Using photographs to scaffold literacy activities with young adults with Down syndrome

Abstract

This article describes how photographs have been used in literacy activities for young adults with Down syndrome participating in a post-school literacy programme. We describe how the principled use of photographs in literacy teaching can: scaffold literacy learning, specifically in the writing of stories and recounts; support writing about abstract concepts, and support extended autobiographical writing with learners who have diverse literacy strengths and needs. Photographs are intrinsically interesting resources for developing literacy because they are actual representations of important known events in young adults’ lives. Thus in talking and writing about photographs, these young adults are motivated to construct extended texts that have relevance to their own lives. The learners’ developed written texts can be used as more accessible reading material.