Introduction Down syndrome is a genetic disorder that showcases mental and physical symptoms, where both develop at a slower rate compared to others who do not have Down syndrome. “One of every 700-900 babies born worldwide will have Down syndrome” Scope of the study This investigation focuses on how Down syndrome impacts a child’s ability to learn. This investigation will look at children between the ages of 5 and 12 who have Down syndrome, and how they develop through play and learning. These are the focus questions which will be used in the Research: 1. What is Down syndrome and what effect does it have on learning? 2. Does Down syndrome affect a child’s ability to learn how to play? 3. How can teachers encourage children with Down syndrome …show more content…
There are a number of strategies that can be implemented in order to encourage a child with Down syndrome to learn. For example, during group activities, the child should sit where they can see and hear the teacher. Most of the time this is towards the front of the group, with their back to any bright windows so then they can learn and not be distracted. It is good for the child to be reminded that they need to listen to what the teacher has to say so then they know what they will have to. If they are not given this reminder, they will continually ask for help and will rely on the teacher to always assist them in their learning. The best thing for teachers to do this is to avoid “helping” the child too much; even though a child with Down syndrome does have many more obstacles to overcome in regards to their learning than other children. Teachers and parents should also encourage children with Down syndrome to play both outside and inside so then the children will know what activities they can do when they would like to play. For example, while teaching them how to play, the best thing to do is to make a table showing the things that they will have to do in order, which will help them remember what to do
People with Down syndrome often have at least one intellectual disability. Often they have problems with talking but there are many people who have regular visits with speech pathologists that have worked they way up to being able to talk clearly. People with Down syndrome are often unhappy to the way some people treat them, as
Individuals with Down syndrome are becoming increasingly integrated into society and community organizations, such as school, health care systems, work forces, and social and recreational activities. Individuals with Down syndrome possess varying degrees of cognitive delays, from very mild to severe. Most people with Down syndrome have cognitive delays that are mild to moderate.
Babies with Down syndrome are usually sociable infants,they like to communicating nonverbal ways to communicating with people. Some children would learn sign-language or gesture in their way of talking. Children and adults with Down syndrome continue to develop good social skills and appropriate social behaviour, though a significant minority may develop difficult behaviours, particularly those with the greatest delays in speech and language development (https://www.dseinternational.org).
Parenting a child with Down syndrome can be as rewarding as parenting a child without disability. Consideration also needs to be given to the cost of raising a child with Down syndrome. The National Down Syndrome Society state children with Down syndrome are now living longer lives and may require specialized education, increased medical costs due to heart abnormalities, and long term physical rehabilitation due to the generalized weaknesses related to weak muscle tone. There is a substantial cost factor to consider when raising a child with Down
Babies are born with poor muscle tone causing weak muscles and making it harder for them to develop motor skills such as using their arms and legs. It is harder for them to grasp objects, crawl, and walk. Children with Down syndrome have difficulty with their cognitive (thinking) abilities, problem solving, memory retention, social, language, and motor skills. This is one reason why people with Down syndrome become frustrated very easily.
There is no single, standard treatment for Down syndrome. Treatments are based on each person's personal needs, limitations, and strengths. A child with Down syndrome would likely receive care from a team of health professionals, which includes physicians, special educators, speech therapists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and social workers. “Early intervention” refers to a range of specialized programs and resources that professionals provide to children with Down syndrome as well as their families. A variety of therapies can be used in early intervention programs to promote the greatest possible development, independence, and productivity. Some of these therapies include physical therapy, speech-language therapy, occupational
I spent my evenings researching how to raise a child with Down syndrome and there were a lot of facts that helped guide me. One very important advice was to never spoil my child for spoiling my child can have negative consequences such as my other child becoming jealous and my child with Down syndrome not able to develop independence and self esteem (Selikowitz, M., 2008). It is also recommended to involve the class teacher as much as possible, speaking to the teacher to request if he or she would be willing to speak positively about disabilities, which may provide a mutual support among classmates (Selikowitz, M.,
A child will learn best when they have a positive role model to look up to and for a child with a disability that positive role model might be one of his or her peers or teacher. More important to find out the
Down syndrome has a large impact on human development, both mental and physical. Some of the common physical affects according to The Mayo Clinic: Flattened facial features, poor muscle tone,
Kids like to run, jump, play around, and individuals with down syndrome have a hard time developing the motor skills in order to do so. According to the National Down Syndrome Society, there is physical therapy that helps kids develop those motor skills at a young age. It helps develop the skills necessary to be able to run, jump, and play around, which can overall contribute to their overall quality of life. Children that started Therapy at a young age tend to show more improvements in terms of speech, mobility, flexibility, etc.
The ability to communicate effectively is important to the social and emotional development of the individual and their ability to interact, function independently and be a part of the larger society. Acquiring effective communication is often hindered by significantly delayed or deficient speech and language development in individuals with Down syndrome. This developmental delay is attributed to mild impairments or significant deficits in some of the physiological and processing systems that are needed for the production of speech and its intelligibility. (Cleland, Wood, Hardcastle, Wishart, & Timmins, 2010). Speech production and intelligibility in individuals with Down syndrome are typically complicated by oral-motor development delays, problems in needed processing systems (phonological and/or auditory), discernable anatomical structural differences that are specific to the mouth and throat, and in many cases hearing impairment or significant hearing loss (Wright, Kaiser, Reikowsky, & Roberts, 2013). Individuals with Down syndrome show specific deficits in developing spoken language beyond what would be typically expected for their specific developed mental age versus their chronological age. (Bunton, Leddy, & Miller, 2007). However, without severe cognitive impairment or retardation, children with Down syndrome are typically observed to want to communicate. In fact, from a very early age, children
Down syndrome is a chromosomal condition that affects 1in every 700 kids. Down syndrome is when a child has and extra copy of chromosome 21. Down syndrome has many ways of telling if the child has down syndrome, like physical features. You can also tell if a child has down syndrome based on how they act. There are different ways of obtaining down syndrome. Kids with down syndrome are no different than kids that were born with the normal set of chromosomes, they just act a little different and need a little bit more help.
There are no single treatment for Down’s syndrome. The treatments must be based on each individual disabilities such as behavioral, physical or intellectual needs. The medical support for Down syndrome requires multidisciplinary team plans; this is needed to support the child’s potential for development interruptions. The multidisciplinary team consist of physicians, nurses, special educators, speech therapists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, family and social workers. Everyone should provide simultaneous and reassurance to the child. At physical therapist includes “activities and exercises that help build motor skills, increase muscle strength, and improve posture and balance. A physical therapist also can help a child with
No matter the type of person or disability they have there is always lessons you can learn from them. I have been working with numerous Down syndrome and Fragile X girls and boys for the past few years. I’ve always recognized the hardships my students go through during school and throughout their daily routine, However, reading in depth about how difficult it is for someone who is intellectually disabled to learn/grasp intellectual concepts and to acclimate into adulthood. It brought a new perspective towards the way I look at my students. I have a new level of respect towards my students because no matter how many stumbling blocks my students have to go through they are always eager and excited to learn. I respect my students immensely.
More often than not, children diagnosed with Down syndrome get viewed as lesser of a human being than an average person. Why is that? Is it because of their looks or IQ? Is appearing different really all that different? By taking a look into what Down syndrome is, how it affects them and those around them, and how it can be treated will prove they have the potential to do more than an average person.