Our work focuses on all aspects of development for people with Down syndrome.
Many things influence development, including our genes, our families and communities,
and the opportunities we are offered. We are interested in all of these - from the
impact of genes to the impact of inclusion.
Our work examines how these things impact life for people with Down syndrome and
what this means for effective support and interventions.
Our work has shown that educational strategies that are targeted to fit the particular
learning needs of people with Down syndrome improve levels of achievement.
A review by Professor Sue Buckley of the current research evidence on teaching reading and writing to individuals with Down syndrome has just been published in the new book Speech and Language Development and Intervention in Down syndrome and Fragile X syndrome.
With the backing of the Sue Buckley Research Fund, the Trust has started three new research studies involving preschool children with Down syndrome. These new studies aim to shed new light on the development of children with Down syndrome during their vital preschool years.
Generous supporters from all over the UK and around the world are backing the Sue Buckley Research Fund - a new fund set up by the Trust to revitalise and accelerate scientific research and education to benefit people with Down syndrome everywhere.
Many of the world's leading scientists, researchers and practitioners have joined The Down Syndrome Educational Trust's new Science, Research and Intervention Advisory Board. They will help lead the Trust's expanding research activities.
The Down Syndrome Educational Trust recently 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 Trust also welcomed representatives of major Down syndrome organisations from around the world to plan a future research agenda.