calling Moonlight - re:phonics discussion

[TotalChaos]

Moonlight - was v. interested in your comments on the the other thread. I was in a similar position with my DS (visual learner, language delay, supposedly probably not ASD) except that I was the one with the preconception that DS would struggle with phonics as a visual learner, whilst school has had no interest in teaching him in any way other than phonics (i.e. exactly how the teach all the kids). I think all this talk of levels and phases is less complex than it sounds - I think it's just grouping together sets of sounds, so kids learn the easiest ones first. At the very initial stages Jolly Phonics has visuals to go with the letter sounds (if you have a look at the song CD, you will see that you are meant to do certain actions to help kids learn the letter sounds). I'ld say DS found the sounds corresponding to each letter phase straightforward, but has struggled with blending, and does find sight word memorising easier. But as pointed out in the other thread, learning a sight word just means you have learnt that word, rather than being a generalised skill (so DS can make some completely wrong guesses when trying to get words by sight reading alone)

[Phoenix4725]

jumping in as instreted as ds is starting to learn phonics at school and since he snon verbal and receptive delay he slearning to finger spell and also to oint at a picture that begins with same sound , were doing s atm ao make the sound finger spell S then he has to decide if snake picture or ball picture after we said them.