An Education and Healthcare Plan that identifies the needs your child has and what support is required to meet them can be drawn up by your Local Authority (LA).  We can provide support for your child in their specialist or mainstream setting from nursery right though their education journey. To access our education advocacy please contact us or email schools@dscheshire.org.uk We also run Cheeky Monkey pre-school group, speech and language support and life skills activities for children with Down syndrome.

Just like everyone, children with Down syndrome have strengths and weaknesses when it comes to learning and everyone is unique. Typically, people with Down syndrome have a specific learning profile that can include strong visual learning skills, hearing loss, speech and language difficulties, visual difficulties, low muscle tone, short concentration span and short-term listening memory. 

Every child with Down syndrome will have different educational needs. 80% of children with Down syndrome in Cheshire go to mainstream primary schools. While some children will thrive in an inclusive setting, others may be more suited to learning in a special school. Our education advocates can help you to choose a setting that is right for your child.

Children learn to read by recognising the whole word, rather than phonetically decoding words. To enable this skill to develop we must teach the child the concept of matching; first pictures to pictures, then word to words and finally pictures to words. This method of teaching whole word sight recognition using the process of match, select, name.  Any reading scheme can be used for this method of teaching by making flash cards and lotto boards. New vocabulary can also be introduced in the same way i.e. match, select, name.  As reading progresses, check that the understanding of the material keeps pace.

It is important children with Down syndrome are still taught phonics as they will use this for speech and when reading skills are developing.

Down Syndrome Education (DSE) have developed the See and Learn Language and Reading scheme which is designed to teach children language from first words to simple sentences. DSE have also developed a detailed intervention programme, called the Reading and Language Intervention for Children with DS, which can be used with school age children to develop their reading and language skills. For more information on these schemes visit the DSE website at http://www.dseinternational.org/

Makaton is a language programme using signs and symbols to help people to communicate. Children with Down syndrome have strong visual learning skills so, when Makaton is used, their opportunities for social engagement and learning are greatly enhanced. Makaton allows children to communicate with their parents and teachers straight away and allows them to express wants, needs, emotions and ideas. We offer Makaton training for parents, carers, education and health professionals. For more information, please see our calendar or contact us to express your interest.

Numicon is a multi-sensory approach, built on a proven pedagogy that raises achievement across all mathematics ability levels.

• Numicon’s imagery uses patterns to represent each numeral.

• The patterns are structured so number relationships can be seen and experienced.

• Numicon encourages an understanding of numbers and their relationships.

Understanding numbers is reinforced through conversation and use in real-life contexts. This generalises learning and meaning of mathematical concepts. The activities incorporate rich tasks rather than worksheet or text book tasks.

Numbers are abstract ideas- all we can do is show representations of them. Numicon shapes can be seen as ‘pictures of numbers’. The Numicon Approach encourages use of all structured and non-structured concrete materials. Patterns of objects, Numicon Shapes and Cuisenaire Rods are all used to give children a confident sense of ‘number’.

Children with Down syndrome can benefit from Numicon’s visual imagery and motivating apparatus, it is the low threshold – high ceiling activities that support inclusive teaching and so Numicon really works best as a whole school approach.

Breaking Barriers is the Numicon Teaching Resource Handbook for teachers of children who experience particular difficulties learning maths. 

Down Syndrome Cheshire support the use and education of Numicon at home, in the Nursery/Pre-school, and at School. Our annual program usually includes a full day Numicon Training Event and a twilight training session, please see our events for details.

Portage is guidance on how you and your child can interact, experience and learn together through play. It is sometimes referred to as ‘inclusion’. A portage worker can offer help, advice, guidance and practical suggestions about how to enhance your child’s learning and understanding of the world and benefit them physically and mentally. We offer portage training for families. For more information, contact us or see our calendar for details.

As all children go through different phases it’s perfectly understandable that you may be concerned about their behaviour at times. Negative behaviour may be a result of frustration or poor communication skills and can be addressed by communicating with school. Our education advocates can help you work with school to address the issues and we also run a popular behaviour workshop the dates of which can be found on our calendar.