Dough
Make the letters to create the word. Have your child roll the play dough and form the letters. Super fun, great for OT skills, and helps them study!
Write the word using play dough. Take a ball of play dough and flatten it out like a pancake. Using their pointer finger have your child write the word on the play dough pancake.
Modifications And Accommodations To Consider And Discuss With The School For The Spelling Test
In order to be successful in the traditional school setting many of our kids need modifications and accommodations. Let’s review the difference between the two quickly.
Accommodations allow your child access to the same curriculum as his or her peers. Your child is still learning the same material as their peers, but supports are in place to help them learn the same stuff.
With modifications your child is not learning the same exact stuff as his/her peers. Your child’s curriculum has been modified or changed compared to their peers' curriculum. Expectations have been changed for your child.
The accommodations and modifications needed are unique to each child. This is where your expertise as a parent comes into play. You are an expert on your child and together with their IEP team can determine what is needed for your child.
These things helped Max be successful…
Reduced Number Of Spelling Words
Ten to twenty spelling words were too many for Max to learn in the time we had. He typically had 5- 10 spelling words a week and this worked well for him. In his early elementary years the class had less spelling words and as they progressed through classes were given more spelling words up to twenty a week.
Receiving Spelling Lists Ahead Of Time
Remember how it usually takes people with Down Syndrome longer to learn new things because of that difference in their brain where new information isn’t stored into long-term memory as easily or as consistently? This is why we asked for spelling words ahead of time.
Some teachers would give us the spelling words for the next week on Friday so we had the weekend to study plus Monday through Thursday. A few teachers would give us the spelling words for the entire quarter which was awesome.
Alternative Form Of Assessment
Traditionally when taking a spelling test the teacher will say the word and students will write the word on their test paper using a pencil. Max’s penmanship isn’t the best and and in his early elementary years he struggled with writing. Max can be hard to understand too so having him verbally spell a word wasn’t ideal.
So rather than writing or verbally spelling the word for a spelling test we used letter tiles. Max would use letter tiles to spell out the requested word. His aide would write down what he spelled using the letter tiles so the teacher knew how he spelled it and then Max would copy that onto his test. It worked really well. I think if we’d have just had Max write his spelling words he would not have done nearly as well or some words would have been marked wrong due to poor penmanship.
Environment
Taking a test in a classroom with other kids can be distracting for some of our children. Also, many of our children with Down Syndrome may have some form of hearing loss so hearing the teacher as they say the spelling word at the front of the class or as they walk around the room may be difficult. Taking the spelling test in a quiet room without distractions can be very helpful.
Extra Time
Many of our children with DS need a little bit more time than their peers to process information. Giving them that extra time can make a big difference.
Spelling Apps Or Websites To Help Your Child Study For Their Spelling Test
Utilizing technology is another great way to help your child study for their spelling test. These apps may be a great fit for you and your child but remember, your child loves you and wants to engage with you so don’t let it be the only way your child studies.
Ok Mama Bears! Hopefully I have provided some inspiration and cool ideas you can use to help YOUR kiddo ACE that spelling test!
If you enjoyed this post then you may also like…
Improving Behavior At Home Using Visual Supports With Your Child With Down Syndrome
What To Do When Someone Uses The R-Word
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I hope this post helps you rock this special life.