Prevalence of Downs's Syndrome in Australia, Effects of Downs Syndrome on Learning - Case Study Example

Down syndrome Name Institution Date Down syndrome Introduction Down syndrome is a chromosome disorder that is genetic although in some cases it is assumed to be a disease or a sickness. Its main cause is an extra copy of a part or a whole chromosome 21 in several or all cell lines. It occurs during conception and can be diagnosed before the delivery of the child. People that have Down syndrome have a level of intellectual disability, a change in physical characteristics, health problems and development problems. These symptoms will vary from a person to another and are therefore exhibited differently. They also have difficulty in the education process, the search for employment and prospering in life. Prevalence of Downs’s syndrome in Australia As stated by Downs Syndrome Australia (2013), in the period 1998-2003, the number of infants that are born with the syndrome is at 11:10000 which is less than 1%. This rate will further decline by 50% with the national prenatal screening of the syndrome is implemented. Currently, about 13,000 or more people in Australia have the syndrome. In the United States, it is reported that there was about 400,000 people living with the syndrome for a long period of time. This had however reduced by 40% in 2013, August. It is clear that the number of people with the syndrome in Australia is not very high as it is less than 1%. This denotes that some of these children and adults are in the Australian education system or in the workforce. Effects of downs syndrome on learning The downs syndrome has a lot of effects on the learning process of those that have it. Children and adults with downs syndrome progress more slowly in several development areas. This areas include communication, motion, cognition, self-help and socially. This creates a group of people that are characterised by specific weaknesses and strength and are very different from the other non-affected people. In learning, children with the syndrome take a longer time to learn new skills and are therefore less likely to fully benefit from the generally taught classes only. This denotes that more work has to be done for the integration of these students with others to be productive (Cornwell, 1974). Down syndrome affects hearing. More than 70% of children will have hearing that is reduced or fluctuating. 15 % of them may have sensory-neural hearing loss. Therefore, these pupils will have a hard time listening during class time and have difficulty differentiating between sounds. This hearing problem causes pupils with Down syndrome to be poor listeners. Secondly, pupils with the syndrome have visual difficulties. Most of them are reported to have problems in reading fonts that are less than 18 point, comprehending or copying diagrams that appear complicated with little or no contrast and writing on books that have faint lines. It is recommended that they use bifocal lens. Thirdly, these pupils have speech and language related difficulties. According to Rondal et al (2003), it is reported that they have difficulty learning from listening, in comprehension of new words and subjects, concentrating on long sentences, understanding instructions, forming sentences and speech articulation. Generally, they will have weaker reasoning skills and poorer comprehension skills in comparison to other students. Fourthly, pupils with Down syndrome have short term working memory. Since they have weak listening and retention skills they have a hard time transferring information that was recently learnt into long term memory. They will also experience difficulties when memorising sequences instructions or directions (Bird et al, 2002). As explained by Downs Syndrome Australia (2013), pupils with the syndrome have weaknesses in terms of motion. They have difficulty moving from a point to another hence limiting their ability to access physical resource points and some physical locations. They also have delayed self-help skills which mean that they may spend a longer time moving and eating compared to other students. They are reported to have short concentration span. They will get tired of a task earlier, cannot multitask and are easily distracted by small things. This affects their concentration in mainstream class and hence they are less productive in long classes. This denotes that they need classes that are not extended for them to understand (Buckley et al. 1987). A significant factor that affects their health is the fact that pupils with Down syndrome are said to have a lower immunity. Therefore, they fall ill more often which affects their learning process. The illnesses may differ from a patient to another depending on several factors. The low immunity increases the risk of these students to specific health problems which affect the learning and growth process. According to Mayo Staff Clinic (2014), common health problems for children with the syndrome are those that are related to hearing impairments, visual problems, dementia, leukaemia, heart defects, infectious diseases and sleep apnea. The use of timely treatment of the health problems will play a big role in enhancing the learning process of these pupils (Urbano, 2010). One of the strengths of pupils that have Down syndrome is the fact that they have strong visual learning skills. They are likely to learn well using gestures, signs and diagrams. They learn very well from demonstrations of visual resources such as charts, photos, letters, diagrams, materials that are concrete and Information Technology resources. The other strength is that these pupils tend to read better than what is expected and this can be used to improve their speech through reading. In contrast to this, calculations and numbers related works may be problematic for these pupils. In literary skills, they are weaker than other pupils and may be behind by two years. In this case study, Hayley, a teenager in year 11 is reported to have Down syndrome. She is taking mathematics, dance and cooking classes and the problems that Hayley will experience include: poor numbering skills which lead to poor performance in mathematics, dance classes will be difficult for her due to movement problems caused by the syndrome and the pupil may also forget dance moves taught due to poor concentration and the low concentration span. Her cooking classes will be affected by the slow movement and hearing difficulties if she has to cook with cookers or ovens that have alarms. Her social life may be affected. It is good that she has a smartphone that has applications that are helping in her learning and when she loses track of time. Reasonable Educational Adjustments It is important that adequate educational and curriculum adjustments are made in order to cater for the needs of Hayley and the other student who have the syndrome in the school. The first adjustment is to include the right educational policies that are well specified in educational statements that relate to the Special Educational Needs. The educational institution should also employ staff members that are trained in understanding the special needs of the students. Sensory impairments solutions that affect the students should also be used in order to reduce its effects on learning. Physiotherapy and occupational therapy are also important in ensuring that they adjust well in mainstream classes. It has been observed that students with Down syndrome tend to perform better when they are included in mainstream classes compared to when they are allowed to study when segregated. It is for this reason that the adjustments that are made help their development while in mainstream classes. The first adjustment is the right training of the teaching staff that teaches classes that have students that have the syndrome. This training can be done yearly are at the beginning of the school sessions. It will allow the teachers to understand the specific learning profile of the students and are able to choose appropriate teaching methods. It can also be made mandatory for teachers to learn how to teach affected students during the initial teaching studies (APPGDS, 2012). Secondly, a different teaching method that involves models that are appropriate for the age will enhance the performance of the students. These methods may include the use of simpler language when teaching, review of key points when teaching, writing main points on the board while teaching, adequate strategies to keep students focused during class time , break complicated lessons into simple and smaller lessons and constant reminder of rules and instructions during class time. Thirdly, these students should be full participants in classwork, community work and the general society. Full involvement of these students will develop their communication skills and require their involvement in activities (APPGDS, 2012). Fourthly, the institution can train students on the different needs of the student with Down syndrome. This will lead to the participation of all the students in the learning process of the students that have the syndrome after understanding the diverse needs of the students with the syndrome. Fifthly, institutions should put up support solutions that will provide the needs of the students with the syndrome. Some of these are provision of utility facilities that will help the students to move about with ease, set up homework rooms where students can get help from teachers when doing homework, provision of technological machines like laptops that will enhance the understanding of what is taught in class. It is important that the students follow the same curriculum followed by those in mainstream classes. This will help them to move with their peers and will enhance their performance (Black, 2006). Conclusion Hayley and other students that have the syndrome experience several problems during the learning process. They may be poor academic performers in mathematics and language based subjects. Their involvement in mainstream studies is key in ensuring that they learn well and produce good results. Appropriate changes in the educational and curriculum process will lead to educational growth of the students through support systems, educational involvement and good teaching practices that are based on the learning profiles of the students with the syndrome. When the needs of the students are understood, they can be taught productively in a mainstream setting so that they are able to develop with their peers. References APPGDS, (2012). Down syndrome: good practise guidelines for education. All Party Parliamentary Group on Down syndrome. Black, B. (2006), Educational software for children with Down syndrome, The Down Syndrome Educational Trust, UK. Bird, G. and Buckley S. J. (2002). Reading and writing for teenagers with Down syndrome (11- 16 years). Down syndrome Issues and Information. 2002. Buckley, S., & Sacks, B. (1987). The Adolescent with Down's syndrome: Life for the Teenager and for the Family. Cornwell, A. C. (1974). Development of language, abstraction, and numerical concept formation in Down's syndrome children. American Journal of Mental Deficiency, 79(2), 179-90. Down syndrome Australia (2013), Down Syndrome Population Statistics. Retrieved 9 September 2, 2014 from < http://www.downsyndrome.org.au/down_syndrome_population_statistics.html> Mayo Staff Clinic (2014). Down Syndrome: Complications. Retrieved 9 September 2, 2014 from Rondal, J. & Buckley, S. J. (Eds) (2003). Speech and Language Intervention in Down syndrome. London: Whurr. ISBN: 1‐85156‐187‐3 Urbano, R. C. (2010). Health issues among persons with Down syndrome. Elsevier Incorporation, California, USA. Read More