On Valentines Day, 14th February 2017, I took a pregnancy test. It was positive. I was happy but I didn’t want to raise my hopes. We had two miscarriages previously, so this was my third pregnancy. I was nervous. Bob and I kept our pregnancy quiet for a while. We didn’t tell anyone until we were sure that the baby was viable. Then, my doctor broke the news that Alex had Down syndrome.
I was taking a reading literacy class while working on my post graduate degree when all this happened. I read “Best Practices in Literacy Instruction” and remember thinking about the importance of reading to children at a very young age. According to studies, children at age 2 who were read to regularly by adults have more greater language comprehension, wider vocabularies, and higher cognitive skills compared to children who were less read to. Bob and I put this knowledge into practice.
Since the day we found out we were pregnant, Bob and I read to Alex. We sang, we recited poems and rhymes, and we read books to him every single day. Alex responded with a kick or a movement in my belly. I thought he really enjoyed hearing our voices. We have done it so many times that it became our daily routine. It’s like brushing teeth, you can’t miss doing it! Good thing is, Bob and I both have fond childhood memories of being read to by our parents.
I bought so many books. Almost every week, I would go thrift shopping or check out bookstores. I almost end up buying him a book or two (or more). Years have gone by and you can imagine how much I have hoarded children’s books. I’m ashamed but I will admit, our basement is bursting at the seams! In my defense, we are in the middle of a pandemic. I can’t rely on the libraries to supply me books. Also, I don’t think I have the power to protect those borrowed books from being thrown or ripped by my child. Alex has a good arm for a child with Down syndrome. Gosh, he could throw. You would not believe it he has low tone muscle! Maybe I should consider baseball as an option sport for him.
We’ve observed that Alex liked particular books. He kind of let us know if he doesn’t like a book that Bob or I picked for our story time. He gives the book a big toss up in the air across the bedroom or living room! Then, he hands me his favorite book; he sits on my lap or curls up beside me and urges me to read aloud to him. This is one of my favorite times of the day.
Each month I would introduce a couple of new books along with his old favorites. Sometimes, we read the same books for weeks. Then he gets tired of them and gives them a toss! (We’re working on that self-expression skill. We are definitely not there yet!) I keep those discarded books and resurface them back again with a new batch of books. I made a list of those monthly book favorites in another blog.
I’ve worked with other children with special needs. Reading has been a major issue. Most of the time, problem behaviors arise because of reading activities. They have no interest or motivation in reading. Reading was like a punishment. In most cases, reading was not on their lists of preferred activity. I was very curious what caused them to hate reading. It’s tempting to assume that these kids didn’t have a positive experience of reading. Or maybe lack that kind of exposure. Studies strongly suggest that children’s attitude towards reading is influenced by the adults in their life. Did these children see their parents read? How often did they read together or were read to?
As a child, I always looked forward to my mom’s reading before my sister and I went to bed. I particularly liked listening to my mother’s voice as she read the story. I looked at the words and pictures on the pages. My childhood reading experience with my mother has made me feel calm, experienced pure bliss, and it has sparked my imagination and creativity. I hope Alex will have a similar experience and carry on the enjoyment of reading.