Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Why are the pictures separated from the type? Shouldn't the type be next to the pictures?
This is one of the most powerful features of our books.

When typically developing children learn to read, close juxtaposition of illustrations and text usually helps the child to associate the word with the visual concept. This can speed up the learning process.

But when children with Down syndrome learn to read, focus is very often a problem. Research and practical experience both tell us that placing words and pictures on the same visual field can actually delay reading because the child is easily distracted from the text and focuses instead on the picture.

To speed the learning process for our children with Down syndrome, we place the text and illustrations on separate visual fields whenever possible, or unless we are teaching a concept (colors, numbers, etc.)

A secondary benefit of this format is that we avoid rote memorization of a story. If a child is reading a page of text, and the illustration of that text follows after a page turn, we know that the child is actually reading, not memorizing or guessing.

Q. Why is there so much white space in your books?
Focus, focus, focus. We are essentially forcing the child's brain to attend to the reading task. We surround the task (words) with a white field, and the eye knows exactly where to focus.

This is essential, as anyone who has worked with an easily distracted child knows. So we make the task as easy as possible.

Our concern for focus and clarity is also why we use double spacing between each word, and extra spacing between each line of type. We make things easy to "see," easy for the brain to recognize and retain.

Q. Why is the type so large in your books?
Typically, our children with Down syndrome begin the reading journey with immature, underdeveloped visual pathways. Using very large type makes the brain's recognition task much easier. As the visual pathway gets traveled more and more, it matures, and we can easily reduce the size of the type.

But in the beginning of learning to read, it is much more effective to use very large type, as we do in our Step One books.

Q. Why do you use such big flash cards? And why the red letters?
We use large flash cards, printable from the CDRoms which accompany our book sets, for the same reason that we use large type in our books: focus, brain recognition, and the immature visual pathway.

We use red ink on our PDF flash card files because it also attracts the child's attention-and the brain's attention! Much research has been done on this; the simple fact is that it works better than black flash cards in the beginning of the learning to read process.

Q. Why do you flash the cards so fast? Does the Fast Flash method really work?
This is also based on research, and is easily proven in practice, both at home and in the classroom. The brain of a child, including children with Down syndrome, prefers to learn quickly. Retention is dramatically improved. The proof is in the doing of the technique, and instructions for this method are included with every book.

Here are some real-life reactions, from both home and classroom:

"My daughter is 8 and has Down syndrome. She's in first grade and has been slowly learning sight words for a year. On Sunday, I read your instructions and started "Fast Flashing" the words for the book Spaghetti. By Tuesday, she said the words before I did when I showed her the cards--so I gave her the book. She read it...she loves it!!!! Thank you. Is is so exciting to find something that 'turns the key.' And we have certainly learned a new way to use flash cards!"
--T.A., New York

"My kids (K through 2nd) are learning so much faster now. I had kids I had almost given up on for learning sight words. It just wasn't sinking in, after a year and a half of trying to teach them any sight words. After attending your workshop, I made the flash cards large, in red, flashed them quickly like you showed us, and used your program. In a month and a half, every one of the kids learned 15 sight words. It's amazing!"
--L.L., Special Educator, Oklahoma