A new app for basic number skills and concepts

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Announcing See and Learn Numbers We are delighted to announce a new addition to our See and Learn resources. See and Learn Numbers is designed to help parents and educators teach children basic number skills and concepts. It will be available soon as apps and kits. Find out more See and Learn Numbers is designed to teach young children to count, to link numbers to quantity, to understand important concepts about the number system and to calculate with numbers up to 10. It also teaches early mathematical concepts important for understanding space, time and measurement - including colour, size, shape, ordering, sorting and patterns. Find out more

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Helping children with Down syndrome to develop clearer speech

Helping children with Down syndrome to develop clearer speech People with Down syndrome often struggle to express themselves clearly. This can be frustrating and a significant obstacle in daily life and in education. Speech clarity is one of the most common concerns identified by families of children with Down syndrome. To help children with Down syndrome develop clearer speech, we are developing new, evidence-based resources to practice speech sound recognition, discrimination and production, combining speech sounds, and saying and repeating whole words and phrases. DSE's See and Learn Speech resources begin with See and Learn Playing with Sounds, offering activities to expose young children to individual speech sounds, to teach them to distinguish between sounds and to encourage them to imitate and practice saying individual sounds. Next, See and Learn Putting Sounds Together provides activities to help children practice saying simple vowel-consonant combinations and symbolic sounds. NEW EDITIONS AND APPS COMING SOON - New versions of See and Learn Playing with Sounds and See and Learn Putting Sounds Together will be available both as apps and as printed kits in late October. Following from See and Learn Putting Sounds Together, See and Learn Saying Words offers activities to practice saying whole words in sets of words beginning with the same sound. Research suggests that repeated practice saying whole words can improve speech clarity for young people with Down syndrome. Together with See and Learn Saying More Words and See and Learn Saying Later Words, DSE's speech resources offer structured activities to encourage regular speech practice. AVAILABLE NOW - Our new See and Learn Saying Words, See and Learn Saying More Words and See and Learn Saying Later Words apps are available to download now for iPads, Android tablets and Windows 8.1 tablets and PCs. Our apps include both UK and US English resources, guides and record forms. UK English printed editions of See and Learn Saying Words, See and Learn Saying More Words and See and Learn Saying Later Words are also now available to order from our UK online store. (Printed US English editions will be available soon from our US online store.)

Saying Words See and Learn Saying Words provides simple activities that encourage the imitation and repetition of one- and two-syllable words. It includes eight sets of words, each starting with a speech sound that usually develops early in typical development (b, d, m, p, y, n, w and h). Saying More Words See and Learn Saying More Words continues to introduce target words representing a range of vowel-consonant combinations and vocabulary suitable for younger children and likely to follow developmentally from those introduced in Saying Words (c/k, ch, f, g, r, t and v). Saying Later Words See and Learn Saying Later Words includes activities to practice six sets of one or two syllable words beginning with sounds that typically develop following those introduced in See and Learn Saying More Words (sh, th, s, z, l, and j).

See and Learn Speech webinar Join us on Friday for a free webinar to learn more about our See and Learn Speech resources and how they are designed to help children with Down syndrome develop clearer speech. Find out more...

Support better education for children with Down syndrome For over 30 years, DSE has advanced our understanding of the needs of children with Down syndrome and pioneered better teaching approaches. Our research and resources help over 130,000 people in over 190 countries worldwide each year. Our work for young people with Down syndrome and their families around the world depends on the generous support of our donors. We need your support to fund vital new research, to develop and evaluate new and improved teaching resources, and to develop and provide more effective training for teachers, teaching assistants and therapists. Help us ensure a better future for children with Down syndrome today. Donate

Tweet Like Forward Down Syndrome Education International 6 Underley Business Centre • Kirkby Lonsdale • Cumbria • LA6 2DY • UK Down Syndrome Education USA 1451 Quail Street, Suite 110 • Newport Beach, CA • 92660-2747 • USA We are writing to you because you asked to be kept informed about our work to improve education for children with Down syndrome Preferences  |  Unsubscribe

Landmark research study shows targeted intervention improves the reading and language skills of children with Down syndrome

from DSE:


A landmark research study has shown that a targeted teaching intervention accelerates progress in reading and language development for children with Down syndrome. The primary results of the study are now available online, ahead of publication in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. The study was the first large controlled trial of an intervention designed for children with Down syndrome and was led by researchers at Down Syndrome Education International working with colleagues at the Centre for Reading and Language at the University of York. DSE will be publishing a handbook and other resources, and providing training and support services, to help teachers successfully implement the new reading and language intervention.

Dr Kelly Burgoyne, a Research Psychologist at Down Syndrome Education International who led the study commented, “We are very pleased with the results that clearly indicate the benefits offered by the intervention. We are also pleased with the feedback that we have received from teaching assistants and families about how helpful and enjoyable the intervention has been. We are already starting to pursue new avenues of research based on these results and considering how we will be able to continue to improve the program in the future.”


The first scientific paper from a landmark randomized controlled trial of a reading and language intervention for children with Down syndrome is now available online ahead of publication in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. This three year study involved nearly 60 children in schools in York and Portsmouth in the United Kingdom. It was funded by the UK Big Lottery Fund.


for the full article:
Landmark research study shows targeted intervention improves the reading and language skills of children with Down syndrome

Hope vs Reality... and Perspective

from BabyCenter's group on Down syndrome:

Yesterday 2 people commented on how smart little B seems and it made me sad. I want to be hopeful but I also want to be realistic. I am afraid of being disappointed maybe? I want to love and accept her no matter what but sometimes my mind wanders to a place where she is keeping up with her peers . How do you reconcile this?

Great question!  I think this is something a lot of parents struggle with.

On the one hand, it's important to know that as a population people with DS have come so far due to changes in acceptance, medical progress, law changes.  We have so many more things available to us, including an easier exchange of info, the learning techniques developed through research at DSE.  People with DS ARE accomplishing things never imagined before.

I see these things, know they are beneficial. Sometimes I worry though - are new parents so fucused on these things that the future of a highly "successful" person with DS is the only future they can imagine?  Are they clinging to that - in a healthy way, or sometimes in an unhealthy way?

I see phrases like "except don't accept" and "more alike than different" sometimes used as things that create a type of tunnel vision - THIS is the path, THIS is the future, if I just concentrate hard enough, give her enough therapies, explore every option, work with her enough, don't accept "that type" of behavior, push, push, push.  The negative flip-side to that - sometimes - is the implication that if a child is not progressing to a certain ideal, it is the "fault" of parents.  They did not "expect" enough and shame on them:  I've seen that come out on this board sometimes, and other places.  And I've seen some parents of children or adults who are not "performing" to a certain level, or "behaving" a certain way, or even experiencing more than the typical medical conditions - stung by comments, with a result that they sometimes feel they are not supposed to share.

The "reality" is that people with DS are a diverse collection of individuals.  A lot goes into that diversity:
- knowledge of parents
- efforts of parents
- opportunities available in the community (school, etc.)
- medical conditions & availability of treatment
- unique genetics of the family
- those genes of that individual - both the variation in the extra 21st chromosome material, and the genes aliong the rest of the chromosomes (There was some great congressional testimony on this but I can't put my hands on it.)
- the presence/ absence of associated with DS but not necessarily common behavioral issues (elopement, OCD, sensory issues, etc.)
- the development & use of safe, proven treatments, some currently in trials, some being developed
- and likely a host of other factors (nature, nurture) that make up who we are.

I have 8 brothers and sisters, all the same parents, same home, same upbringing.  My sister and I are night & day - and the rest of them fall somewhere in between.

People with DS are influenced by that extra 21st chromosome, but are MORE than the 21st chromosome which impacts many systems - they have a whole bunch of other genetic material influencing who they are, and certain of those genes interact with that extra genetic material.
Give your child love, learn what you can, and do what you can, understanding that you still must live your life and you have other responsibilities.  Give your child the proper tools, but try to embrace who she is.  Your child will make you proud regardless of "performance." A child who does not meet certain preset "expectations" is NOT a consolation prize - she is a unique individual with a place at your table, in your home, at your school, in the community, in this world.  She will be your superstar - whether than is seen by some objective measurement or not.

BabyCenter's group on Down syndrome is for sharing our children's triumphs (OK, shamelessly brag), challenges (OK, throw a pity party), ask questions, share advice, experiences and information with each other.

iPad, iPod, and iPhone apps to help early development

from Down Syndrome Education International:

Down Syndrome Education International is working with developers to create new learning opportunities for children with Down syndrome using portable devices including iPads and iPods. Recently released apps support language, memory and number skills development.

Computerised educational activities have the potential to offer significant benefits for young people with Down syndrome, with an emphasis on the visual presentation of information and opportunities to encourage lots of practice. DSE is working with partners in the UK, Europe and the US to create apps that target the developmental needs and learning styles of young people with Down syndrome. Some of the first of these apps are now available.

Special Words from Special iApps

Special Words teaches children to recognise written words, using pictures and sounds, on iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. The app has 3 games with increasing difficulty, Match Pictures, Match Words and Match Both.

Special Words comes with the vocabulary and pictures from the early steps of DSE’s See and Learn Language and Reading program, comprising of 96 written words children use in their early vocabulary.

It includes matching pictures, written and spoken words, in 8 languages: American and British English, Spanish, Catalan, French, German, Italian and Swedish. Users can easily replace the words and re-record the audio in any other language their child uses. Users can add more words, pictures and sounds for family members, friends, and familiar objects, to increase their child’s interest, and further develop their vocabulary.

Special Words was developed by Special iApps, a social enterprise founded by parents of a child with Down syndrome who have many years of experience in both education and software. Special iApps is donating a proportion of the global sales of Special Words to Down Syndrome Education International.

• Special Words on the App Store (US edition)
• Special Words on the App Store (UK edition)

 

Memory Fun and Counting Fun from Felix Education Apps

Memory Fun is a memory game where the user has to remember the position of picture cards in order to recall the location of two matching cards. Starting with just four cards to choose from, up to 18 cards can be displayed with a vocabulary of over 100 words.

Counting Fun is a simple counting game designed to encourage practising counting from 1 to 10. Sound effects and animation engage the child’s attention while they tap each item displayed on the screen to hear and see each digit.

Felix Education Apps is a family run business based in Oslo, Norway, designing educational apps. Felix Education Apps is donating a proportion of the global sales of their apps to Down Syndrome Education International.

• Memory Fun on the App Store (US Edition)
• Counting Fun on the App Store (US Edition)