The Benefits of Reading Education Assistance Dogs for Children with Down Syndrome

It was once believed that children with Down Syndrome were completely incapable of learning to read. Fortunately, this notion has been long disproved as these children have made increasingly impressive achievements. However there is still unrecognized potential that has yet to be realized. The Reading Education Assistance Dogs (R.E.A.D.) program is a form of reading education utilizing trained therapy dogs in order to help typically developing slow readers to read with more comfort and ease. A study by Meddauh (2010) showed, based on self-reports, that children found the presence of therapy dogs helpful in increasing relaxation and confidence while reading aloud. After ten months of participation in the READ program, all participants gained at least two reading grade levels, showing a significant correlation between dog presence and reading progression for typically developing children (Beuche, 2003). And while this program may seem a bit far fetched (pardon the pun), pet therapy has shown to be extremely helpful for children in other areas involving stressful situations. In a study by Jalongo, Astorino & Bomboy (2004), results showed that during routine medical exams or while reading aloud in a classroom, dog presence moderated stress for children more than an adult or friend.

As previously stated, children with Down Syndrome often make impressive achievements in reading. But even so, they often do not advance past an 8 year-old reading level (Wishart, 1993). However, they can continue to improve their literacy skills when continuously provided with opportunities (Moni & Jobling, 2001). Finding such opportunities may prove difficult because research finds that children with Down Syndrome are often reluctant learners who tend to avoid opportunities to learn new skills (Wishart, 1993). However, it is essential that new, interesting ways to encourage reading are utilized because reading is one of the most effective ways to enhance cognitive skills in children with Down Syndrome (Byrne et al., 2002).

They key to finding the most effective way to educate children with Down Syndrome is to understand how they learn to read and where they struggle. One of the largest controversies in the literature on reading education for children with Down Syndrome is whether the main struggle is in reading comprehension or production. Many studies have suggested that comprehension is the main problem, but a groundbreaking study by Buckley & Bird (1993) provided evidence that the opposite may be true. The study examined children with Down Syndrome as they learned and practiced reading. Results showed that children would often use sign language to communicate what they read, but struggled to verbally produce the words. Similarly, results showed that children would often read a phrase and say a different phrase meaning the same thing. For example, a child would see the phrase "She goes to sleep" and instead say, "She goes to bed", showing a clear understanding of the phrase but difficulty in speech production.

This difficulty in speech production is exactly the problem that children in the READ program exhibit. The slow readers participating in the READ program primarily struggle with speech production as a result of nerves and anxiety. Since speech production while reading appears to be the main struggle for children with Down Syndrome, research suggests that anxiety may be a factor, just as it is for READ participants.

But the READ program could be beneficial for children with Down Syndrome in more way than one. READ works to help slow readers by producing a calming effect and increasing their confidence while reading. This could certainly also be the case for children with Down Syndrome since they are often more fearful and anxious than regularly-developing children (Evans et al., 2005) and often have self-esteem problems that can potentially lead to obesity (Dykens, 2007). Also, results found in Buckley & Bird (1993)'s previously mentioned study suggest that other factors such as anxiety could contribute to language delays, therefore implying a need for stress-reduction while reading aloud.

In addition, the READ program could help increase enthusiasm in children with Down Syndrome, which would help the reluctance and avoidance found with new learning scenarios (Wishart, 1993). The incentive to see and interact with a dog could negate reluctance to new learning experiences and help children with Down Syndrome to get excited about reading, and therefore increase practice time. Enthusiasm itself has shown to improve cognitive skills for children with Down Syndrome (Fowler, Doherty & Boynton, 1995). Therefore, it is crucial that new, exciting reading opportunities are provided to children with Down Syndrome.

To sum up, past research suggests that children with Down Syndrome often experience the same challenges typically developing children face while reading aloud. The READ program provides a nonjudgmental audience in a trained therapy dog and an exciting incentive to practice reading. Simply petting a dog has calming effects that can reduce anxiety children may experience while reading aloud. Utilizing the READ program for children with Down Syndrome can potentially increase reading grade level, practice time, cognitive skills and positive emotional response to reading sessions. More research is needed since there is so little to be found on the use of pet therapy for children with Down Syndrome. But this is a potentially useful tool in helping children with Down Syndrome reach their full potential in reading, and definitely worth the effort in researching further.