New research will explore how children with Down syndrome learn

Oct 27 2008

Researchers in the U.S. say there is little information or research on how children with Down syndrome learn, especially when it comes to reading and language.

They are set to change this by conducting a study on just how children with Down syndrome learn.

The University of Denver Morgridge College of Education's groundbreaking study will compare two early literacy intervention approaches to educating young children with Down syndrome, with the hope of improving teaching methods for children with the condition.

They say there have been significant breakthroughs in terms of how children with other developmental disabilities learn, and they believe that children with Down syndrome deserve the same attention.

Michelle Sie Whitten of the Rocky Mountain Down Syndrome Educational Fund who are funding the research says the pilot study could have a profound effect on the academic achievement of children with Down syndrome.

An international team of experts has contributed to the study, including Sue Buckley, a British chartered psychologist with more than 30 years of experience in the field of developmental disabilities.

Karen Riley, assistant professor of Child, Family and School Psychology at DU, and the key investigator behind the pilot research says the study is exciting and unique because scientifically based research on early learning intervention has been translated into applied research in areas such as autism, but never before in Down syndrome research.

Professor Riley says they are attracting researchers for this study with expertise in other developmental disabilities who are applying their knowledge to Down syndrome.

The research team are looking for children in the Denver area, ages 2 1/2 to 5, to participate in the study, which will involve a two-day training session to be held at DU followed by an at-home intervention program in which parents will implement the program with their child for approximately 15 minutes per day for approximately 10 months, free of costs.

The researchers working on the study have been trained by Buckley, who is one of the world's leading researchers in the education and development of children with Down syndrome.