Can we teach math through reading?

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By Alex Lauric

Increasingly research is showing that a powerful way of connecting school mathematics to everyday life is by exposing children to the mathematics embedded in literature.  We are talking about books of literary quality which were not written for the primary purpose of teaching math. Instead the books are supposed to provide a pleasurable literary experience with mathematics used to serve the story for authentic purposes. Children’s literature can provide children with a meaningful context for learning math, by connecting mathematical ideas to their personal experiences. Reading these stories can help build up informal knowledge to serve as a foundation for developing formal and generalized understanding of mathematics.

The question is can we apply this research to our children with Down syndrome? It may be worth trying; we have the need and the children have the strength for it.

For the need: Numeracy and math in general, are difficult for most children with Down syndrome. Because math is a relative weakness, children are at risk for becoming resistant to instruction for fear of failure and frustration. In most cases, in order to make progress and reach their potential, children need additional work and practice outside the school.

For the strength: Reading skills are an area of relative strength! Our children love books, love reading and are good at it. They are visual learners and master skills by repetition and over-learning. Can we channel the success in reading toward making math, especially numeracy skills, more accessible?

Reading can be a non-threatening way of introducing new concepts. The story provides the justification for pointing out mathematical ideas without formal teaching and testing. Books can be used both to preview and review skills, and can be revisited over and over again. Same skills can be presented in several books providing variation while focusing on targeted concepts. We are reading to our children anyway; why not pick up some good books highlighting math ideas? Here are some suggestions to get us started.

Title Author Recommended
grades		 Math concept
Bear in a Square Stella Blackstone PreK- K 2d shapes
The First Day of Winter Denise Fleming PreK- K counting, reasoning
One Monkey Too Many Jackie F. Koller PreK- K counting
Sheep in a Shop Nancy E. Shaw PreK- 1 money
Anno’s Counting Book MitsumasaAnno PreK- 3 counting, sets
What Time is it, Mr. Crocodile? Judy Sierra PreK- 3 time
Ten on the Sled Kim Norman K – 1 counting
Emily’s First 100 Days of School Rosemary Wells K – 1 counting
A Dollar for Penny! Julie Glass K – 1 money
Five Little Monkeys Go Shopping Eileen Christelow K – 1 counting subtraction
I’m the biggest thing in the ocean Kevin Sherry K – 2 counting, length
Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday Judith Viorst K – 3 money
Inch by Inch Leo Lionny K – 3 measurement
Ready, Set, 100th day! Nancy Wallace 1 – 2 place value, addition, subtraction
Counting on Frank Rod Clement 1 – 3 counting, estimation, comparisons
Five Creatures Emily Jenkins 1 – 3 sorting
One is a snail, ten is a crab April P. Sayre 1 – 3 place value, addition
Two of Everything Lily T. Hong 1 – 3 addition, subtraction
Bean Thirteen Matthew McElligott 1 – 3 odd/even numbers
365 Penguins Jean-Luc Fromental 1 – 4 addition
It’s Probably Penny LoreenLeedy 1 – 4 probability
Measuring Penny LoreenLeedy 2 – 4 measurement

 

Bibliography

1. Capraro RM, Capraro MM: Are you really going to read us a story? Learning geometry through children’s mathematics literature. Reading Psychology 27:21-36, 2006

2. Adams TL, Lowery RM: An Analysis of Children’s Strategies for Reading Mathematics. Reading & Writing Quarterly 23:161-177, 2007

3. Heuvel-Panhuizen Mvd, Boogaard Svd: Picture Books as an Impetus for Kindergartners’ Mathematical Thinking. Mathematical Thinking and Learning 10:341-373, 2008

4. Elia I, van den Heuvel‐Panhuizen M, Georgiou A: The role of pictures in picture books on children’s cognitive engagement with mathematics. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal 18:275-297, 2010

5. Marston JL, Muir T, Livy S: Can We Really Count on Frank? Teaching Children Mathematics 19:440-448, 2013

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Dealing with Challenging Behaviors 

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Dealing with challenging behaviors can be frustrating and overwhelming for parents and educators. It is helpful to remember that all behavior, whether positive or negative, serves a function.  When we are able to analyze the function of a specific behavior, we can then begin to figure out what the child is trying to tell us with their behavior. Some common functions of challenging behaviors in children with Down syndrome include attention-seeking behaviors, escape/avoidance, and communication. Once we have a sense of what the function of a specific behavior is, we can begin to find positive replacement behaviors that better serve the child in getting his/her needs met.

Some tips for addressing challenging behavior
It is important to remain calm and neutral otherwise your reaction may unwillingly reinforce the behavior. While it can be difficult to do, remember that the behavior is not about you it is about something the child is trying to communicate. Respond but do NOT React.

1. Make sure your response to the behavior is calm and concise. Give a simple redirection and then move on.

2. Pick your battles: If the behavior is not unsafe then it is probably not a big deal. One way to think about this is to put behaviors in different “baskets” or categories.

              – Basket 1: The behavior is unsafe-it needs to be addressed.
              – Basket 2: The behavior is not unsafe but could be a problem – you have to    make a judgment call about addressing it.
              – Basket 3: The behavior is not unsafe or disruptive to others – consider not addressing it at all.

3. Use positive behavior interventions:
              – Offer choices (helps in avoiding power struggles and allows children some control)
              – Redirect (distract the child by redirecting to a preferred activity)
              – Use “First-Then” strategy (“First put away 5 blocks then you can have computer time”).

4. Reinforce the behaviors you want to see by giving praise and attention for those behaviors and giving as little attention as possible to behaviors you are trying to decrease.

5. Keep behavior plans simple and user friendly: Sticker Chart, marble jar…

Remember, behavior is a function of communication. When we keep this in mind we can help children find positive, functional ways to communicate how they are feeling and get their needs met.

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Down syndrome From a Sister’s Perspective

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By Brianna

Most of my friends have siblings, but almost none of them have one quite like mine. As a sister of a thirteen year old brother with Down syndrome, I often go to friends to tell them a funny story or to vent about a frustrating event that just happened, all revolving around Chris. Despite the times when I think it would be easier to have a sibling without Down syndrome, Chris is probably the most outgoing, talkative person I have ever met and having him as my brother has made my life so interesting and taught me many things.

Both kids and adults with Ds often say whatever is on their mind and don’t have much of a filter. This leads to so many funny moments but also some quite embarrassing moments for me, my mom and my dad. One story that comes to mind is an event that happened in a CVS store. We were there buying medicine and there was an Indian man wearing a turban on his head. Now, Chris, being 9 years old at the time, thinks nothing of pointing and yelling out “Look Mom! It’s a genie!” We were mortified. Luckily this man was nice, found it humorous and entirely understood that Chris meant nothing by it. Three years later, it’s a great story to tell and one day, I’m sure Chris will understand the humor in it too.

Many people with Ds also act on impulse. While typical people usually think things through before acting, those with Ds often don’t. In my case, this causes my home life to be very hectic at times. A story that I will honestly remember forever happened one year while my family was on vacation in Orlando, Florida. At about 6 o’clock in the morning, Chris decided he wanted to go for a swim. He left the hotel room in his pajamas- without telling anyone. My mom finally realizes he’s gone, tells resort security, wakes me up and we all begin frantically searching. Now, this is exactly what we all love doing at 6 am! Not too long after, we found him. Chris was in the pool, exactly where he wanted to go because he is always on a mission. But, being the diligent, practical thinker he is, he knows that we should never swim in our pajamas! So, correction:  Chris was in the pool, naked, with the lifeguard ring keeping him afloat. At least my mom knows she taught him well. Safety first!

Having a sibling with Ds has truly taught me the meaning of the word PATIENCE! I even won a patience award as a counselor at a nature camp and I am sure I have Chris to thank for that one. He’s never in a rush to go anywhere and he really lives in the moment. He doesn’t rush from one thing to the next like the majority of us do nowadays. Patience seems like a very good quality to have until you throw in the schedules of the other three family members on top of Chris’s activities of karate, soccer, Boy Scouts, skiing, baseball and/or sailing (I haven’t even mentioned any of the activities I do)! We are always in a rush but, with a sibling with Down syndrome, sometimes there really is no other choice but to wait and be patient.

Although there are some struggles in having a brother with Ds, I don’t know what I would do without him. As most people with Down syndrome, Chris is very in touch with feelings and extremely empathetic. He has a way of cheering others up no matter what and Chris always picks me up when I’m down. I couldn’t imagine my life with a typical sibling because there are so many things people with Down syndrome bring to the world. I think, and many would agree, that it’s a shame there are less and less people with Ds today because when most parents find out they are having a child with Down syndrome, they abort these innocent, funny, smart and most of all loving people, just because of one extra chromosome.

 

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Pre-natal testing for Down syndrome: Why bother?

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The following piece appeared in the Spring 2015 edition of Down Syndrome World magazine.

History shows that when pre-natal tests for conditions that cannot be treated in the womb are introduced, termination of these pregnancies increase.  Down syndrome is no exception.  25 years ago when amniocentesis was the only definitive test for Down syndrome, researchers calculated a 20% abortion rate.[1]  Over the last two decades, however, as new tests were introduced the abortion rate skyrocketed.  The most recent published study on this reports that between 2006-2010, there were ~5,300 babies with Down syndrome born and  ~3,100 selective abortions performed in the U.S. annually, concluding that the rate of live births of babies with Down syndrome was approximately 30% lower than it would be without prenatal testing.[2]  Clearly, advances in prenatal testing since the 1970s have been followed by increased selective abortions for Down syndrome.

In 2011 Non-Invasive Prenatal Screening (NIPS) tests for Down syndrome were introduced.  These are deeply troubling as we can only expect further increases in the abortion rate.  While we know that some parents legitimately use prenatal testing to prepare, the stark reality is that it is usually used to detect, then abort, pregnancies testing positive for an extra 21st chromosome.  Such pre-natal tests move us closer to eliminating entire sub-populations.

Every individual has unique value, no matter what his or her capabilities.  Since there was nothing positive we could do about the results, we declined pre-natal testing for Down syndrome in both of our pregnancies.  While we were initially devastated when our first-born was diagnosed with Down syndrome at birth, we soon learned to appreciate our son’s many gifts.  Evan has an unparalleled “joie de vie” (love for life)- an attitude we could all learn from.  He also has taught us that “imperfection” is what makes us all human.  Such a lesson no pre-natal test can predict.

[1] Egan et. al., “Demographic differences in Down syndrome live births from 1989 to 2006”, Prenatal Diagnosis, 31 (2011)

[2] de Graaf et. al., “Estimate for the live births, natural losses and elective terminations with Down syndrome in the United States.”, American Journal of Medical Genetics, Part A 167A (2015)

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Your Legislative Advocacy Makes a Difference

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I attended the Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress (MDSC) Legislative Advocacy Day on June 4 mainly because two bills in the Legislature are important to me and should be important to all of us with family members who have Down syndrome. The first bill is House Bill 1064/Senate Bill 672 which is an act to create higher education opportunities for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Massachusetts’ Inclusive Concurrent Enrollment (ICE) program gives 18-22 year old students with disabilities, who have not passed MCAS, higher education opportunities in an inclusive college setting. Despite the proven success of the program and greatly increased demand, the ICE program is extremely limited, and year after year, underfunded.

Why is this so important? Because research shows that being in an inclusive setting is one of the highest predictors of becoming a contributing, participating member of society as an adult. My son, Christopher, is now at Easton Middle School and is included in the general education classes about 60% of the time. He has been in an inclusive setting since Kindergarten and I want to see this continue throughout his entire education. What sense does it make to be in an inclusive setting through 12th grade, and then be in an exclusionary setting as he’s reaching adulthood? He ought to be able to access the same higher-ed opportunities and activities as his same-aged peers, with modifications and supports. My vision is for him to continue his education in an inclusive setting after high school so that he is best prepared to live as an independent adult in his community. Ideally, he would attend Bridgewater State University which participates in the ICE program.

The Legislature’s Task Force on College Inclusion for Students with Intellectual Disabilities and Autism issued a report in April 2014 recommending expanding inclusive higher education opportunities over 5 years throughout the Commonwealth’s 29 public institutions of higher education. H1064/S672 expands ICE’s grant program, supporting partnerships between high schools and public institutions of higher education in order to include more students. Post-secondary education may seem like a far way into the future, but we need to start advocating now if we want our children to have access to post-secondary education.

The other bill that is important to me is House Bill 3271, an act concerning nondiscrimination access to organ transplantation. This is part of a state by state legislative effort to prohibit discrimination against anyone with an intellectual, developmental or psychiatric disability from receiving an organ transplant. The most common reason for deciding against an organ transplant for a patient with a disability is the misconception that people with disabilities, especially those with intellectual, developmental or psychiatric disabilities are unable to manage complicated post-operative treatment plans and that, as a result, people with disabilities are less likely to benefit from the transplant. Also, providers may incorrectly assume that people with disabilities have a lower quality of life than people without disabilities and they would not benefit as much from life-saving transplants. I would not want to have my son in the position of needing a transplant, and having to fight against discriminatory practices. More than 20 legislators have signed on to this bill already – has yours?

Lastly, you should know that the Legislature has provided a small amount of funding to the MDSC for the past three years and I am hoping that the funding continues in this year’s budget. This funding has been essential to MDSC to advocate for full, meaningful lives for individuals with Down syndrome across the state, directly paying for programs and services that provide hope to new and expectant parents, training to medical professionals and students, best practices to educators, and meaningful opportunities for teens and adults. We all benefit from the MDSC, perhaps indirectly, but I remind you that MDSC also supports the Learning Program Boston. Funding is not included currently in the Senate budget, so it is important that it be included as the deliberations between the House and Senate progress. Funding is contained in Line Item 5911-1003 in the House budget.

It is not too late to reach out to your State Representative and Senator about these items, or any others that are important to you! For more information about these bills, go to MDSC Make a Difference page. To find your legislators and contact information, go to the Massachusetts Legislature’s website. You can also search for these bills and find out whether your legislator supports them.

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Using the Wondertime Clock to Teach the Sense of Time

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Cognitive Connections LLP – Here is a short video by Sarah Ward, Executive Function expert, showing you how to make a WonderTime Clock to teach young children the passage of time and to increase their awareness of time.

 

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Tracking Your Child

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I used one with my son for almost a year…

Tracking Options – Many families have been using tracking services for their family members who might wander, and others use these systems to allow the family member some independence. There are two types of tracking – radio frequency (RF) and global positioning system (GPS). Each has its advantages and drawbacks.

RADIO FREQUENCY
An advantage to radio frequency systems is the ability to track in areas where GPS may not reach, such as inside buildings with thick walls or densely wooded areas. A drawback is that families are not able to track the device themselves. Emergency rescue personnel must be called in to track RF devices. The primary RF tracking system is provided by the LoJack company out of Dedham MA and their program is called SafetyNet. LoJack acquired the Project Lifesaver program that was piloted through the Massachusetts Norfolk County Sheriff’s office and renamed it SafetyNet a few years ago. The cost: The fee for the device is about $100, then approximately $30 per month for monitoring. There are some waivers for the fee available through autism centers such as the ARC. www.safetynetbylojack.com 877-434-6384
Watch video to see how it works.

GPS
The main advantage of GPS tracking is the ability to do the tracking yourself. The drawback is that GPS does not work everywhere, but it is still an excellent option. There are several companies that offer this service. There are different kinds of devices and monitoring plans. Two companies that local families have recommended are GTX and LOK8U. GTX offers a shoe liner called Smart Sole that you place in your shoes. The smallest size they carry is a Mens size 5. The cost is $235 for the soles, then either $30 per month for tracking yourself, or $50 per month to both track yourself and have the company monitor as well. http://www.gtxcorp.com

LOK8U offers a bracelet device for $250 with a $30 per month fee. http://www.lok8u.com/

CELL PHONE GPS TRACKING
Almost every cell phone provider offers an app or program to track your cell phone such as Apple’s Find My iPhone, AT&t’s Family Map, Verizon Wireless’s Family Locator and Sprint’s Family Locator. Many families are using these services to monitor their loved one’s whereabouts. Check with your provider to see what is available.

There are also third party tracking programs that you can use with your cell phone. Prey is a free open-source application that can be used for both computers devices and smart phones. After you sign up for the service, you sync your devices with it and log into your account on a computer to start tracking. Prey is recommended for any Android or iOS device. https://preyproject.com/

For non-smartphones a GPS tracking service called AccuTracking is available. It costs $6 per month (less if you subscribe for a year). The service uses your phone’s built-in GPS to track the location of your phone. Log in to AccuTracking’s web interface from any internet-connected computer and it will immediately show you the location of your phone. http://www.accutracking.com/

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Tips for Kids to Overcome 50 Common Social Challenges

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One of our speakers at our Peer Project this year was Nadine Briggs, Director of Simply Social Kids, which helps kids with mild to moderate social difficulties overcome their challenges and navigate social situations. We love her book, written for kids – provides 10 steps for each of 50 common social challenges kids are likely to encounter.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1456313460?ref%5F=sr%5F1%5F3&qid=1433565526&sr=8-3&keywords=nadine%20briggs&pldnSite=1

Support 3-21 Foundation, Inc. when purchase select items through AmazonSmile.

 

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OT Fun at Home: Bath Time Activities

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Bath time and water play provide lots of great opportunities for building a variety of skills for your child, including bilateral hand use and strengthening, coordination and manipulation of small objects, and learning to adjust to and respond to different types of sensory input. Here are some activities that can help with this!

• Squeezing sponges: Either loofah-type sponges for washing themselves, or cleaning sponges to wash the walls of the shower.

• Spray bottles: Twisting off the top to fill the bottle with water, then placing the top back on, and then squeezing the handle of the spray bottle to get things wet.

• Washcloths: Wring them out over a bucket, then put them back in the water–have a race to fill the bucket by squeezing out the washcloth!

• Squeeze toys: Rubber ducks, rubber frogs, small balls–any small manipulatives that can be squeezed and used during bath time!

• Scoop toys: Use a sandbox shovel, or a recycled plastic milk container cut in half, as a scoop to scoop up floating toys in the water and put them into a bucket.

• Pouring toys: Pouring from one container into another, back and forth.

• Folding towels and washcloths: This is a pre or post-bath time activity, but can also help work on bilateral hand use and coordination!

What are some other activities you’ve found are helpful during this regular routine to support your child’s overall skill development?

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Rock Your Socks!

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“Look at my socks!”, “Cool!  Look at my socks!”   I heard these words over and over again last year on March 21st, when I hosted our first ever Crazy Socks Day in celebration of World Down Syndrome Day at my daughters elementary school last year.   As soon as I walked into the school building, the kids were over the moon excited to show off their crazy, mismatched, brightly colored socks.    Why crazy fun socks you ask?   Down Syndrome International created this idea to highlight the idea that everyone has their own different and colorful abilities.   That people with Down syndrome must be able to enjoy full and equal rights, with ‘opportunities’ and ‘choices’. Many face challenges to this, as others fail to understand that people with Down syndrome are people first, who may need support, but should be recognized on an equal basis, without discrimination on the basis of disability. Empowering families to recognize the equal status of their members with Down syndrome is crucial, so that they can provide support, advocate for opportunities and choices and empower people with Down syndrome to express their own views and make their own decisions, as well as advocate for themselves.  March  21, 2015 marks the 10th anniversary of World Down Syndrome Day (WDSD) and each year the voice of people with Down syndrome, and those who live and work with them, grows louder.

The flyer I created this year reads:   “ROCK YOUR SOCKS!!!   Join us by wearing brightly colored, bold and mismatched socks, as we strive to create a single global voice, advocating for the rights, inclusion and well-being of people with Down syndrome in our community and around the world.”   Additionally, my husband and I purchased the World Down Syndrome Day logo wear to wear on that day at: https://www.worlddownsyndromeday.org/lots-of-socks.

In addition to having the kids wear their crazy socks, we asked for a $1.00 optional donation to support their  PTO and local Down syndrome organizations!   Kids were all over this and we raised almost $400.

In closing, our children are so excited to repeat the event this year.    Our daughter is in middle school now.  She is owning this experience by walking around her middle school putting up the flyers and by working with the News Club to come up with some other posters and morning announcement ideas to spread the word and generate excitement!

You can easily do this in your district too!    All it requires is a simple phone call or email to your principal to get the ball rolling.  We have found all school administration to by open and more than happy to spread the word!  So go out and find some crazy fun socks for you and the kids and contact your administrators!

Photo: Coley Cheng

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