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Reading and the Visual Learner
1. Who is Generally a Visual Learner?
- Individuals with Dyslexia
- Individuals with Down syndrome
- Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Individuals with Asperger's Syndrome
- Individuals with Trisomy 21
- Individuals with ADD/ADHD
- Individuals with Apraxia
- Individuals with a Non-Verbal Learning
Disability (NLD)
- An overwhelming percentage of the
population!
2. Reading and the Visual Learner
As a visual learner, readers tend to use the
right side of their brain for reading rather than
the left side. In doing so, words are remembered as
pictures, rather than by way of the phonetic
decoding methods that are used by the left side of
the brain. Children who are visual
learners tend to have weaker auditory processing
skills along with weaker auditory memory. For these
children, remembering how letters and sounds fit
together to make up a word can be challenging.
It is important for
visual learners to see the whole word as a picture
first, and then it is easier to remember how those
letters and sounds fit together to make up that
whole word/picture. As a result of these struggles,
many children who are visual learners can fall
behind in a classroom that uses predominantly
phonetic decoding methods for teaching reading.
3. Flashcards and Reading
Flashcards are often misused by the even the most
well-intended user. They are meant to be flashed,
not held for an indefinite period of time!
Fortunately, flash cards utilize all three learning
modalities: visual, auditory and tactile.
Flash cards should be bright and engaging in
order to make a real impact particularly for the
visual learner. To begin teaching reading, each card
should contain a word that represents something that
the learner can visualize. (It is much easier for a
child to visualize a 'ball' than to visualize and
remember the word 'that'). Auditory reinforcement by
the instructor is imperative so that the child hears
very clearly how the word should sound.
4. Using Flashcards
- Use large flashcards
- Use a brightly-coloured font (we recommend
red)
- Use illustrations to demonstrate content
when needed
- Choose applicable vocabulary that your child
will be interested in
- Present flash cards consistently - create a
daily routine
- Print letters in lower case except for a
proper noun
- Use a very basic font for printing
5. Easing into Phonics Using the Whole-word
Approach
- Only after master of the whole single word
should you then begin showing how the word is
broken down into letters and sounds.
- Take each single-word flashcard and begin
breaking the word down by letters first, and
then phonetic components (smallest units of
sound ie. sh, ch)
- Create individual cards for each letter and
phonetic components
- Help your child re-create the whole word
with these new components.
6. Using Flashcards While Using Sign Language
If your child is not verbal yet, that does not
mean that you cannot begin using a flashcard program
to teach them to read. Many parents teach their
child to use sign language as a means of
communication with them - particularly while they
are young. Sign language is a form of visual
learning, as the child is taught that a sign
represents a word or action. If your child can
learn to sign, they are ready to learn to read,
as the two methods use the same visual processing
skills! Just because they may not be ready to
say a word aloud to you does not mean they cannot
comprehend that word. Always remember that
input and output are two different processes!
Using flashcards to teach words will not only
teach your child reading, it can also assist with
encouraging your child to vocalize words and improve
overall communication.
Sue Buckley, Ph.D. of Portsmouth University
and Down Syndrome Educational Trust states in
her research (Teaching
Reading to Teach Talking) : ""teaching
reading really does teach talking and improves both
visual and auditory short-term memory."
teaching
reading really does
teach
talking and improves both visual and
auditory short-term memory
eReadingPro
is a leading program for teaching reading
to the
visual learner and to individuals who learn
differently! |
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