Natalie Hale

Natalie Hale is an award-winning author, an innovative educator, and for over 20 years, a national and international speaker on the topic of teaching reading to learners with Down syndrome and other developmental delays. She is the mother of Jonathan, an adult with Down syndrome who lives in his own apartment with the help of a caregiver, and of Rebecca, an ESL (English as a Second Language) professor, a skill she began learning as a toddler, teaching her big brother with Down syndrome to talk. In 2000, Natalie's desire to open the world-wide doors of reading for kids who would often be left behind led her to found Special Reads for Special Needs. Her complete line of food-focused-and-frequently-funny reading books is available on her website, www.specialreads.com. No online snacking allowed on Peanut Butter, Spaghetti, Ice Cream, and Pizza! (Check it out.) In 2017, she launched a Special Reads line of entertaining high-frequency word books that take a beginning reader from zero ability to second-grade reading readiness. (www.specialreads.com) She lives in Los Angeles and continues to write books born of passion, to tutor reading, and to give Reading Workshops across the country and across borders to parents and educators.