Down Syndrome Education Internationalhosts
Research Directions Symposium 2007

Down Syndrome Education Internationalrecently welcomed over 70 researchers and practitioners to a symposium to discuss the current status of Down syndrome research and future directions. Leading geneticists, molecular biologists, neuroscientists and psychologists joined speech and language therapists, paediatricians and other practitioners at the meeting hosted in Portsmouth, UK. The charity also welcomed representatives of major Down syndrome organisations from around the world to plan a future research agenda.

Wide, international support

The Down Syndrome Research Directions Symposium 2007 was hosted by Down Syndrome Education Internationalin association with The Anna and John J Sie Foundation (USA).

The symposium also received generous support from the Down Syndrome Foundation of Orange County (USA) and the National Down Syndrome Society (USA).

The symposium was also supported by Down Syndrome International, the Down Syndrome Research Foundation (Canada), the European Down Syndrome Association, Down Syndrome Ireland, the Down's Syndrome Association (UK), Creating Solutions (USA), the Association Francaise pour la Recherche sur la Trisomie 21 (France), the University of Portsmouth (UK) and the Education Centre for Children with Down Syndrome (UK).

A clear agenda

The Down Syndrome Research Directions Symposium 2007 aimed to review our understanding of Down syndrome, identify and prioritise the research directions that promise to deliver practical benefits for the development, and quality of life of people with Down syndrome and their families in the near to medium term (5-10 years), and identify current best practice in development, education and healthcare.

Specifically, the Down Syndrome Research Directions Symposium 2007 explored:

• The current state of knowledge in genetics, neuroscience, developmental, cognitive and educational psychology, communication science and many areas of health and medicine
• The leading hypotheses of current interest and future directions in research
• The opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration and pooled data resources
• The best practice in research methods and study design for working with people with Down syndrome
• The practical implications of current research for effective educational and development interventions and preventive healthcare
• The factors involved in transferring knowledge from research to practice
• The outcomes from research and practice for quality of life improvements for people with Down syndrome

Examining research at all levels

During the 3 day science symposium, contributors explored what is understood about Down syndrome at all levels. The symposium reviewed what is understood about the biological consequences of the additional genetic material present in the cells of people with Down syndrome, including what is currently know about the genes on chromosome 21 and their functions. The symposium also explored what is understood about the neuropathology and aspects of brain function associated with Down syndrome. The symposium's exploration of modern molecular biology and neuroscience were set in the context of a comprehensive review of our understanding of the clinical, cognitive and behavioural issues relevant to the development of people with Down syndrome.

Topics explored by the symposium included social emotional development, motor skills, sleep disturbance, hearing and vision, autism, family adaptation, attention and cognition, memory and learning, speech perception and production, language acquisition, literacy, numeracy, genetics and molecular biology, neuropsychological findings, animal models and translational research.

Promoting international interdisciplinary collaboration

This unique event brought scientists and practitioners from many disciplines and backgrounds together to explore opportunities for collaboration to further advance our understanding and to identify effective strategies and interventions to better support all areas of development for people with Down syndrome.

Scientists, practitioners and Down syndrome organisation leaders attended from Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Italy, Norway, Spain and from all across the UK and the USA.

A new research agenda

Following the scientific meeting, representatives of Down syndrome organisations, scientists and practitioners met to plan the next steps in accelerating progress in research and practice to support people with Down syndrome around the world. There was a common consensus about the need for greater international collaboration, larger longitudinal studies and for improved interdisciplinary partnerships. The group planned a number of important next steps for the international Down syndrome community. These will be announced shortly and published in the symposium proceedings.

Proceedings to be published online

The full proceedings of the symposium will be published in the Open Access journal Down Syndrome Research and Practice. Review papers from many of the working groups involved in the symposium will also be published in forthcoming issues of Down Syndrome Research and Practice.

Further information

• Down Syndrome Research Directions Programme, Sponsors and Contributors