Reading

It was brought to our attention this past week that Jaden is not progressing with his reading as quickly as his teachers would like to see. He is a beginning reader and up until the past few months he had no desire to read himself. He was content in being read to but when encouraged to read, or simply make up words to the story, he refused. I took it as him just not being ready, a bit of laziness, and a lot of it due to his delayed language. I also think that some of it is just his personality. He wants things to be done perfect. If it isn't going to be correct then he will not even attempt. Even with art, things must be symmetrical and have place and order. I can't say that I myself don't understand this and do not question where this personality trait comes from. I think that although it's difficult to persuade him that it's ok to make mistakes at this point, this could work in his benefit later in life.
Looking back, I can now see how I took for granted how Ty picked up on reading and language. It was never something we "taught" directly to him. His language was delayed due to chronic ear infections until he was 2 yrs old. He was a late talker in that he didn't start talking until after he was 3 yrs old. When Jaden's Early Intervention speech therapist would come and do weekly home visits with Jaden, I would beg her to assess Ty because I knew he should have been talking! He did start talking clearly shortly after that but his lateness didn't affect his language acquisition or his reading. As a matter of fact, he was reading at a 3rd grade level in the 1st grade.
I've known that reading was going to be more of an effort with Jaden. After all, he is still struggling to acquire age appropriate language. At the same time, he is learning to read and write in English. How is it happening? I can't quite explain because I am not an expert in language acquisition in Deaf children or bilingualism. What I do know is that Jaden is fortunate to be a student at a superior school for the Deaf. There are experts there among Deaf teachers who themselves would know better then anyone how to educate a Deaf child from the fact that they are Deaf alone. There is so much research and time being invested into first and second languages in Deaf children. Like I said, I know the basics but aside from that....don't ask me. However, I will be researching it and contacting people to see how I can better support Jaden at home. His teacher did give me a few things we can be doing for now. 1)reading with Jaden at home 2) flashcards. We've been doing both. Each night before bed we do guided reading with the books that are sent home from his teacher. After guided reading we do storytime. Recently I have added flashcards with high-frequency words to our nightly routine. I can say that it's been going well and I'm seeing progress. So you can see why my stomach was so sick to get the email that said that Jaden's reading is not progressing like it should.
His teacher did share with me that she too has seen Jaden's strong desire and interest in reading as of lately. She thinks that there is so much that Jaden wants to learn right now, aside from language catch up, that he may just need more time. That it could be due to stress too. Jaden himself has told his teacher that he wishes he knew more ASL. That is heart wrenching for me. She said they, the teachers, have never had a 1st grader tell them that before. Jaden knows that his ASL is not like the other students in the class. Mind you, all but 3 out of 14 students in the class are from Deaf families. They were born into a home filled with language and haven't gone a day without language. For Jaden to have the personal insight to know that he has a hard time communicating and shares his desire to know more ASL, that tells me that he is going to go far. The desire and the drive is there and no one can teach that or give that to him...that comes from him alone. His teacher thinks that as his language grows that non-ASL academics will also grow. Right now we will not pressure and want to make sure that they poor little guy isn't stressed out. You see how my past decisions for him in the past have affected him even up until now? Language is the key, whatever you decide to do for your Deaf baby....ASL is the key. Language, language, language. Don't let anyone tell you different!
I contacted the Elementary Reading Specialist at CSD and will be meeting with her soon. Again, how blessed we are to have a school with such outstanding resources. I also will be checking in with the teachers more frequently to stay on top of this. I do feel a real urgency when it comes to Jaden's reading. I desire for him to not only master ASL but also English.
If anyone reading this blog has any pointers or tips, please share with me. I appreciate it!
I will keep you posted on Jaden's journey with reading.