Down Syndrome

Tips for Teaching Students

with Down Syndrome

1) Have high expectations for the student. Be enthusiastic and encouraging.

2) When planning a student's instructional program, be guided by the student's individual ability and needs, and not the label of Down syndrome.

3) If the student is highly distractible, seat the student away from windows and doors to minimize distractions in the environment.

4) Small group instruction may be more beneficial to the student than whole class instruction. Try to also set aside some time for one-on-one instruction.

5) Model the task and give the student many opportunities to perform it. Break down tasks into smaller sequenced steps.

6) Ask the student to repeat or rephrase instructions. Ask the student specific step-by-step question to make sure the student has understood the instructions given.

7) Set aside time for frequent review and practice of tasks.

8) Allow the student adequate response time.

9) Provide consistent positive reinforcement immediately after the student produces a correct response.

10) If the student makes a mistake, do not say "that’s wrong." Ask the student to try again, or provide the correct response and require the student to repeat the correct response immediately. Immediate corrective feedback is more effective than delayed.

11) Give clear signals about the end of one activity and the beginning of the next. Use picture cues or audio cues with young children. For example, use picture symbols representing activities or sing a certain song before a specific activity.

12) Present only a few stimuli or objects at a time. For example, if you are using worksheets, create worksheets that to not have too many pictures or sentences with complicated wording. Highlight or print key words in bold.

13) Use concrete objects/manipulative along with verbal explanations. For example, while teaching counting use manipulatives that are alike in shape, size and color, so that the student concentrates on counting, rather than being distracted by shapes, etc.

14) Be flexible with attaining educational goals. For example, if the student has difficulty writing with a pencil, teach the student to write using a computer.

This information was taken from the Down Syndrome- Aim High Resource Center

For more information, visit the site: http://www.aim-high.org/professional-resources/educators/item/41-tips-for-teaching-students-with-down-syndrome