Down Syndrome 101: What Teachers Need to Know
By- Kristin Meier

Chances are, if you haven’t already, you will have a child with Down syndrome in your classroom. Sure, having any special needs child in your class presents additional challenges, but there are also opportunities to adapt your teaching style that will benefit a variety of learners and your classroom as a whole. But before we get to how kids with Down syndrome learn best, here are a few basic facts every teacher should know.

Every year, about 5000 children are born with Down syndrome. Also known as Trisomy 21, Down syndrome is not a disease but a genetic disorder in which the person has an extra chromosome, 47 instead of the usual 46. These extra genes result in a variety of expressions including the flattened profile, some health issues, and mental retardation, usually only mild or moderate in degree. It is the most common cause of developmental disability. While a woman’s chances of having a baby with Down syndrome increase with her age, over 80% of children with Trisomy 21 are born to women under 35.

“Down syndrome” is the correct term for the disorder: it is named for John Langdon Down, the man who identified the syndrome. Always use “person-first” language when referring to a person with Down syndrome. Parents bristle when they hear their children being called a “Downs child” or a “Downs” because they know that their children are much more like typical kids than not.

One of the most persistent misconceptions is that children with Down syndrome all look alike and have passive, loving personalities. While they do have some physical features in common, their appearance and temperament more closely resemble their families more than other people with Down syndrome.

Just a decade ago, the prognosis for these children was not a bright as it is today. Thanks to the establishment of IDEA in 1997, children with Down syndrome can attend Early Intervention programs from birth to age 3 with impressive results. These programs offer physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and infant education individually and in groups at no cost to the parents. Families receive training in how to help their children learn to maximize the development that occurs in the early years. In addition, many children receive aqua therapy, hippotherapy (horseback riding) and music therapy. Communication through sign language, picture cards and assistive communication devices promotes cognitive and language development even when children lack the oral-motor skills to speak. Children with Down syndrome are entering special and regular preschools with abilities much closer to their typical peers than used to be expected, and therefore enter elementary school more prepared to learn alongside their typical peers. Most parents of young children with Down syndrome expect their children will be fully included in public schools.

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While most people with Down syndrome have some degree of mental retardation, recent research shows that not all parts of the brain are affected similarly. Professionals once thought that people with Down syndrome were slow to learn everything, and could not master some material. Now we know that this is not true; people with Down syndrome have some real strengths in their learning styles, as well as real disabilities.

Just like with the typical population, no one generalization will apply to every person with Down syndrome. However, there are significant trends that teachers can use to help their students learn and become a part of the classroom.

Learning strengths:
Strong short-term visual memory
High social / interpersonal intelligence

Learning weaknesses:
Poor short-term auditory memory
Difficulty with basic math skills
Mild to moderate hearing loss (may be undiagnosed)

Future columns will focus on current research on the learning styles and behavior issues associated with people with Down syndrome with practical tips for fully including kids with Down syndrome by using their strengths of children to enhance your entire class.

Kristin Meier: teaches high school English. She has a Masters of Religious Studies from the University of Chicago Divinity School and a M.Ed. in Secondary Education from George Mason University. She has taught English and ESL for 7 years and is currently on leave to care for her two marvelous children, one of whom has Down syndrome.