Down syndrome Research Forum, 2017

I have just returned from the Down syndrome research forum, with Dr Silvana Mengoni hosting this year’s forum at the University of Hertfordshire. It always feels like a treat to attend a conference dedicated to Down syndrome, as I find myself interested in every talk. The forum gets together a room full of people who all share expertise relating to individuals with Down syndrome, but with vastly different experiences, and this allows for great discussions and sharing of different perspectives. My favourite talks tend to be those given by parents because their experience is so rich, and I have left the conference feeling very inspired by their stories.

This year I presented the findings of a systematic literature review on motivation in children with Down syndrome, carried out with colleagues in the DSL plus project. While motivation is not my usual research topic, it is clear that motivation (i.e., the driving force behind our actions) is a key factor to consider in all aspects of a child’s learning, and therefore applies to the development of interventions, be it for language, memory or any other ability. I was really pleased to have the opportunity to chat with Prof David Messer at the forum as he published the book ‘Mastery motivation in early childhood’, and I am currently quite engrossed in this book!

Some of the main topics covered in the forum this year were:

1. Articulation and the importance of picking up on poor intelligibility in our language measures, as well as how to address these problems. For example, rhythm/song appears to provide a useful support. It was highlighted that intelligibility tends to be a regular concern for parents in terms of their child’s language.

2. Understanding of mathematics. This was highlighted as an area of difficulty for individuals with Down syndrome. But studies highlight that there is hope for improving number skills in chidlren With Down syndrome. For example, Anne Gullick, a teacher, Down syndrome advisor and mother to a little boy with Down syndrome highlighted the ability of children with Down syndrome to develop number sense. A theme highlighted in this and other talks, and also highlighted in our motivation findings was the importance of autonomy and giving the child time to work out the answers. Another message was the importance of framing the question in a way that makes sense to the child, for example, Anne showed a video of a teaching session with her little boy, he initially confused division with adding together. By using real sweets and explaining how these need to be split between four friends, the division problem was successfully solved, with patience and the room for autonomy also appearing to play an important role. There were many other interesting talks about mathematics, and this appears to be becoming a much hotter topic than previous years!

3. A number of presentations were about having the voice of the child/individuals with Down syndrome be heard, and highlighting the value of this for research and practice as well as for the individuals themselves. Clare Carroll, Niamh Parker, Eileen O’Donnell and Tracy Beirne from the National University of Ireland, Galway, reported a study involving adults with Down syndrome in training catering staff in communication awareness. This led to catering staff feeling more comfortable in the way that they communicated with customers with communication difficulties, including those with Down syndrome. Additionally, the individuals with Down syndrome involved in carrying out the training reported how valuable the experience was to them.

While the above highlight some of the key themes there were also various other interesting talks, such as the recording of health and needs of children with Down syndrome. As well as various language training approaches with positive outcomes. There was fruitful discussion about finding the balance between highly systematic, controlled approaches and the importance of this for interpretation of results and publication vs. a degree of flexibility and individualization in the approaches being used.

I have come away from the forum with lots of exciting ideas, and had a really enjoyable time!

Liz