Education
Please see below some resources that are available to support your child in their journey through education.
Staying safe online is an important topic that needs discussing with all children. The following link highlights an important message designed especially for young people with learning difficulties.
| Know Your Friends With Josh and Sue: animations for children with learning difficulties about staying safe online. Video 1 Video 2 |
Please note these resources have not been tried and tested, they are simply there to signpost you.
For Parents & Carers
There is a wealth of information and support that can be found on the main DSA webpage aimed at parents & carers.
The document called ‘Early support – Down’s Syndrome’ which can be found on the DSA website (fairly near to the bottom of the page) is a useful guide for parents/carers during transition into preschool, primary and then secondary education. To access the resource, click this link.
Down Syndrome Education International
We are an international charity that supports scientific research and delivers evidenced-based advice and information to improve outcomes for children with Down syndrome worldwide.
Here you can see the latest research, resources and services they offer. The resources section includes their See and Learn packages for speech, reading and numbers, as well as a reading & language intervention (see below). They also provide a number of online training courses for parents & teachers.
See and Learn teaching programmes provide evidenced-based activities, guidance and support to help children with Down syndrome to improve their speech, language, reading and numeracy skills.
Reading and Language Intervention (RLI)
The Reading and Language Intervention for Children with Down syndrome (RLI) is a teaching programme designed to improve reading and language outcomes for children with Down syndrome. It supplements and supports regular teaching with daily one-to-one interventions sessions. The intervention sessions follow a consistent format within which instruction is carefully targeted to the individual student.
Each course includes a series of modules, each of which includes a video presentation, handouts and an assessment. The video presentations can be viewed online, handouts downloaded and assessments completed at any time. In addition, course participants are invited to join a discussion forum with DSE tutors for the opportunity to ask questions and seek additional advice.
Reading
There are a number of reading schemes that teach Reading through key words rather than through the use of phonics.
Maths
See and Learn Numbers is designed to help parents and educators teach children basic number skills and concepts.
Behaviour
The following book was written by a Psychologist who shares his approach to behaviour management. The book examines how the brain of a person with Down syndrome works, how those differences impact behaviour, and why bad behaviour should not be viewed as a wilful act.
For Schools
For those starting primary or secondary school in September, the DSA has some great resource packs for teachers and support staff that can be found here.
The resource packs can be accessed by using the link specific links here: Primary Secondary
These resource packs come highly recommended as they give step by step approaches to teaching subjects such as maths and reading in a way that children with Down’s Syndrome will benefit from.
There is also some practical support for teachers and support staff on how to include children with Down’s Syndrome in the mainstream education setting. This resource can also be found at the bottom of this page.
Transition to new school/year groups
To support children as they transition to a new class or school, the ‘All about me’ booklets can be a useful tool in which information can be shared in advance about the child.
World Down’s Syndrome Day
World Down Syndrome Day is a global awareness event on 21 March to celebrate the lives of people with Down’s Syndrome. The DSA have created an assembly PowerPoint that can be used in schools to celebrate the day.
To access this resource, click on the word ‘presentation’ and then use the ‘guidance notes’ to support each slide during the assembly.