ASSESSMENT 3 1

Down Syndrome

Shiwangi Sharma, S00238485

Australian Catholic University, Sem, 1,2020

This paper will reflect on appropriate teaching strategies and curriculum

and policies that is reflective to support children with Down Syndrome. This

paper will demonstrate learning opportunities for children with additional needs

that are critically reflected through-out the semester in EDCU261.

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CHILD PROFILE

This child profile will be narrated by the view- point of the child to get to know and

understand him from his side.

Hi, I am Aleksander. I am from Australia. I live with my dad, sister and Jerry (Our dog). I

love taking Jerry for walk every day and playing with him. Me and my dad always play game

connecting the words together. It helps me to remember words because I am unable to

explain my feelings. I feel, I don’t have enough word to say but I never give up. I sometimes

get overwhelmed when I am unable to explain. I get angry and I throw toys but my dad

always calms me down.

I love going to school and meet my friends. I am currently studying in Year 2, but I don’t

know why I go to two different schools. It becomes really hard for me to remember. Once I

asked dad, why I don’t go to one school like my friends in primary school? He said, because

he is trying to get full-time enrolment for me to study in local primary school. Anyway, I still

feel happy when I see Miss. Tina. She is our primary school class teacher. She is very patient

with me and explain everything to me in detail. I understand most of the things she explains

to me, but I don’t like when I have to go out from the class to see other teacher (Speech-

language pathologist) to build my language skills. I miss my friends and Miss. Tina. Miss

Tina always says that I am very creative and good at problem solving skills. She says I can

remember lots words if I connect my words with my daily environment. I have tried doing

that it really works.

I feel enthusiastic when Miss. Tina ask me questions and help me understand them.
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However, I feel different from others as some of the children doesn’t want to play with me.

They say they don’t want to play because they can’t understand me. They play in different

groups and I have to play alone sometimes.

Reflection on my approach:

To develop inclusive classroom, I will be using different approaches towards

my students to support the children with special needs. Being witnessing some
incidents have made me realise how important it is to not only talk about being
inclusive but to practice it with children. Inclusive doesn’t only involves
focusing on children social, linguistic, cultural diversity but to make sure that all
children’s identity, rights and experiences are valued and respected. All children
should have equal rights of participation, opportunities and to articulate their
experiences and learning (VEYLF,2016). Connecting back to Aleksander my
child profile. Due to unjustifiable hardship he couldn’t go to mainstream school
in his community. He did manage to get enrolled in mainstream school but far
away, for 3-days a week. Situations like this have made me reflect back on
policies and legislations that supports child’s right but aren’t effective when it
comes to enrolling a child with special needs.

To overcome unjustifiable hardship and advocate for children with Down

Syndrome. Down Syndrome Australia acts as representation and provide many
resources for children like Aleksander. Making these resources available for
parents as a teacher would support families and children who has special needs.
Down Syndrome Australia doesn’t only support the child but the teachers to
create inclusive environment with the help of allied health professionals.
Working along with the health professionals will help me as a teacher to
develop new strategies and effectively implement them. Further highlighted by
Disability Standards for Education (2005), that child has rights to access to
special support services including speech pathologist.

Apart from my approaches I have thought of how important it is first to notice

any discrimination happening, observing how it is happening and then come up
with the different ways of being inclusive. It is very hard to recognise
discrimination, sometimes you don’t see it because from your perspective it
right. This vision comes from what see in the society and that is what you start
to believe in (Srinivasan,2016). The society plays important role in influencing
the young learners and developing sigma around disability. I have seen children
not playing with the children with disability just because their parents think
their children are not compatible enough.
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To overcome these differences, inclusion should start from early years to

nurture young children thoughts upon being inclusive and respect everyone.
Using different approaches such as developing a physical environment where
social interactions plays important part. Social interactions encourage children
to see everyone equally and constant talking about inclusion.

An individual learning plan. ILP

Activity: Implemen Semester Short-term Curriculum area Method of

-tation goal goal(Adjustment (For rest of the delivery
(Adjustment to curriculum class)
to for Aleksander)
curriculum
for
Aleksander)
1. Setting up Able to Able to confidently 1. Listen to and 1. Modelling
class in communicate explains his thoughts contribute to conversations to
1. Pair and experiences. and discussions to share
peers for and frame clear demonstrate
pictures and long
information and ideas and
what are we
same negotiate in collaborative
with sentences. situations and use interaction doing.
activity but
spoken skills, including active 2. Using
different listening and clear, coherent
words. goals. communications (VCELY275) instructions
2. Children 2. Small group explicit
will be and one to approach
divided one for children
into instructions. to follow a
group of 3. Working goal.
four and alongside
will with
work teaching
together. assistants.
3. Each
group
will be
given 10
pictures
and
spoken
words.
4. Children
will be
asked to
discuss
first and
then
pair
picture
with the
spoken
words.
5. Children
will be
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asked to
reflect
back on
their
thinking
and
explain.

Teaching strategy: As children with Down Syndrome are visual learners and learn

effectively if present with cues. I have focused my teaching strategy based on cue cards to

stimulate Aleksander and for the rest of the class to stimulate language.

According to Llyod (1988), there can’t be one teaching approach that supports children with

additional needs but the one, which are goal orientated, comprehensive, detailed, structured

and provide lots of opportunities of learning are the effective one’s. My IEP will focus on all

the elements that will help Aleksander learn and develop his language skills.

Adjustment to curriculum: Modifying the curriculum for Children with Down Syndrome

using approaches like whole class approach and overlapping the curriculum. With these

approaches Aleksander will be inclusive and will not be segregated to meet literacy

standards.

Collaborative teaching: involving other students to be a part of peer tutoring. Peer mediated

approaches involves one student helping their peer to understand the concept. Which is

involved in the above IEP. Children will work together and will share their thinking and

thoughts. Matropieri, spencers and Scruggs(2003), peer mediated approach is important in

producing skills based and goal based improvements in IEP and inclusive settings.
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A concluding statement/reflection

This unit has been very engaging and I have developed new ideas and thoughts on inclusion.

unpacking issues like othering, seeing people differently, need of normalization,

discrimination towards disability. I was able to understand the concepts while connecting

back to my personal experiences. Through this assessment I have learnt new approaches and

strategies to support children with additional needs. I have observed how my terminology has

been changed through -out the semester towards students/children with disability. Before I

have found myself labeling children through my words even if it is just words but now, I

understand that how words can be critically impact child’s and society thinking.

However, now I have plenty of tools and knowledge that could help me to develop warm,

creative and inclusive environment for children with disability.

Appendices
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Spencer., V.G., Scruggs, T.E., and Mastropieri, M.A.(2003). Content area learning in middle

school social studies classrooms and students with emotional or behavioural disorders: a

comparison of strategies. Behavioural disorders. 28(2). 77-93

Smith, T. (2004). Teaching students with special needs in inclusive settings. Allyn and Bacon.

(research again)

Llyod, Slavin. (1998). Research on co-operative learning and achievement: what we know,

what we need to know. Contemporary educational pychology.pp.43-69.

Foreman, Phill and Kelly, Micheal Arthur(2018). Inclusion in Action. South Melbourne.

Cengage Learning Australia

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). (2013). Retrieved

from/vhttps://acaraweb.blob.core.windows.net/resources/EALD_overview_and_Advice_revis

ed_February_2014.pdf.