Speech and Language Track for professionals

This two-day track provides speech and language professionals with the information and practical advice needed to provide the most effective therapy and support for young people with Down syndrome birth to 16 years of age.

Sharing research evidence to guide practice

This accredited two-day track is suitable for speech and language professionals providing services for young people with Down syndrome from birth to 16 years, and supporting their families. It offers up-to-date, reliable and evidence-based information.

Through this two-day track of keynote and workshop sessions, delegates will learn about:

• The findings of recent research that explores the speech and language development and difficulties of children with Down syndrome from birth to teenage years.
• How we can use this research evidence to develop effective methods and activities to improve their speech, language and communication skills.

In the last 15 years, there has been an increase in research into the speech and language difficulties and cognitive profiles of children with Down syndrome. While there is little research that has actually evaluated speech and language therapies, the research available does provide guidance for designing effective approaches.

This conference track shares information from the two sets of research literature that are relevant when developing evidence-based practice for children and young people with Down syndrome:

• The research that studies the speech and language development of all young people - and the links between speech, language, working memory and literacy development.
• And the research that directly studies the speech, language, working memory and literacy development of children with Down syndrome.

The keynote presentations will illustrate how research information provides guiding principles for effective therapy and education approaches. The workshop sessions will provide information about practical methods and activities that can be applied in the home and in school settings.

We have designed the content of this Training Day to take account of the wide range of abilities present in children with Down syndrome - i.e., both age-appropriate and developmentally-appropriate guidance is provided.

Recognising that the most important resource in any child's life is their family, the presentations will address the ways professionals can work in partnership with families to fully support their child's speech and language development. Professionals will find that much of the practical information and guidance offered in relation to meeting the needs of children with Down syndrome is directly relevant and transferable to their work with other children with learning, communication and language difficulties.

Each presentation will provide delegates with a guide to further reading - covering both key research papers and practical references to allow delegates to extend their knowledge as they wish. This Speech and Language Track for Professionals is accredited by Down Syndrome Education International.

Content

Programme

Click here to view the full Conference Programme.

Session summaries

Delegates on this track will attend all of the following keynote and workshop sessions:

Keynote sessions

Day One

1. Evidence based practice: what does research tell us about the specific language and learning needs of children and young people with Down syndrome?
   • A summary of the research findings on the specific developmental profile associated with Down syndrome.
   • Further detail on the specific speech, language and cognitive profile associated with Down syndrome.
   • Implications of this profile for planning education and therapy programmes.
   • Evidence that we can change the expected profile if we apply this knowledge.
2. What does research tell us about teaching children and young people with Down syndrome to read?
   • What levels of achievement can we expect?
   • What are the most effective teaching approaches?
   • What are the potential benefits for speech, language and memory?

Day Two

3. Evidence for the benefits of inclusion in education and the keys to success.
   • What is inclusive practice in education?
   • What does research tell us about the benefits?
   • What does a school need to do to develop successful inclusive practice?
4. Looking forward: How do we support full inclusion and meaningful lives?
   • Planning for full and meaningful lives.
   • The world of school and community - how to encourage friendships and social inclusion in school and in the community. 
   • The role of inclusive education. 
   • Preparing for adult independence.
   • How to identify demands and to take care of the whole family now and in future years.

Workshop sessions

Day One

1. Developing speech-motor skills and intelligible speech
   • A research update on the development of speech and verbal short-term memory development and the links between them.
   • How having Down syndrome may impact on progress.
   • The implications for developing effective interventions.
   • Some examples of games and activities to develop listening, speech discrimination, speech and verbal memory skills at different ages.
2. Developing vocabulary and grammar
   • A research update on vocabulary and grammar and the relationships between them.
   • Vocabulary and grammar learning in children and teenagers with Down syndrome.
   • Issues affecting assessment of expressive language skills.
   • Ways to develop vocabulary and grammar in both comprehension and production across the age range.
3. Developing literacy skills across the age range
   • Why should speech and language therapists be involved in teaching reading?
   • The links between speech, language and literacy.
   • How to use reading activities to develop spoken language skills.
   • The benefits of supported literacy.
   • Effective ways to develop reading skills.
   • Literacy teaching opportunities across the curriculum.
   • How to further develop phonic skills, decoding and spelling strategies.
   • How to ensure that reading comprehension keeps pace with reading accuracy.

Day Two

4. Developing communication and social skills
   • How do children and teenagers with Down syndrome use their language skills to communicate?
   • An update on research into pragmatics, theory of mind and social perspective taking.
   • How can we improve the social use of language in teenage years?
   • How can we support children and teenagers in sharing their lives and developing friendships - with social/event diaries, conversation diaries and other communication aids.
   • How do we identify and support children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD)? Are these diagnoses always accurate - if not, why not and what are the implications for therapy?
5. Developing working memory skills
   • An update on research into working memory development in typically developing children and those with Down syndrome.
   • The significance of working memory for processing and producing spoken language.
   • Ways to improve working memory development.
   • Ways to reduce the effects working memory deficits on learning in the classroom and at home.
6. Effective use of signing and augmentative communication - risks and benefits
   • An update on research into signing and Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) use with children and teenagers with Down syndrome.
   • How, when and for what purpose should signing be used by parents and taught to children?
   • What are the benefits of signing? What are the possible risks?
   • What do we know about the extent of signing use in children with Down syndrome?
   • What influences the transfer from signing to speaking - and how can we support this?
   • What do we know about the use of symbol and other AAC systems?

Please note: Down Syndrome Education International reserves the right to alter this planned programme and the content of each session, if necessary, in order to provide the best possible service to conference delegates.