Visions for literacy: parents’ aspirations for reading in children with <scp>D</scp> own syndrome

Abstract

Although children with D own syndrome ( DS ) can learn to read, few studies have explored parental perspectives on the reading development of this group of children. This article, written by L eila R icci and A nna O sipova, from C alifornia S tate U niversity, explores visions and expectations regarding reading held by parents of children with D own syndrome in the US . Parents of 50 children with DS (aged three to 13 years) completed a survey about their children's interest in reading and responded to open‐ended questions inquiring about their views on their children's reading development. A majority of parents in this study described their children's positive attitude toward reading, stated their reading‐related goals for their children, defined their children's relative strengths in reading, and shared strategies used in the home to promote literacy in this population. Parents pay close attention to and have high expectations for their children's reading achievement, and thereby would benefit from partnerships with informed educators willing and capable of teaching reading to children with DS .