While reading and writing aren’t typically taught until after preschool, children can begin developing the early literacy skills they need to become strong readers from a very young age. Early literacy skills are actually pre-literacy skills and include wanting to look at books, following narratives, recognizing print, learning vocabulary and identifying letters and sounds.

It takes us a lifetime to master communication skills in our mother tongue but our ability to communicate can be erased in an instant when a stroke occurs. That’s because a stroke cuts off blood supply to the brain, causing brain cells to be deprived of oxygen. Depending on the location and severity of a stroke, motor, memory and language skills can be impacted.

In 1999 The UK government published “A Fresh Start” a report of the working group chaired by Sir Claus Moser which took a hard look at literacy and numeracy in the UK. The report acknowledged that approximately seven million adults – which works out to about one in five - were not reading at a level which could be expected of an eleven-year-old child.

The report also included a target: that by 2010 this statistic should be reduced by half, lifting approximately 3.5 million adults out of functional illiteracy.

It was recommended that as a longer-term strategy, the elimination of functional illiteracy and innumeracy should be made a government commitment. Sadly, it's now twenty years later, and the literacy target has not yet been met.

The National Literacy Trust provides this statistic for the end of 2015: 5.2 million adults still struggle with reading and are functionally illiterate.

With the right support, people born with Down syndrome are living fuller lives today. There is an increased understanding of the potential these individuals have to excel in areas that were previously considered beyond their abilities.

In particular, educational research aimed at understanding early developmental milestones has revealed that teaching children with Down syndrome to read can lead to greater spoken language gains at a younger age.

Early literacy skills development can encourage a preference for reading as a leisure activity later on in life, and an enhanced ability to participate in school activities.

From kindergarten to higher education, school prepares individuals to live and work in our society.

So what happens when someone leaves school early?

Consider arriving in a foreign country as an adult and not having the language skills you need to talk to your neighbors, let alone pass a citizenship test.

That's where adult basic skills programs come in. Adult education ensures everyone has access to the training in basic reading, writing and numeracy skills that they need to be functioning members of their community.

Classes will typically cover English and Math but may also include career skills, such as computer training.

TOP TIP: Understanding how to use a computer is important for mature learners and can also become a career skill. Being able to touch-type greatly increases the efficiency with which you work at the computer. With TTRS, you can learn typing, and improve reading and spelling skills at the same time. Learn more.