From Down Syndrome Education International
Behavioral approaches take the view that behaviors are learned and continue to be used because they are rewarding for a child. These approaches can inform early interventions and behavior modification strategies. Research suggests these approaches can be helpful for children with Down syndrome.
Read more at: www.dseinternational.org/en-us/education21/13/
View all examples at: www.dseinternational.org/en-us/education21/
A Letter to the Editor of the Duxbury Clipper
We have recently learned that you have several students with Down syndrome in the Duxbury school district.
Although significant strides have been made in the past few decades in areas of health, education, and public perception of people with Down syndrome, many misperceptions still exist. Stereotypes and pre-conceived notions can limit opportunities for people with Down syndrome to live up to their full potential.
In the 1940’s, Dr. Spock recommended institutionalization for babies born with Down syndrome. Many individuals spent their lives without access to education or the outside world. That fact, coupled with the fact that Down syndrome is a low-incidence disability, and the life expectancy as recently as the 1980s was only 25 years of age, has shaped some of society’s outdated generalizations and expectations. Thanks to remarkable advances in medicine, the new life expectancy is 60 years of age. This has allowed for researchers to delve deeper into the role that the extra 21st chromosome has on lifelong development.
New advances in Down syndrome research have uncovered a great deal about how individuals with Down syndrome process information and learn. Students with Down syndrome have cognitive strengths that can support them in a general education classroom setting. Most children with Down syndrome are strong visual learners, and, with targeted instruction, some children have the capacity to learn to read whole words as young as 3 years old.
Read more at http://duxburyclipper.ma.newsmemory.com
From Down Syndrome Education International
Early intervention has been advocated for children with Down syndrome since the 1970s as a means to improving development during the critical early years. Yet, there is a disturbing lack of research assessing the benefits of specific interventions. Some available studies suggest that different interventions can result in substantially different outcomes, indicating that further research is urgently needed.
Read more at: www.dseinternational.org/en-us/education21/12/
View all examples: www.dseinternational.org/en-us/education21/
From The Boston Globe – Globe South
There is such joy in Lucy. I don’t always see it. Sometimes I’m too focused on improving her, reminding her to stand up straight, to look a person in the eye when she’s saying hello and goodbye, to slow down her words when she talks.
“Can you say that again, Lucy?” “Where are your shoes?” “Did you brush your teeth?” “Do you have your seat belt buckled?” Always on her case but for her own good, right?
Lucy, my first-born grandchild, is 11. I worried so about her when she was born. I still do. She has Down syndrome. There are plenty of reasons for worry.
But I worry about my other grandkids, too. You love someone and you want to protect them. And you can’t. So you worry.
From wbur.org
Regina Robinson, dean of students at Cambridge College, is the newest member of the Boston School Committee. She explains how her life has changed after…
Read more at: http://www.wbur.org/2015/01/14/regina-robinson-boston-school-committee
From Down Syndrome Education International
Motivation is important for learning. It is often assumed that children with learning disabilities are less motivated than other children. Recent research suggests this might not be the case: children with Down syndrome can be as motivated as other children at the same stage of mental development.
Read more at: www.dseinternational.org/en-us/education21/11/
View all examples at: www.dseinternational.org/en-us/education21/
From Down Syndrome Education International
An increasing number of children with Down syndrome are being diagnosed as also having autism or autistic spectrum disorder (ASD). Research is exploring the prevalence and the characteristics of autism and autistic spectrum disorders in people with Down syndrome, and informing more reliable diagnosis. More research is needed to better understand these dual diagnoses and to identify effective ways to support development and learning for these children.
Read more at: www.dseinternational.org/en-us/education21/10/
View all examples: www.dseinternational.org/en-us/education21/
From Huffington Post
The way that K-12 learners are taught is in rapid flux, particularly when it comes to students in special education programs. These are the students that need the most help and support and the ones where a push for higher parental involvement does not always bridge the academic gap. These students need highly-trained teachers and program resources designed with them in mind to succeed. Because of this, special education researchers, practitioners, and activists are always looking for innovative ways to serve those students that need the help the most. This year was one of many wins for special education students and the start to many great initiatives in the future.
U.S. Education Department raises special education benchmarks. Earlier last year, the U.S. Department of Education announced that the way it determines if states are meeting the needs of their students with disabilities is going to change. Factors like state graduation rates and test scores will now be considered more heavily when determining what states are helping, and what states are failing, their special education students. States that are unable to meet the new benchmarks set forth for three years or more could face losing some of their special education funding.
So just how different are the new requirements, and how difficult will it be for states to achieve the benchmarks when it comes to special education students? To put it in perspective, 41 states met the requirements of the old system. Under the new requirements, only 18 states meet the standards. It is estimated that 6.5 million children in the U.S. have disabilities.
Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/matthew-lynch-edd/3-big-wins-for-special-ed_b_6416902.html