See and Learn First Vocabulary 1

See and Learn First Vocabulary 1 provides activities and step-by-step guidance to help parents and educators teach young children to understand and say 60 common first words. It is the first step in See and Learn Language and Reading – a structured teaching program designed to teach children with Down syndrome to talk and to read.

See and Learn First Vocabulary 1 includes 48 pictures, together with a detailed guide and record sheets. The pictures provide visual support for teaching spoken language. New words are introduced steadily and taught through a sequence of 4 simple looking, matching, selecting and naming activities.

The vocabulary taught in See and Learn First Vocabulary is selected from the words most commonly learned first by most children. Pictures in the app can be personalized to be more meaningful for individual children (for example, personal pictures of mommy and daddy). The activities are intended to supplement natural, everyday opportunities to learn language with the additional support most children with Down syndrome need to learn to communicate.

See and Learn First Vocabulary 1 was developed by internationally recognised experts in education for children with Down syndrome. It is also likely to be helpful for other children with similar educational needs.

Features

• Simple and uncluttered screens avoid distractions and help children focus on the information presented and learning goals
• Clear pictures provide visual representation of words
• Pictures can be personalized to be specific to the child (for example, mommy, daddy, dog, cat)
• Activities designed to reduce language and working memory demands
• Optional voice prompts
• Comprehensive guide providing step-by-step guidance and instructions
• Record forms included for printing and tracking your child’s progress
• Ideal for use at home and in the classroom

When to start

See and Learn First Vocabulary 1 is designed for children who are ready to learn their first words. They should be showing an understanding of objects and what they do, and may be attempting to communicate by babbling or using simple gestures.

Many children with Down syndrome will be ready to start these activities from about 18 months of age.

See and Learn First Vocabulary 1 can also be used with older children who are not yet saying all of these words - even if they understand some of them.

Activities

• Looking at Pictures - begins to teach the meaning of new words and to pay attention and engage in a learning activity for short periods of time
• Matching Pictures - encourages your child to look more closely at pictures introduced in the first activity, and to learn to distinguish between them
• Selecting Pictures - learning to understand the spoken words by linking them with the correct pictures
• Naming Pictures - encourages your child to practice saying the correct words for pictures

The See and Learn Language and Reading program

See and Learn First Vocabulary 1 is the first step in the See and Learn Language and Reading teaching program.

See and Learn First Vocabulary 1 teaches the vocabulary needed to start to learn to read, understand and say the two key word phrases taught in See and Learn First Phrases 1. Children who have completed See and Learn First Vocabulary 1 are also ready to move on to learn a further 60 early in words See and Learn First Vocabulary 2.

Further information and advice

Please visit our web site (www.seeandlearn.org) or contact us for further information and guidance.