Down Syndrome into a Mainstream Primary - Literature review Example

Down syndrome Teaching children with Down syndrome is necessary to ensure that such lead a normal life. There are various strategies that can be applied to teach search strategies. Inclusion is one of such techniques, where children with Down Syndrome are integrated to the normal learning as does other normal children as much as it can possibly be done. Down syndrome, also referred to as Trisomy 21, is a chromosomal abnormality, where extra genetic material causes a delay in the way a child develops in both the mental and the physical front. This condition is arguably the most common genetic condition, which occurs in every one child among 800 live births (Carey, 2005 p56). Down syndrome accounts for around 5-6% of intellectual retardation, though the mental retardation in children with Down syndrome is mostly mild or moderate. There are some characteristics that make a child with this disorder easily recognizable. Children suffering from Down syndrome or mongolism as it was traditionally referred are known to have a small body stature, protruding tongue, as a result of having a small oral cavity, thick folds in the corners of their eyes and having a low muscle tone. The condition is noticed in a child either during birth or in a prenatal screening. However, the physical conditions in children suffering from this condition differs greatly, with some children with Down syndrome requiring a higher level of medical attention while some just leads a normal life (Down, 1999 p259). Though the Down syndrome condition cannot be treated, health problems related to it can be treated, more so when they are recognized earlier before a child is born and help the child to lead a better life. The condition is related to a delay in the cognitive ability of the child and a slow rate of their physical growth (Beck, 1999 p24). Facial characteristics are the most common of the observable features in a child suffering from Down syndrome. There is a high degree of severe intellectual disability in children suffering from Down syndrome, where the average Intelligence Quotient (IQ) in children and students with this condition is observed to be 50%, as opposed to the normal IQ rate of 100% in normal children (Buckley, 200 p11). With substantial good care, that entails good family support, enrichment therapies and child’s tutoring, children with such a condition can live a better live and advance in their intellectual field to the point of completing high school level or even advancing to post secondary education (Dweck, 1999 p17). This is necessary to make the individuals lead a more normal life, while even indulging in paid employment. Such children suffering from such a disorder are highly prone to some health problems. These include obesity, recurrent ear infections, sleep apnea, and congenital heart defects. Such health problems mostly attack children suffering from the disorder, serving to worsen their lives, if not properly contained at the right stages, since they may lead to complete hearing loss, a lack of sleep and fatal heart diseases. There is therefore a great need to contain the disease, in order to enable the children born with such a disorder to live a better live. This can be afforded through granting the child a suitable care right from their birth, throughout schooling and in their lives after. Thus, the role of a parent and guardian, as well as of other child caretakers and the teachers is a very vital part of the life of a child suffering from this disorder, in making their lives worth living (Wishart, 2001 p64). There are some effective teaching methods that can be implored to integrate a child with Down's syndrome into a mainstream primary school in Ireland. For teachers to apply such effective methods, they need to understand the education needs of such children, learning the severity of such conditions on the child’s cognitive and hearing ability as well as the degree of mental retardation associated with the child (Kingsley & Levitz, 1994 p72). A higher number of students have a mental retardation that is not severe, with an intellectual disability in the mild range of IQ 50-70 (Ganong, 2005 p40). Others have a moderate range of IQ 35-50. However, there are those whose retardation is severe, making their intellectual disability higher to a range of 10-30 IQ level. Children and student with such a severe intellectual disability are said to have a Mosaic Down Syndrome (Selikowitz, 1997 p13). To be able to know the education requirements of children, then it is necessary for the teachers to know the category any of their students falls in, since different categories of this condition have different educational needs. However, the use of IQ tests alone is not sufficient to create a complete understanding of the students educational needs, in that the IQ levels does not take into consideration the physical impairments such students suffer from. Therefore, to enhance the teacher understanding of the educational needs of students suffering from Down syndrome, then the IQ tests should be accompanied by a deep understanding of the physical impairments of the students, such as hearing and vision impairments (Griffin & Shevlin, 2000 p17). Most characteristic of individuals suffering from this condition is language delay. Students suffering from this disorder have a problem in language skills, both in understanding and expressing speech. Thus, understanding the language deficiency of the students by the teacher is paramount in devising the method to be applied in effectively teaching such students. Understanding the educational needs of the child should start early after birth, through the identification of the most appropriate educational program, based on the nature of the condition that the child has (Underwood, 2004 p12). Considering that children with such a disorder have different success levels in school, due to their wide range of abilities, then according each student a specialized teaching program is vital. There are two forms of teaching that can be applied to teach students with Down syndrome. Mainstreaming system requires that they be incorporated with the other peers who are not suffering from the condition, and undertake the learning together (Dweck, 1999 p22). However, this is arguably ineffective in that, the intellectual and emotional gap between the students with the condition and those without makes a difference in how they understand the subjects. Complex thinking required by some subjects may be beyond the reach of students with Down Syndrome. Two-teacher system is the other system, where students with the condition are taught differently in core subjects but other social activities such as outing, meals and breaks as well as sports are undertaken together (Wishart, 1998 p47 ). This serves to ensure that students learn their core subjects at the rates they best understand, but participate in socializing together, enabling them to acquire a normal social life. Teachers in Ireland primary schools should apply several techniques to ensure effective teaching of primary school children with Down Syndrome. Inclusion is one of such techniques, where children with Down Syndrome are integrated to the normal learning as does other normal children as much as it can possibly be done (Lane, 1987 p9). This serves to ensure that such children develop in a normal environment and do not feel segregated or discriminated against, due to their conditions. The teacher in such a case should play an active role in supporting the model. Through the inclusion strategies, all children will benefit from the tactics applied to teach the Down Syndrome student, in that the pace will be appropriate even for the slow learners, who are not suffering from Down syndrome. Inclusion as a technique applied by the teachers to teach Down Syndrome students ensures the creation of a more natural environment for the students (Oelwein, 1995 p95). This technique provides opportunities for more peer relationships, where the students with such a condition socializes with the normal students limitlessly, something that makes them feel accepted, as opposed to when they could be segregated to their own class. Thus, full integration works better for students with Down Syndrome in an educational environment, and enhances their intellectual lives. Improving self-esteem is another strategic technique that teachers should use to teach effectively students with Down Syndrome in Ireland. The physical characteristics of children with condition will often lead to a low self-esteem (Jagiello, Fang, Ducayeh & Kong p25). Thus, it is the duty of the teacher to instill self-confidence in such students and promote their pride. Making students feel good about themselves serves to increase their chances of performing better in class through the reinforcement of their attitude and confidence towards the subjects and other activities they undertake in class. The more a teacher makes a student feel better, the more the chances of the student liking the teacher, the subject taught, and the higher motivation he obtains towards that subject. This, the teacher can do through always pointing to the positive side of the students with Down Syndrome and acknowledging any achievement they make, no matter how small it is. By allowing such students an opportunity to tell the teacher some good things they think about themselves, the teacher will be in a position to understand the positives of such students and capitalize in enhancing them. Most fundamental of promoting self-esteem as a strategy to teach primary school children in Ireland is ensuring that the teacher avoids criticism of such students as much as they possibly can (Ganong, 2005 p41). By ensuring that the teacher is sensitive enough to the feelings of such students, then aligning their feelings with positive comments them is necessary. Since students with such conditions tend to be wary of anything negative said towards them, affording them a comfort zone in class is recommendable for teachers teaching such students. Teachers should make students suffering from Down Syndrome feel loved, appreciate, and valued while in a class setting. This way, it becomes easy for the student to identify with the teacher, the other students, as well as the class activities being undertaken (Dweck, 1999 p36). By fostering a good self-image of the students suffering from the condition, they will easily gain the confidence to undertake even the activities they would otherwise shy away from in a different situation. Influencing the student in a positive way makes them easily adapt to the class and school environment, especially for those ones newly introduced into the school system. According them a specialized care and treatment as does their parents at home makes the students feel comfortable being at school and love the activities they undertake. Providing the students with exciting activities to undertake and ensuring the teacher allows them to indulge in social and sporting activities they easily identify with, goes a long way in enhancing the learning abilities of a child with Down Syndrome (Lane, 1987 p32). Most significant is the expectations that the teacher sets for the students. Any target or goal that the teacher sets for students with Down Syndrome to achieve should be realistic (Beck, 1999 p28). This is so because, setting teachers expectation higher than the student can achieve, serves to disorient the students and makes them feel oppressed. In line with boosting their self-esteem, the teacher should set their expectations at a level, which students suffering from Down Syndrome can easily achieve. This way, students become more confident and comfortable that they have been able to please their teacher through their achievement. The expectations of the teacher should thus be set to match the students’ abilities and strengths (Rondal, 1996 p21). The teacher should carefully assess the learning errors made by the students, and then focus on what the student should learn from such mistakes. By allowing the students to learn from their mistakes in a positive manner, the students stop focusing on the negatives of the mistakes done and focuses on the positive side of learning (Oelwein, 1995 p92). By making the student understand that everybody makes mistakes and what counts is the way the mistakes are corrected and avoided another time, the student feels fully valued and accepted and thus strives towards doing the right thing all the times. The teacher should make the student perceive the mistake made as an opportunity to learn, since mistakes can be converted into powerful learning tools (Yanoff, 2000 p119). Through promoting self-esteem in children, the teacher enhances not only their ability to learn and perform academically but also their ability to socialize and make friends, which is a necessary part of children with Down Syndrome. By fostering their self-esteem, children with Down Syndrome are put in a better position to handle disappointments and failures. Further, boosting their self-esteem ensures that student’s ability to tackle and achieve challenging tasks is enhanced. Intellectual capability expansion is yet another strategy teachers in Irelands should apply to teach children with Down Syndrome effectively in primary schools. There are many challenges associate with Down Syndrome students, such as slow development of intellectual ability. However, Down Syndrome students have the potential to learn in normal class environment, while they are accorded appropriate accommodation and modification of the programs taught (Kliewer, 1993 p24). Owing to the finding that students with such conditions will perform 2-4 years behind the normal students, then integrating necessary modifications in the subjects and other learning programs by the teachers is necessary. The teacher should always strive to move the students progressively along the learning field. Most significant is the fact that the teacher should never assume that the student is not capable (Lewis & Brahm, 40). This way, the teacher treats he students suffering from the conditions equally with those ones who are not affected. According the students with such conditions high quality instructions ensures that they get a better understanding of the subjects and activities being taught. By offering the students with such conditions suitable interventions wherever necessary to make them understand, the students will easily adapt to and gain an interest in the activities and subjects being taught. The teacher should use a multi-method of teaching that is suitable for all students, such as integrating, audio, visual and touch aspects of learning in the subjects they teach (Griffin & Shevlin, 2000 p52). Using appropriate real world examples that the students can easily identify with is necessary to enhance their ability to understand the subjects. By acknowledging that students suffering from Down Syndrome have a short-term memory, then the teacher should break down the learning activities into may small steps that the students will easily grasp and apply. The instructions for each step should be provided appropriately. Short attention span is yet another strategy that the teachers should use to teach students with Down Syndrome. Offering the students directions and ensuring instructions are to be undertaken within a short duration of time is necessary to create a better understanding of the subjects by the students (Down, 1999 p261). The students should be accorded breaks within the learning periods and then re-introduced to small chunks of activities (Pueschel & Gieswein, 1993 p130). The teacher should introduce any new subject or material slowly and in a sequential manner, ensuring that the students understand the material and the subject from the very beginning. This way, the students are afforded a systematic flow of the subject, which serves to ensure that they understand every bit of it. In so doing, the teacher enhances the ability of the students to understand and synthesize the content of the material and the subject as they subsequently unfold (Lewis & Brahm, 18). The teacher should always evaluate the understanding of the subject by the students after every major step or topic covered. Follow-ups are also necessary in ensuring that the students have continuously put the subjects content in constant review. This way, the students are saved from the tedious and challenging bulk reading, which is not suitable for children with Down Syndrome. Avoiding distractibility is yet another strategy that the teachers can use to teach effectively students with Down Syndrome. Ensuring that students are kept away from distracting factors is a major step towards enhancing the understanding of the subjects and activities undertaken by a class by the students suffering from this condition. There are some factors that can be a distraction to students learning process. Noise is one of such factors that bars the students form listening carefully to what the teacher is saying (Westwood, 2007 p81). With distracted hearing, the students may not understand all the instructions that the teacher gives in a clearer manner. This serves to make the students unable to follow the instructions and a consequent bad performance in the subject or class activity. Therefore, teachers should maintain noise in a classroom as low as possible to ensure that there is perfect communication between them and the students (Ganong, 2005 p45). Openings such as windows and doors are other elements that can distract the student, by shifting their focus from the teacher to activities happening outside the classroom setting. Thus, the teacher should ensure that such elements are catered for, thus maximize the focus of the student on the teacher and the classroom activities. The teacher should also set the class rules and regulations as well as the expectations very clear, to ensure that students are not caught by surprise, when rules and regulations are enforced. This way, students are programmed to act in a particular manner, thus ensuring an acquired systematic behavior, which is in line with the educational requirements. Most vital is the understanding of the language and speech application in teaching students suffering from Down Syndrome. Such students suffer from hearing or language articulation problems (Dweck, 1999 p35). Therefore, it is imperative that the teacher offers speech and language intervention where necessary, while at the same time ensuring the use of direct instructions, which are simplified and with great precision. Facilitated communication is also pivotal for the student with Down Syndrome to learn and understand in areas where it proves relevant. Most significant is the role of teacher-student interaction, in the communication and learning process of the students with Down Syndrome. Teachers should adopt models that enhances their interaction with students at all levels of class activities. Alternative or argumentative communication (ACC) is suitable for application in situations where the Down Syndrome students have a difficulty in applying verbal speech or whose verbal communication is very difficult, yet they still have the cognitive ability (Buckley, 200 p19). The teacher should therefore use a combination of pictures, symbols, communication boards, drawings, and gestures to enhance their communication with these students. The teachers will apply ACC method of communication variably and in an individualized manner so as to suit the communication needs of each of the students suffering from this condition. The necessary technology devices appropriate for aiding ACC mode of communication should be availed to and used by the teachers to ensure that their communication with such students is efficient and thus the learning is effective. Works Cited Beck, N. (1999). Expecting Adam. New York: Berkley Books. 23-35. Buckley, S. (2000). Living with Down Syndrome. Portsmouth, UK: The Down Syndrome Educational Trust. 10-20. Carey, J. (2005). The Essential Parents' Guide to Special Education in Ireland. Dublin: Primary ABC. 56-75. Down, H. (1999).Observations on an Ethnic Classification of Idiots. London Hospital, Clinical Lecturer and Reports, vol. 3. 1866. 259-262. Dweck, S. (1999) Self-Theories: Their Role in Motivation, Personality, and Development. Hove: Psychology Press, Taylor and Francis Group. 17-39. Ganong, J. (2005). Review of Medical Physiology (21st ed.). New York: Mc-Graw Hill. 40-46. Griffin, S. & Shevlin, M. (2000). Responding to Special Educational Needs: An Irish Perspective. 16-55. Jagiello M., Fang, S., Ducayeh, B., Kong W. (1987). Etiology of Human Trisomy 21. New Perspectives on Down Syndrome. 23-38 Kingsley, J & Levitz, M. (1994). Count Us In: Growing up with Down Syndrome. San Diego: Harcourt Brace. 70-74. Kliewer, C. (1993).The Communication Portfolio. Facilitated Communication Digest. 21 36. Lane, D. & Stratford B. (1987). Current Approaches to Down's Syndrome. Cassell Educational Limited. London. 7-44. Lewis, A & Brahm, N. (2005). Special Teaching for Special Children?: Pedagogies for Inclusion. Maidenhead: Open UP.17-62. Oelwein L. (1995). Teaching Reading to Children with Down Syndrome: A Guide for Parents and Teachers. Woodbine House. 92-98. Pueschel & Gieswein (1993) Ocular disorders in children with Down syndrome. Down Syndrome: Research and Practice. 1(3), 129-132. Rondal, A. (1996). Down's Syndrome: Psychological, Psychobiological, and Socio-educational Perspectives. London: Whurr. 20-25. Rynders, C. (1987). History of Down Syndrome: The Need for a New Perspective. New Perspectives on Down Syndrome. 1-20. Selikowitz, M. (1997). Down Syndrome: The Facts (2nd ed.). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. 13-15. Westwood, S. (2007) Commonsense Methods for Children with Special Educational Needs. London: Routledge.81-93. Underwood, J. (2004). General and Systematic Pathology (4th ed.). Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone. 11-15. Wishart, G. (2001). Cognitive Development in Young Children with Down Syndrome: Developmental Strengths, Developmental Weaknesses. Research Foundation & Research Center. 63-68. Wishart, G. (1998). Development in Children With Down Syndrome: Facts, Findings, the Future. International Journal of Disability, Development, and Education. 12-57. Yanoff, C. (2000) The Classroom Teacher's Inclusion Handbook: Practical Methods for Integrating Students with Special Needs. Chicago, IL: A. Coyle. 117-120. Read More