Supporting Children with Down's Syndrome

Hull City Council

• Publisher: David Fulton Publishers
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9781317427667
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

This practical resource contains a wealth of valuable advice and tried-and-tested strategies for supporting children and young people with Down's Syndrome. Fully updated with the 2014 SEND Code of Practice, this text describes the different types of difficulties experienced by pupils with Down's Syndrome and helps practitioners to understand their diverse needs. The wide-ranging chapters explore a variety of topics, including:

• 
  
  

• Defining the profile of a pupil with Down's Syndrome
• Guidelines for working with pupils
• Addressing behaviour issues
• The use of ICT
• Home/school liason
• Assessment

It provides guidance and practical strategies for SENCOs, teachers and other professionals and parents, helping them to feel more confident, and be more effective in supporting learners in a variety of settings. It also provides materials for in-house training sessions, and features useful checklists, templates and photocopiable resources.

Part I
Introduction

What is inclusion?

1
Inclusion in education

Inclusion can be demonstrated in a number of ways

• It recognises that all pupils have different abilities and experiences and seeks to value and gain from these differences. It is not about expecting or trying to make everyone the same or behave in the same way.
• Education involves the process of increasing the participation of students in and reducing their exclusion from the cultures, curricula and communities of local schools.
• It involves restructuring the cultures, policies and practices in schools so that they respond to the diversity of students in their locality.
• It identifies the specific learning strengths of any particular pupil.
• It is concerned with the learning and participation of all students who are vulnerable to exclusionary pressures, not only those with impairments or those who are categorised as having ‘special educational needs’.
• It views diversity not as a problem to overcome but as a rich resource to support the learning of all.

Successful inclusion is a key step towards enabling children with Down’s syndrome to become full and contributing members of the community, and society as a whole benefits… All pupils gain an understanding of diversity, disability and tolerance through being part of an inclusive school community

(All Party Parliamentary Group on Down Syndrome 2012)

2
The legislation and guidance

The following legislation gives support to the pupil’s full inclusion into a school or academy setting:

The 2014 SEND Code of Practice defines special educational needs (SEN)’:

• A child or young person has SEN if they have a learning difficulty or disability that calls for special educational provision to be made for them. A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty or disability if they:
  • (a) have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age; or
  • (b) have a disability that prevents or hinders them from making use of educational facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or mainstream post-16 institutions.

The 2014 SEND Code of Practice defines areas of special educational need:

Special educational needs and provision can be considered as falling under four broad areas.

1. Communication and interaction
2. Cognition and learning
3. Social, mental and emotional health
4. Sensory and/or physical

Many children and young people have difficulties that fit clearly into one of these areas; some have needs that span two or more areas.

This clearly applies to pupils with Down’s syndrome.

Definition of disability under the Equality Act, 2010 defines

a person as being disabled if they have a physical or mental impairment that has a ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’ negative effect on their ability to do normal daily activities.

Disability rights

It is against the law for a school or other education provider to treat disabled pupils/students unfavourably. This includes:

• ‘direct discrimination’, e.g. refusing admission to a pupil because of a disability;
• ‘indirect discrimination’;
• ‘discrimination arising from a disability’, e.g. preventing a pupil from taking part in a school visit because of their disability;
• ‘harassment’, e.g. addressing a student inappropriately because they have not understood an instruction due to their disability;
• ‘victimisation’, e.g. suspending a disabled pupil because they have complained about harassment.

Reasonable adjustments

An educational provider has a duty to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ to ensure that disabled students are not discriminated against. These changes could include:

• changes to physical features: installing ramps to allow access to the building, classrooms;
• providing extra support and aids: specialist teaching and/or equipment, e.g. appropriate seating, ICT equipment.

Teachers’ Standards, Department for Education, 2012

A teacher must:

Set goals that stretch and challenge pupils of all backgrounds, abilities and dispositions

Adapt teaching to respond to the strengths and needs of all pupils

• know when and how to differentiate appropriately, using approaches which enable pupils to be taught effectively;
• have a clear understanding of the needs of all pupils, including those with special educational needs; those of high ability; those with special educational needs; those with English as an additional language; those with disabilities; and be able to use and evaluate distinctive teaching approaches to engage and support them.

Make accurate and productive use of assessment

• Know and understand how to assess the relevant subject and curriculum areas, including statutory assessments.

Fulfil wider professional responsibilities

• Deploy support staff effectively.
• Communicate effectively with parents with regard to pupils’ achievements and well-being.

3
Including the pupil with Down’s syndrome

Education for all pupils should be a positive experience. Pupils with Down’s syndrome succeed in mainstream schools for a number of reasons:

• Research shows that pupils do better academically when working in inclusive settings.
• Daily opportunities to mix with typically developing peers provide models for normal and age-appropriate behaviour.
• Pupils have opportunities to develop relationships with pupils from their own community.
• Attending mainstream school is a key step towards inclusion in the life of the community and society as a whole.
• Successful inclusion is a key step towards preparing pupils with special educational needs to become full and contributing members of the community, and society as a whole.
• Other pupils gain an understanding about disability, tolerance and how to care for and support other pupils with special needs.

Factors for inclusion to succeed:

• the determination to make it a positive experience;
• the attitude of the whole school should reflect this;
• a positive attitude solves problems;
• schools require a clear and sensitive policy on inclusion;
• senior management should support their staff and provide training to develop their skills to meet the needs of their pupils;
• in order to achieve the above they should proactively seek advice from specialist external support services, e.g. speech and language services and advisory teachers with a specific knowledge of Down’s syndrome;
• good home/school liaison should be developed.

Part II
Including the pupil with Down’s syndrome

2...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Series Page
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Foreword
• PART I Introduction: What is inclusion?
• PART II Including the pupil with Down’s syndrome
• PART III Use of support staff for the pupil with Down’s syndrome
• PART IV Specific issues in teaching and learning for the pupil with Down’s syndrome
• PART V Developing social inclusion for the pupil with Down’s syndrome
• PART VI Assessment and planning
• PART VII Continuing professional development
• PART VIII Resources and useful contacts
• Appendix 1: Issues for consideration
• Appendix 2: Some professionals who may be involved with the pupil
• Appendix 3: Small steps approach to recording progress in reading
• Appendix 4: Small steps approach to recording progress in scissor skills