Homeschool World Forum

Posted: **Thu Feb 14, 2008 7:25 am**

I am just going to step in here and say that parts to whole learning in general is the better way to go with any child. I was in school at a time when sight reading was the "in" thing and I thank the Lord my school was behind the times, because I have seen the results in adults who were taught by this method. I even have this really great story about the inability and hopelessness a mother, a highly paid professional, who had been taught sight reading, being unable to help her son with his homework and his challenges with learning to read.

Nearly every child learns some sight reading naturally, but if one relies heavily on this method, when the child is challenged with a new word, he simply cannot decode that word on his own. He must rely on someone else providing the pronunciation for him and that works with young children because they are constantly asking and being told what this and that word is. However, it does not work well later on in the adult world.

As to signs, it is rather more likely that the sight reader would associate the sign itself with the word. I have seen many people who readily identify the golden arches of a McDonald's restaurant and yet cannot read the word "McDonald" in a book. At the same time, my daughter at 4yo was sounding out and decoding words on signs without needing to ask and memorize.

Stepping out now...

Posted: **Sat Feb 16, 2008 8:04 pm**

Posted: **Wed Oct 26, 2011 9:21 am**

I have used some of Doman's methods with my now 4 year old. However I also taught her the letter sounds at a very young age (she was 18 months) and started blending with her at 2.5 years old. She has a vast sight word vocabulary but can also sound out words and read them. I am now busy doing some slightly more advanced phonics with her to make sure that she can work out all words she encounters.

Most adults read almost everything by sight - only new words will be sounded out, but they have had a lot of practice to do this. I do believe that both methods need to be used. I also believe that if you are teaching reading a very young child (less than 2 years old) that you HAVE to use sight words as blending seems to come after this and the whole word is the first unit that a child will understand (c-a-t means nothing, but cat they can understand)

Doman believes that if babies are taught enough sight words very young they will automatically know phonics rules (just as children learn grammar rules without anyone teaching them just by hearing the spoken word) I have not found this to be true for most children and babies however which is why I believe in a balanced approach using both methods.

Posted: **Thu May 03, 2012 6:43 am**

The book is only a guideline for teaching your baby. There are a lot of testimonials, videos, personal achievements and frustrations discussed here. Many people believes this concept of teaching really small babies is revolutionary while some are revolting. My son started pointing at the right words words at 10- 11 months.

Posted: **Mon Jul 07, 2014 12:55 am**

Homeschool World Forum

Doman for early reading?