School Visits

Support for schools, parents and pupils

The therapy team at the Down Syndrome Centre provides school support through individualised school visits and education for teaching staff. During school visits, therapists advise teachers and SNAs regarding specific difficulties around inclusion, communication, and occupational participation to ensure a child is best supported in their educational placement.

Both our Occupational Therapists (OTs) and Speech and Language Therapists (SLTs) may provide programmes for schools to support a child's goals. In schools, OTs assess and provide support around independence, seating, pre-writing and handwriting, motor skills, social interaction, and sensory needs. SLTs assess and provide support in the areas of attention and listening, receptive and expressive language skills, speech difficulties, and social communication.

The therapists at the DSC also provide generalised education to teaching staff about Down syndrome and how to best support a child with Down Syndrome in the classroom.

Why It Is Important To Include Children With Down Syndrome In Mainstream Settings?

Children with Down syndrome have the right to be educated in their local school, and to be given appropriate support to enable them to access the curriculum and learn effectively. Attending mainstream school is shown to have better outcomes for children who have Down syndrome.

Inclusive education values diversity and each student's unique contributions to the classroom. It fosters a culture of respect and belonging. It also provides the opportunity to learn, from an early age to accept individual differences. By bringing students of all abilities together, inclusive education is helping to create understanding, shape attitudes and cultivate a higher level of respect for diversity.
Social inclusion in school is proven to reduce teasing, bullying, and the exclusion of any group of students. Students without disabilities hold more positive attitudes toward their peers with disabilities.

Research has shown that students with Down syndrome gain academic, social, and behavioural advantages from being educated with their typically developing peers. (Buckley et al. 2006).

Typical learning profile of a child who has down syndrome

Ability to learn and use sign, gesture and visual support.
Ability to learn using the written word.
Strong desire and ability to learn from their peers, to imitate and take their cue from them.
Strong visual awareness and visual learning skills.
Delayed motor skills, fine and gross – leading to clumsiness and manipulation difficulties.
Auditory and visual impairment – leading to hearing and sight loss.
Speech and language delay. Problems with articulation, comprehension and expression.
Poor short-term auditory memory and problems with consolidation and retention.

Short-term auditory memory (working memory) helps us understand language. We use this memory to hold, process and assimilate the spoken language. It influences the speed at which children learn new words and learn to read. Generally, long-term memory is not impaired, and neither is visual memory, which is often far stronger—difficulties with generalisations, thinking and reasoning.

Concentration is sometimes an issue. Children with Down syndrome are rarely lazy but often tire easily due to the pressure of work and effort required, lack of understanding of the task involved, the time of day, the amount of work already completed, lack of sleep or poor quality of sleep (maybe sleep apnoea) or other medical issues like thyroid, ear infections, chest infections or colds.

Teaching strategies for the student with Down syndrome

To access teaching strategies click here

School Visit

For more information, or to book a School Visit for your child, email below

info@downsyndromecentre.ie - Sandyford

info@downsyndromecentre.ie - Swords

School Visits

School Visits

Support for schools, parents and pupils

Why It Is Important To Include Children With Down Syndrome In Mainstream Settings?

Typical learning profile of a child who has down syndrome

Teaching strategies for the student with Down syndrome

School Visit

For more information, or to book a School Visit for your child, email below

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