How the Special Offspring Reading Program works...

All school-age children are required to learn grade appropriate sight words. Frequently, however, children with Down syndrome and other developmental delays experience initial reading success solely through sight words. Unlike typically performing students, developmentally delayed children may succeed at a sight word level for a greater period of time before learning the elements of reading.

Significant reading progress can be achieved at a sight word level. The Dolch high frequency list identifies approximately 220 basic sight words. These sight words make up 50 to 75 percent of the words in the material used by elementary school students. Special Offspring Beginning Sight Word Readers have been meticulously formatted to provide scope and sequence for the most common sight words, allowing for storylines originating from the core of the child's world, "Me" in Series One, "Me and My Body" in Series Two and "Me and My Family" in Series Three.

Unlike other programs, The Special Offspring Beginning Sight Word Readers systematically build a sight word vocabulary using sight word flashcards, readers and evaluations. Sight words are introduced using a set of flashcards and usually a set of three readers. Each sight word reading set introduces three to five new sight words. Every subsequent reading set builds on the mastery and successes of each preceeding set of readers. The Special Offspring Beginnning Sight Word Reader text has been created exclusively from previously introduced, reviewed and mastered sight words. Random words are never inserted into reading text, subsequently eliminating opportunities for failure. This unique philosophy is the significant difference between the Special Offspring Reading Program and all other sight word programs.

Each set of readers represents a numbered book, a Book A, and a Book B. New sight words are introduced solely in the numbered book. Books A and Books B in the set provide additional review and "relief" practice for the sight words introduced in that numbered book set, i.e., Number Book 6, Book 6A, Book 6B. Relief books allow for practice without the introduction of any new skill or words. The sight word reader set format affords an individualized reading approach for each student. Students who master introduced sight words in the numbered book quickly are able to read Book A during silent sustained reading and Book B at bedtime or any other time independently. Students requiring additional review and practice may follow the sequence of steps described below.

The rate of progress is determined by the specific needs of the learner. Additional review is provided, as necessary, anytime during skill aquisition.

Traditionally, sight words have been practiced in isolation with flashcards. Although this is an essential first step in providing children with a language base for emerging memory skills, mere sight word recognition alone is self-limiting to any child experiencing developmental delays. Difficult concepts, acquired naturally by typically performing students must be taught to children with developmental delays. Concept development through context clues is one of the easiest and most effective instruction techniques. For example:

Sight word recall of each word (i.e., simple recall is a lower level thinking process. Concept development, however, is a higher level of thinking and will develop later for children with developmental delays. Consider the sight word, "am". "Am", as a state of being, is a very complex and difficult concept. In isolation, "am" will have little or no meaning for children experiencing developmental delays. However, once learned as a sight word, 'am" then acquires meaning through context and story lines developed in the Special Offspring Reading Program. Thus, the Special Offspring Reading Program introduces sight words with flashcards, provides concept development and word usage in the context of the Special Offspring Reading Hook and Beginning Sight Word Readers. The Special Offspring Reading Series format affords children with developmental delays more opportunities for success while developing higher-level thinking. As a result, the Special Offspring Reading Program format successfully provides curricular resources to support inclusion curriculums.

The Special Offspring Sight Word Reading Program offers the only available reading materials that program distributed practice (practice of previously introduced skills over a long period of time) into its design. It is well accepted that distributed practice is essential to the success of children who have known deficits in short-term and long-term memory skills. Student progress diminishes when this essential remediation component is not programmed into instructional designs. Each Special Offspring reading series builds on previously mastered student skills. With the culmination of a reading series, students are ready for the introduction of spelling skills offered in the Special Offspring Spelling Program.