Special Needs Children

If your child has trouble seeing, hearing, comprehending, or manipulating books - this does not mean that reading aloud to them is unnecessary. In fact, these children will benefit tremendously from sharing books with you. These are some resources that specifically address reading aloud to special needs children:

Hearing Impaired

• Reading to Deaf Children: Bonding, Communication, Literacy Development
  This is a brief personal account that emphasizes the benefits of reading aloud to deaf children.
• 15 Principles for Reading Aloud to Deaf Children
  This article provides tips for reading aloud to deaf children that were provided by deaf parents of deaf children. Hearing and non-hearing parents can benefit from understanding these principles in reading to their deaf child and examples are provided for the suggestions given.

Visually Impaired

• Reading Aloud - the road to braille and tactile literacy
  This article discusses a pilot study exploring the benefits and techniques of reading aloud form a tactile picture book to a young blind child.
• Where to Find Braille Books for Children
  This is a brief article that lists booksellers of braille books for children and provides contact information.
• National Library Services for the Blind and Physically Handicapped
  "Through a national network of cooperating libraries, NLS administers a free library program of braille and audio materials circulated to eligible borrowers in the United States by postage–free mail." Go to this site to find out if your child is eligible for this service, to locate which regional library is designated for your location, and to get started with receiving braille books and books on tape at no charge!

Deaf/Blind

• Literacy for Persons Who are Deaf/Blind
  This is a substantial article that discusses literacy for the deaf/blind person. It includes suggestions for making books accessible to deaf/blind children and technique tips for reading aloud to them.

Learning Disabled

• Summer Reading Tips for Parents
  Although these tips are framed as seasonal, they truly apply generally and are geared specifically towards parents of children with learning disabilities.

Autism

• Parents Reading to Children with Special Needs Just as Important as Reading to Others: Expert
  This article explains why the importance and benefits of reading aloud to children with developmental disabilities, specifically autism, is equal to the importance and benefits of reading aloud to other children.

Booklist

• A Guide to Children's Literature and Disability
  Although this list is outdated, with the most recent books listed published in 1994, it is a valuable list of children's books that are related in some way to disabilities, organized by different disabilities and with the estimated appropriate age level given for each suggestion.

©Briarcliff Manor Public Library
All Contents and Web Design by Amy Kaplan (abgkaplan@westchesterlibraries.org)
Last revised December 29, 2004