A Reading and Language Intervention for Children with Down Syndrome: Teacher's Handbook

This handbook details a reading and language teaching intervention designed for children with Down syndrome. The handbook is written by the team who designed and evaluated the intervention in a landmark research study in primary schools in the UK. The handbook is accompanied by two DVDs illustrating teaching techniques, and a CD containing assessment tools, sample lesson plans and teaching resources. It is published by Down Syndrome Education International - a recognised leader in research, resources and support for children with Down syndrome. The intervention teaches language and literacy skills following evidence-based principles adapted to meet the children's specific learning needs. It is designed for children with Down syndrome aged 5 to 11 years. The intervention is suitable for beginning readers through to those with reading ages up to 8 years and for students with a wide range of language abilities. Teaching is adapted to meet individual needs through initial assessments of skills and regular monitoring of progress. The intervention complements regular literacy instruction, providing a clear framework for additional individualised support to meet the particular learning needs of students with Down syndrome. It is based on interventions that have been shown to be beneficial for other children experiencing language and reading difficulties, and incorporates the principles of best practice for all children as identified by current research and guidelines. The intervention was evaluated in the first large randomised controlled trial of an educational intervention designed for children with Down syndrome, and one of the largest of any study of children with Down syndrome to date. The study was funded by the UK Big Lottery Fund and conducted by researchers at Down Syndrome Education International and at The Centre for Reading and Language at the University of York. Further information about the intervention and the study is available from Down Syndrome Education International (www.dseinterntional.org/rli)

Kelly Burgoyne is a Research Fellow at Down Syndrome Education International. Kelly completed her PhD, looking at the comprehension skills of children learning English as an additional language, at the University of Central Lancashire under the supervision of Helen Whiteley and Jane Hutchinson in 2007. She worked at the University of Manchester as a Teaching Fellow in the School of Psychological Sciences between 2006 and 2008 before joining Down Syndrome Education International in January 2009. Her research interests are currently focused on the reading skills of children with Down syndrome and the development of effective interventions. Fiona J Duff is a Research Associate at the University of Oxford. Fiona completed her PhD under the supervision of Charles Hulme at the University of York. As recipient of the British Psychological Society Postgraduate Award, she was seconded to the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology in 2009 where she prepared a briefing note for parliamentarians on theoretical and policy issues related to teaching children to read. Her current research focuses on the inter-relations between spoken and written language and in evaluating interventions that address weaknesses in these skills. Paula J Clarke is a Lecturer in Psychological Approaches to Childhood and Inclusive Education at the University of Leeds, where she has been in post since 2009. Prior to this she completed a PhD and was a Research Fellow at the Centre for Reading and Language, University of York. Paula has expertise primarily in the field of reading comprehension. She project managed a recent large scale evaluation of approaches to support reading comprehension skills and co-authored the York Assessment of Reading for Comprehension (GL Assessment). She works with colleagues in Leeds on a project investigating the reading comprehension skills of deaf children. She also continues to work in collaboration with Down Syndrome Education International and is currently involved in developing and evaluating materials and training for parents to support the reading comprehension skills of children with Down syndrome. Glynnis Smith has had a long career working in schools and in teacher training at York St John where she was Head of Continuing Professional Development. She also worked as a Consultant for Inclusion in North Yorkshire focusing on children with literacy difficulties and introducing The Reading Intervention Programme. Glynnis now works with the Centre for Reading and Language at the University of York on research projects and is a supporter of the Dyslexia SpLD Trust. Glynnis was a member of the expert advisory group who contributed to the Rose Report Identifying and Teaching Children and Young People with Dyslexia and Literacy Difficulties and is the co-developer of the Interventions for Literacy web site. Sue Buckley is Director of Research at Down Syndrome Education International. She read Psychology at the University of Reading and then went to Oxford for training in Clinical Psychology. She worked in the National Health Service for several years and moved to teaching in the Department of Psychology at the University of Portsmouth in 1975 where she was awarded a personal chair in 1994. Sue began her research into the learning needs of children with Down syndrome in 1980. For the past 30 years, she has played a leading role in stimulating growth in research into the education and development of children with Down syndrome worldwide. She is the Founding Editor of Down Syndrome Research and Practice. Sue received an OBE for her services to special needs education in the Queen's 2004 Birthday Honours List and the Theodore D. Tjossen Research Award by the US National Down Syndrome Congress in 2005. Charles Hulme is Professor of Psychology at University College London and former co-Director of the Centre for Reading and Language at the University of York. He is an expert in cognitive and developmental psychology and received the Dina Fitelson Award of the International Reading Association for his work on reading intervention. He is Senior Associate Editor of Psychological Science and former Editor in Chief of Scientific Studies in Reading. Margaret J Snowling is President of St. John's College Oxford. She formerly was Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of York where she was Co-Director of the Centre for Reading and Language. She is a Fellow of the British Academy and a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences. She served as a member of Sir Jim Rose's Expert Advisory Group on provision for Dyslexia (2009) and as an expert member of the Education for All: Fast Track Initiative (2011).