Literacy Activities Handbook - Saskatchewan Association of Rehabilitation Centres

Aim for realistic expectations.
Always expect enough to encourage progress, but never to frustrate.
Learning a single skill well is more important than many skills inefficiently.
Break skills down into smaller steps and focus on one skill at a time until mastery is achieved.
Review constantly so skills are not forgotten.
Learners will benefit most from short periods of instruction, usually 1520 minutes.
Give learners a change of pace. For example, the tutor can teach something and then give the learner something active to do.
Learners will pay more attention to things they can do or say. They will work better with concrete, touchable things than with hearing about things they cannot experience first hand.
Select reading materials with bright pictures.
Always allow learners to pick reading materials that they are interested in learning or hearing.

Adapted from:
An Open Letter to Parents of Down Syndrome Children. Arden, NC: Mastery Publications, 1999. [http://www.masterypublications.com/Downs.htm]

Advice