Education and Early Intervention
Education
Few people would disagree with the premise that education is a right for every child
and that quality education influences all aspects of children’s development.
Children
with Down syndrome only achieved a right to any education in the 1970s in developed
countries and they were then offered special education in disability settings. In
the 1980s and 1990s, some countries began to develop inclusive education opportunities,
enabling the child with Down syndrome to be a full member of an age-appropriate
class and to learn with brothers, sisters and others in their neighbourhood.
The benefits of inclusive education are not accepted without debate in even the
most developed countries and even when they are, there is still a need to develop
the most effective inclusive practices.
Related topics
The Trust is also active in these related areas of work:
Further reading and resources
Research
The Trust pioneered the development of inclusive education for children
with Down syndrome from 1988 and
has worked continuously to support children through an outreach service in
the local school districts since that time.
Benefits of inclusion
The Trust collected research data in 1999-2000 which demonstrates that teenagers
with Down syndrome educated from preschool years in inclusive classrooms show large
gains in speech, language and literacy achievements when compared with teenagers
of similar ability educated in special education classrooms[1,2]. The
teenagers in inclusive classrooms had been supported by psychologists from the Trust
and teaching and learning strategies had been adapted to take account of their specific
cognitive and learning profile.
Changing the cognitive profile
The outcome data not only demonstrates the benefits of learning in an inclusive
environment, it also shows that it is possible to remove the expected gap between
the speech, language and literacy skills (usually a weakness) and the social and
practical skills of the teenagers (usually a strength)[3].
Future plans
The Trust plans to conduct a larger, cross sectional study in order to
see if the benefits for speech, language and literacy for teenagers are
replicated in inclusive education provision in other parts of the UK. In
addition this study will include primary school age children and will
indicate at what age the benefits emerge. This may have significance for
designing the most effective inclusive educational approaches for each age
group.
Impact
The Trust’s inclusion work since 1988 has had a significant impact on
education practice in the UK and across the world. The Trust receives more
requests to provide presentations and training on inclusive education for
children with Down syndrome than on any other topic. The evidence of the
benefits of inclusive education has increased pressure on school systems to
develop effective inclusive provision. The Trust’s experience in
providing and supporting inclusive education for some 20 years makes their
expertise second to none.
Education
The Trust has published 6 books on educational topics for teachers and parents.
It has recently published a DVD which illustrates the keys to successful inclusion
in practice through the experience of parents and educators involved in the
education of 5 children with Down syndrome in primary education. On education
issues and practice, the Trust staff have published 2 book chapters, 2 papers in
refereed journals, 12 articles in other publications and presented 18 keynotes and
papers at peer-reviewed conferences
References
- Buckley, S.J., Bird, G., Sacks, B. & Archer, T (2006). A comparison of mainstream
and special school education for teenagers with Down syndrome: Implications for
parents and teachers. Down Syndrome Research and Practice 9 (3), 54-67. [Open Access Full Text
]
- Buckley, S., Bird, G., Sacks, B., & Archer, T. (2002). The achievements of teenagers
with Down syndrome. Down Syndrome News and Update, 2(3), 90-96.
- Buckley, S., Bird, G. & Sacks, B. (2006) Evidence that we can change the profile
from a study of inclusive education. Down Syndrome Research and Practice 9 (3) 51-53.
[Open Access Full Text
]
A full list of publications
related to work in this area is also available.