Teaching Reading to Children with Down Syndrome

After homeschooling Tain for so long and not having much progress in the scholastic area it is easy for me to doubt my competence and feel like I am failing him. I have looked at reading programmes and they have all said "when a child knows his alphabet then implement the programme. So for seven years we have been learning the alphabet. I guess I am the slow learner.
Just recently I "happened" on a book (thanks to Marjo and Julie) with the title "Teaching Reading to Children with Down Syndrome" by Patricia Logan Oelwein and am amazed at the wonderful results we have received. After the first school week doing our new programme he had mastered nine sight words. After two weeks he had fifeteen. After four weeks he has a great command of twenty eight words. He is reading them in sentences and it is incredible how many sentences you can make out of twenty eight words.
"Learning to use phonics to decode words is a long, on-going process, and concepts can become very complex for some children with Down syndrome......for many of the children, learning phonics is more difficult than learning sight words. When learning words purely by sight, each word is practiced enough times for the learner to immediately recognize the specific combination of symbols as a word, without the clues of letter sounds." It really does work.
When we were reading a library book about My father's room, he pointed to a statue which had a little sign under it and read Dad. The word hadn't appeared in the text and so for the first time he could see what it was all about. Wow we are so excited and he loves the new challenges.

My blog won't show up my latest post. Do you know why that would be

Rememberings

This time twenty-nine years ago I was the proudest (I believe it's true) new mum in the whole world. The most beautiful bundle of joy had arrived a little early, and had a mop of black hair. I truly thought all babies had blond hair. I hadn't remembered seeing any with black hair. So she takes after her daddy, in more ways than one. He also was so proud, he couldn't get the smile off his face. He is still so proud of you, more so. He was a little reminiscent last night.

So began the journey of parenthood, with you teaching us along the way. You were so gracious to us and forgave us our sins as we learnt what it meant to be parents. We thank God you were first in our brood, so strong and honest and trustworthy. What a great life it has been. We are so thankful to God for His great measure of blessing he poured out to us through our kids.

You should have seen Ma and Pa that day. Phew, finally the pressure was off because they had the grandbaby they had been waiting for for five years. Now I understand the awesome feeling of being a grandparent too, so I know how strong the desire was that they had then.

It doesn't get much better than watching your kids grow to be beautiful, godly adults who follow the Lord, and see His plans unfold for their lives. You do us proud D and we love you.

Ouch

Can you imagine going to your pastor, with the great news that you were getting married. After talking for a while with you he asked questions to discover your fiancee is not a christian. Imagine then how you would be if he "contended with them and cursed them, struck some of them and pulled out their hair," Neh 13:25. Great reason not to be unequally yoked.

Smooth sailing

I have been challenged in my thinking lately that maybe I have a hangover of theology that says that a Christian has an easy life. Going over in my mind are lots of issues and I think I have failed to see that God is the one who sets our path. Of course, we choose to do certain things but still, it is He who puts before us those things we need to deal with.

So when life goes a different course to that which we had supposed, why do we then wonder if God has deserted us. I was challenged by Paul's journeys this morning as he was being transported to Caesar that his ship was tossed at sea over a large amount of time so badly that it was lost. The crew had to throw all belongings away, trying to save the ship but then God came; spoke; comforted; encouraged and protected. Why is it so hard to look at the storm and not see God. He was there all along, they just failed to see it.

I need to see His hand, for him to come, speak, comfort, encourage and protect.

There are great joyous things happening and it is easy to see God working. We think this is how God rules in our lives. I need to be reminded that all of life is His plan and for His purposes to be seen in me, then maybe a makeover is what is needed. And if I don't have the storms then the changes don't happen.

When I look back over my married years, I see the very things that gave me insurmountable grief at the time were the great stabilisers in my life in later years. I had no idea then and I have had to have a shake up to remember them now. I don't want to forget those things I learnt then.

I realise that I am still far from my best, but I do know until we are put under pressure, with struggles and strife, then we never see how much we need the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. Can we see our lack if we never realise that God is using his winepress, his chisel or refining fire. If I want more patience, I have to be put in impatient situations, if I want joy in all circumstances then I need to look at each circumstance and realise.....God is there.

Is He really the God who provides all my needs?
Does He promise He will never leave me nor forsake me?
Was He serious when He said, All things work together for good to those who love Me and are called according to my purpose?

If the answer is yes to all these questions, then why am I making it so difficult? Where is my faith? I will trust You, Lord.....

Why do I complain

“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.”
2 Chronicles 16:9a
“I removed his shoulder from the burden; His hands were freed from the baskets. You called in trouble and I delivered you; Ps 81:6-7
Relying on God’s strength is something that I can only do when put under pressure; when I feel weak. If I want God to be glorified in my life then that pressure must come if God is to be seen. Grapes don’t produce juice unless trampled, olives don’t produce oil unless pressed, fine stone cannot be worked unless it first is cut and planed, precious metals are only obtained after the fire has purified it.
I want my life to be a testimony to God and yet I resent the trampling, pressing, cutting and heat that comes my way. May I see your hand on my life and sin not.
“A man’s steps are of the Lord; How then can a man understand his own way?” Proverbs 20:24

God does the funniest things

Today as we were walking back from the park we heard a toot and looked around. Why did we do that? Anyway, the people in the van were waving to us. It was the lovely Russian, gypsy looking lady I had met at the concert. How good is that? Thank you Lord. You meet our needs.