Gillian Bird

BSc (Hons) Psychology, PGDip (Information systems

Roles

• Director of Education and Information

• Management of Training courses and services

• Practice Editor, Down Syndrome Research and Practice and Down Syndrome Online

• Management of Down Syndrome Topics and Educational resources online

• Management of AdviceLine and Advice Days

Responsibilities

Gillian's primary responsibilities include education, training and publishing with editorial oversight of practice content submitted for publication in Down Syndrome Research and Practice and Down Syndrome Online. Gillian's areas of scientific expertise include educational practice and inclusion, social skills and behaviour, number and mathematics, and reading, writing and literacy teaching.

Current project involvement

Education projects

• Down Syndrome Issues and Information
• Down Syndrome Topics
• Down Syndrome Activities
• See and Learn
• Down Syndrome in Practice
• Educational resources online
• Training courses and services
• AdviceLine
• Advice Days
• Early Development Groups

Research projects

• Longitudinal study of influences on early development
• Problem solving in young children
• The development and impact of reading skills
• Effectiveness of responsive teaching
• Parental concerns and experiences of support in the pre-school years
• Improving working memory function for school-aged children
• Factors influencing difficulties in reading comprehension
• Reading instruction in schools
• Maths instruction in schools
• The use of bi-focal glasses

Background

Originally from Dorset, Gillian studied psychology at the University of Reading from 1978 – 1981. She worked in specialist education services for children with severe learning difficulties and challenging behaviour in Berkshire, Hertfordshire and Lancashire from 1981 until she joined the charity in 1985.

Gillian first worked with Sue Buckley on a project teaching reading using computers to children with Down syndrome as part of a postgraduate diploma in information systems completed at the University of Portsmouth in 1984. From 1985 she worked as a research assistant and later as a research associate when she investigated the development of language and reading skills with children aged 5-9 years, at a time when children with Down syndrome were typically educated in special schools for children with severe learning difficulties. This changed rapidly from 1986 and Gillian became actively involved in the education of children in fully inclusive mainstream school placements, including writing a book on this topic in 1994. She has continued to work in this field and has contributed to the development of inclusion and education for children with Down syndrome through training, publications and consultancy.

Gillian has been involved in many of the charity's research activities and has acquired knowledge and expertise about the needs of children, families and schools through the unique research and practice opportunities provided by the charity. She co-wrote the charity's Down Syndrome Issues and Information education series of books and led the charity's Early Intervention Services for many years. She continues to lead the charity's advisory services. She is interested in all aspects of the development of children with Down syndrome, including that of children with more complex needs and atypical development.

Gillian lives in Portsmouth. Outside of work she enjoys family life with her teenage son and daughter, who are both studying at local colleges of further education.