DOWN SYNDROME

AND THE INCLUSIVE CLASSROOM

 WHAT IS DOWN SYNDROME?
Down Syndrome is the most common chromosomial abnormality in humans,
yet not many of us know much about it. Most people have 46 chromosomes.
Half are from our father and the others from our mother. A person with down
syndrome has 47 chromosomes. There are three types of down syndrome.
Trimsomy 21 is the most common, followed by translocation and mosaicism.
Individuals with down syndrome may have a variety of intellectual and
physical difficulties such as delayed speech, difficulty with hearing. There are
also some physical characteristics attributed to this syndrome such as slanting
eyes with folds, short neck and small head.
5 Important things to know about Down
Syndrome.
• Race, religion or socioeconomic status are not, in any
form causes of down syndrome.
• Even though students may have down syndrome they
are just as eager to learn and to succeed as any other
student.
• Down syndrome is a chromosomal abnormality, not a
disease!
• Students with down syndrome may experience slow
learning but they can learn and many of them reach
their age milestones.
• Individuals with down syndrome are living longer and
richer lives now more than before thanks to the many
people that dedicate their time and resources to give
these wonderful people a chance to grow and thrive.
Teachers play a big role in the success of students
with down syndrome. For this reason they have
may responsibilities. Some of them include…
• Becoming advocates for an inclusive education
in their school.
• Keeping open and positive communication with
parents and other teachers as well as school
staff.
• Helping the IEP team to develop goals for
students to grow through the year.
• Identifying proper accommodations for
students with down syndrome to be successful.
For example, setting up the classroom in a way
that serve students best.
• Adapting course materials to the individual
needs of students.
• Ensuring that students with down syndrome are
not secluded from other students in school
activities. For example, including them in
school pictures and other activities.
• Providing opportunities for students with down
syndrome to connect with supportive peers. As
well as teaching other students about down
syndrome and how they can help their peers.
RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO BEST SERVE
STUDENTS WITH DOWN SYNDROME
• There are websites with great ideas on how to
create an inclusive classroom for students with
Down Syndrome.
• One Place for Special Needs for example,
provides teachers with many resouces such as
articles pertaining to special education.
• Breezy Special Ed is another great resource.
This blog provides a variety of materials to
compliment your lessons. For example « the
cooking lessons for every sped classroom »
Provides ideas and lesson materials to
incorporate cooking into your classroom.
Teaching this lifeskill to students with down
syndrome has many benefits.
• Mrs. P’s Specialties is another great resource
for teachers to better serve their students
with down syndrome. On this website she
shares ideas on classroom management.
• She provides tips on how to arrange the
classroom in a way that will be most useful for
teachers and students.
• One tip that she mentioned for example, was
placing a barrier between desks to provide a
space with less distractions for students that
have a hard time keeping on task.
 Inclusion Revolution is another website that provides special
education teachers with a variety of articles, ideas and resources to
make your job a little easier. For example, it has a great article that
shares tips on how to create a great IEP for your students.
 FAMILY SUPPORT IS CRUCIAL FOR A STUDENT
WITH DOWN SYNDROME.

• Family members’ encouragement and high

expectations have a great impact on students’
behavior and level of achievement and just like
teachers, family members can be great advocates for
inclusion.
• Many resources available now are created by
amazing moms, dads, and extended family of
children with down syndrome.
• Another very important and effective way families
influence their children’s success in school is by
keeping open and positive communication with
teachers.
INCLUSIVE
CLASSROOMS

• One of the many ways to educate

students about how to treat their fellow
peers with down syndrome is through the
use of technology.
• For example, this video provides a brief
description for young students to
understand what is down syndrome in a
way that they can understand. It also
empowers them by explaining how they
can help their peers at school to make it
easier for them to learn.
VOLUNTEERING IS A GREAT RESOURCE THAT
HELPS EVERYONE.

Teachers can coordinate activities such as the Special Olympics or other regular school
activities to provide opportunities for individual students to volunteer to help their peers with
down syndrome. This not only helps teachers and students with down syndrome, it also helps
olders students see the need and stepping up to make a difference.
INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES EDUCATION ACT AND HOW IT
RELATES TO STUDENTS WITH DOWN SYNDROME.

• Also known as IDEA the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act is a law that requires public
schools to provide specialized services to all children who have disabilities. This law also calls
for public schools to create an Individualized Education Program (IEP) for each student with
disabilities.
• Students with Down Syndrome benefit from IDEA greatly. One of the characteristics of down
syndrome is poor vision and hearing, IDEA provides students with these disabilities with special
assistance for that. For example, the student can be provided a hearing specialist. Also, IDEA
provides students with education in least restricted environments, which allows students the
opportunity to learn with other students that do not have disabilities creating an inclusive
environment.
 EVERYONE WINS IN
INCLUSIVE
CLASSROOMS

• Having students with down syndrome

in the classroom doesn’t only help the
students with disabilities but it teaches
other students and even the teachers
how to be more kind, have a positive
attitude about differences, patience,
and recognize different strengths in
others.
• Students with down
syndrome teach us how to
become good citizens.
 WORKS CITED
• "4 RESOURCES TO HELP TEACHERS INCLUDE STUDENTS WITH DOWN SYNDROME IN THE GENERAL EDUCATION CLASSROOM –
INCLUSION EVOLUTION". INCLUSION EVOLUTION, 2020,
HTTPS://WWW.INCLUSIONEVOLUTION.COM/4-RESOURCES-HELP-TEACHERS-INCLUDE-STUDENTS-SYNDROME-GENERAL-EDUCATI
ON-CLASSROOM/
.
• "ABOUT IDEA - INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES EDUCATION ACT". INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES EDUCATION ACT, 2020,
HTTPS://SITES.ED.GOV/IDEA/ABOUT-IDEA/.
• KCDSG.ORG, 2020, HTTPS://WWW.KCDSG.ORG/FILES/CONTENT/SUPPORTING%20THE%20STUDENT%20WITH%20DOWN
%20SYNDROME%20IN%20YOUR%20CLASSROOM-TEACHER%20MANUAL.PDF. ACCESSED 23 APR 2020.
• "DOWN SYNDROME AND FAMILY SUPPORT". BETTERHEALTH.VIC.GOV.AU, 2020,
HTTPS://WWW.BETTERHEALTH.VIC.GOV.AU/HEALTH/SERVICESANDSUPPORT/DOWN-SYNDROME-AND-FAMILY-SUPPORT.
• "DOWN SYNDROME AND FAMILY SUPPORT". BETTERHEALTH.VIC.GOV.AU, 2020,
HTTPS://WWW.BETTERHEALTH.VIC.GOV.AU/HEALTH/SERVICESANDSUPPORT/DOWN-SYNDROME-AND-FAMILY-SUPPORT.
• "INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES EDUCATION ACT (IDEA): WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW". UNDERSTOOD.ORG, 2020,
HTTPS://WWW.UNDERSTOOD.ORG/EN/SCHOOL-LEARNING/YOUR-CHILDS-RIGHTS/BASICS-ABOUT-CHILDS-RIGHTS/INDIVIDUALS-W
ITH-DISABILITIES-EDUCATION-ACT-IDEA-WHAT-YOU-NEED-TO-KNOW
.
• "RESOURCES FOR LEARNERS WITH DOWN SYNDROME IN FULL-INCLUSION CLASSROOMS - BLOG | USC ROSSIER".
ROSSIERONLINE.USC.EDU, 2020,
HTTPS://ROSSIERONLINE.USC.EDU/BLOG/RESOURCES-FOR-LEARNERS-WITH-DOWN-SYNDROME-IN-FULL-INCLUSION-CLASSROOM
S/
.
 WORKS CITED CONTINUED

• "THE ROLE OF A SPECIAL ED TEACHER IN AN INCLUSION CLASSROOM". WORK.CHRON.COM, 2020,

HTTPS://WORK.CHRON.COM/ROLE-SPECIAL-ED-TEACHER-INCLUSION-CLASSROOM-8734.HTML. ACCESSED 23 APR 2020.
• "TIPS FOR DESIGNING AN EFFECTIVE CLASSROOM SET-UP · MRS. P'S SPECIALTIES". MRS. P'S SPECIALTIES, 2020,
HTTPS://MRSPSPECIALTIES.COM/TIPS-FOR-DESIGNING-AN-EFFECTIVE-CLASSROOM-SET-UP/.
• "WHAT IS DOWN SYNDROME? | NATIONAL DOWN SYNDROME SOCIETY". NDSS, 2020,
HTTPS://WWW.NDSS.ORG/ABOUT-DOWN-SYNDROME/DOWN-SYNDROME/.
 MY LESSON PLAN

• Topic: Reading comprehension

• Purpose: to teach student comprehension strategies for better reading retention.
• Grade: K-1
• Materials: Print out booklet
• Procedure: teacher will provide student the printout booklet. The booklet will display one sentence with a supporting visual
representation of the sentences’ meaning. After student reads the sentence the teacher will ask a comprehesion question about the
sentence read. the student will then choose from 3 possible answers with the written word and the visual representation of the word
meaning.
I chose to add visual aids such as pictures of the meaning of the words because students with down syndrome may experience
difficulties with language and memory and even though they may learn to read they have a hard time comprehending what they read.
Providing pictures of the sentences and the answers can create a link in their mind by being able to match the answer with the picture.
• Assessment: to assess student comprehension, the teacher will ask a question about the sentence and promt the student to chose
from answers provided. If the student selects the wrong answer, the teacher will point to the pictures to aid student to make the
connection between the visual aids.
SAMPLE OF LESSON PLAN MATERIALS.