Educating learners with Down syndrome can seem daunting at first, but this practical guide for teachers and carers to using evidence-based practices shows you how. Taking a unique lifespan, curriculum-based approach, Rhonda M. Faragher promotes the understanding that people with Down syndrome are a diverse group with vast potential and varied…

For students with disabilities, including those with complex support needs, inclusion means more than just physical presence in a classroom--it means valued membership and full participation in a general education classroom and the school community. This book is your school team's practical blueprint for making authentic inclusion happen in K-12…

Decades before educators began to draw teaching and learning implications from neuroscientists' groundbreaking findings on brain plasticity, Reuven Feuerstein had already theorized it and developed practices for teaching and developing higher-level cognition and learning for all students, including those with Down syndrome and other learning…

This article discusses how real research on Down syndrome, being done in a lab at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), was incorporated into a laboratory activity for middle school students. The activity asked students to evaluate real evidence from the research laboratory of a GK-12 fellow (a graduate student funded by the…

When a baby is born with Down syndrome, his or her parents should know that there's a lot of help available--and immediately. Shortly after the diagnosis of Down syndrome is confirmed, parents will want to get in touch with the early intervention system in their community. Early intervention is a system of services designed to help infants and…

Recognized as the definitive reference in the field, this book addresses a broad range of biologically based disorders that affect children's learning and development. Leading authorities review the genetics of each disorder; its course and outcome; associated developmental, cognitive, and psychosocial challenges; and what clinicians and educators…

The mathematical development of children with Down syndrome (DS) is largely uncharted territory and yet the experience of parents and teachers reminds people that children with DS can and do learn mathematics. In this article, the authors describe a study that examines the mathematical development of children with DS, and offer suggestions arising…

Katrina is 10 years old and has Down syndrome. She is making good progress with learning numbers and mathematics. We describe how Katrina has learned number concepts and arithmetic skills over several years. We highlight the influence of early learning habits, visual supports, motivation and practice, and the uses made of different number…

One curriculum that can be used by physical educators to promote positive social skills between students with Down syndrome (DS) and their peers is adventure programming. Adventure programming combines experiential learning, physical activity, and group facilitation techniques that physical education teachers can implement as a way to build an…

This study sought to determine the prevalence of bruxism in a Mexican community of children with Down syndrome, and to evaluate bruxism's relationship with age, sex, intellectual disability level, and type of chromosomal abnormality of trisomy 21. Using a cross-sectional design, 57 boys and girls (3 to 14 years old) were examined. Three approaches…

The digest presents an overview on Down Syndrome. The history of the term is traced to its association with Dr. John Langdon Down who first described the condition in 1866. Characteristics of Down Syndrome are noted, including mental retardation, short stature, epicanthic folds, reduced muscle tone, joint hyperflexibility, and premature aging.…

Since the early 1980s, it has become increasingly common for children with special needs to be included in regular classrooms. In this article, the author addresses issues surrounding the inclusion of students with special needs into the regular classroom. She discusses potential sources of difficulty with mathematics and suggests strategies to…

Bridging the gap between child development and strategies for inclusion, this book is intended to help early childhood practitioners and pre-service teachers feel better equipped to meet the needs of all the children in their early childhood setting. Each chapter of the book is a case study introducing a child (ages birth to 8 years) with one or…