What is the recommended order for working through the steps in each See and Learn programme?

See and Learn is a range of evidence-based resources designed to help promote early development for children with Down syndrome. Each programme targets certain areas of development and includes a series of steps. Each step teaches the skills needed to move on to later steps in a defined sequence.

DSE's See and Learn resources offer guidance and materials to support evidence-based activities designed to promote the development of early speech, language and reading, and number skills.

Progression

Each See and Learn programme targets certain areas of development. Each programme is broken down into a series of steps. Each step is offered as an individual printed kit or app. The steps in each programme follow typical developmental pathways, teaching new skills in the order in which children generally learn them.

The programmes are also designed to be used together, as children continue to develop speech skills while learning new vocabulary and learning to read and to count.

Generally, one step simply leads to the next. However, sometimes more than one step within a single programme may be worked on at the same time - for example, in See and Learn Language Reading we continue to teach new vocabulary while also starting to teach the sight words for vocabulary previously learned.

Outline

The figure below provides an overview of the sequence of steps in See and Learn Speech, See and Learn Language and Reading and See and Learn Numbers. The age ranges provided indicate the approximate earliest ages at which children with Down syndrome may have achieved the necessary skills to be ready to start. The ages at which children with Down syndrome begin to develop skills in each area vary quite widely - some children will progress more slowly and some will progress more quickly.

The sequences of steps in See and Learn Speech, See and Learn Language and Reading and See and Learn Numbers. The age ranges indicate the approximate earliest ages at which children with Down syndrome may have achieved the necessary skills to be ready to start. Arrows indicate progression between steps. Some children will progress more slowly and some will progress more quickly. A PDF version of this figure is also available.

Specific skills needed for each step

We provide guidance on the specific skills needed to start each step in each programme on the See and Learn web site.

Using See and Learn with older children

You can start an older child on a See and Learn programme where this is developmentally appropriate. For example, a 4 year old child who already understands over 100 words could start the See and Learn Language and Reading programme without working through the first vocabulary steps, but rather starting with See and Learn Phrases 1.

We provide guidance about the suitability of each step on the See and Learn web site, including full lists of the vocabulary, phrases and speech sounds taught - and what a child needs to know in order to start each step.


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