31/08/2026
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Sharing a book with a person living with PMLD is a wonderful, intimate engagement that does not need any kind of preparation. You can take advantage of a spare five minutes any time to grab a book, find a quiet corner and share something precious.
Reading a book for your learning partner can be so much more than reciting the words and turning the pages, you can make it into a dynamic experience for your partner, giving them lots of agency and an opportunity for them to teach you important things about them.
Sensory story and immersive story are even more wonderful, but this post is about times you just grab a picture book and go for it!
1 Remember 90% of the enjoyment for your partner is you, them having your attention and focus and feeling your kindness. Reading together is a way of deepening your relationship and making them feel noticed and valued. Sit close so you can see them as well as the book, and so they can feel this is an intimate activity involving them and someone who loves to be with them.
Make sure you are calm and relaxed, shared reading involves coregulation.
Keep your head level with theirs, and position yourself where you can see each other’s faces easily, and either of you can initiate eye contact.
2 Reading a picture book actively can take longer than you might think. Watch your partner’s face, see if they are still focussed on a picture, do not hurry to turn the page each time. Active reading together is a process of reading your partner even more than reading the words.
3 If they focus on a detail on the page, take time to focus on it too and comment. They might not understand your comment, but they might well understand that you too are finding that detail interesting. Try to recognise why it is special for them, they may inadvertently be telling you something important about the way they perceive shape and colour, or their ability to interpret a picture.
4 Inject warmth into your voice. People with PMLD can be very astute at reading your emotional state, and that can be the nicest part of the sharing experience for them.
Read slowly, and exaggerate any rhythmic pattern in the text. Feel free to repeat a good bit. People often love and respond to the music of rhythmic patterns.
5 Do the voices of the characters, inject a little drama and quietly perform. It is fun for both of you, and adds meaning to the text for people who have little or no receptive language skill.
6 Decide together when to turn the page, there may well be a micro signal that shows when your partner’s curiosity about the next page outweighs their interest in the current page. This is part of the process of giving agency.
7 Let them know you are enjoying the story, demonstrate enjoyment.
8 They may require breaks (stop burst engagement), you are likely to be able to tell when they are disengaged, put the book down but let them know you are still with them. Do not move away, they are likely to still want you there. Watch for signs that let you know when they are ready to resume.
9 Notice which books they looks at the longest or which cause the clearest responses, these are their favourites, but remember, favourites change!
10 Please don’t worry about ‘age appropriate’. If you keep your choices of books ‘individual appropriate’ you are more likely to be able to connect with your partner and share an experience they will enjoy!
I have a big collection of books, some chosen for the colourful, easily defined pictures, some for the strongly rhythmic text, and some because they are just beautiful books. It is ok to use books that you love too, your learning partner may well enjoy learning about you and the things you like as well as revisiting their own favourite texts.
Do please feel free to name your favourite sharing books in the comments if you like, I am often surprised and delighted to stumble across a beautiful new title whose existence is a revelation to me, and others may well want to explore your choices too.
