'Deaf Plus': a look at the learning implications of additional difficulties
Friday 24 February 2006
Cecille McKinnon
Down's syndrome Scotland: Accessing the Curriculum
Inhibiting factors
A child with Down's Syndrome may have:
- Delayed motor skills - fine and gross
- Auditory and visual impairment
- Visual spatial delay
- Speech and language impairment
- Short-term auditory memory deficit
- Shorter concentration span
- Difficulties with consolidation and retention
- Difficulties with generalisation, thinking and reasoning
- Sequencing difficulties
- Avoidance strategies
- Low motivation and use of skills
Facilitating factors
Children with Down's Syndrome:
- Have strong visual awareness and visual learning skills;
- Have the ability to learn and use sign, gesture and visual support;
- Have the ability to learn and use the written word;
- Model baheviour and attitudes on peers and adults;
- Learn from practical curriculum material / hands-on activities
- Favour peer tutoring
- Enjoy the company of their peers
Summary
Presentation
- task
- pacing
- timing
- response
Instruction
- non-ambiguous
- relevant
- simple
- minimum verbal
Variety
- motivates
- discourages perseverance
- promotes generelisation and adaptability
Familiar - promotes
- confidence
- independent working
- freedom from 1:1 tuition
- time for preparation and planning
Real
- meaningful
- worthwhile
- purposeful
- motivational
Visual - verbal only may be forgotten, so:
- demonstrate
- pictorial representation
- support verbal with words and numerals
- provide permanent model
Basic - one focussed aim:
- analyse the task
- identify and build on previously learned skills
- break down all tasks into small, graded steps
- set short, achievable tasks
Reinforce - reinforcement opportunities should be:
- sufficient for obtaining fluency
- distributed over time
- cumulative as more skills are learned
- varied to promote generalisation