Learners with Down Syndrome: A Handbook for Teaching Professionals Critical Essay

Article Information

Down Syndrome Victoria (2009). Learners with Down Syndrome: A Handbook for Teaching Professionals. 1-21. Web.

Lemons, C. J., Mrachko, A. A., Kostwicz, D. E., Paterra, M. F. (2012). Effectiveness of Decoding and Phonological Awareness Interventions for Children with down Syndrome. Exceptional Children, 79(1), 67-90.

Purpose or Problem Statement

The purpose of the research consists in highlighting the challenges that disabled children face, particularly those who have Down syndrome, as well as how these challenges could be surpassed by implementing new educational programs.

The main problem is that the existing strategies fail to address the educational issues of disabled people efficiently (Lemons et al., 2012).

In addition, school counselors should take greater responsibility for this category of people to improve conditions and introduce new reforms. This is of particular concern to reading intervention programs.

Design/Procedure

The research premises on a set of research studies to provide experimental evaluation of current programs that address education of children with disabilities. Three programs have been selected to research the problem due to deep empirical base of the studies.

The rationale for selecting these programs is also predetermined by cost-effectiveness and availability of the programs. The research design and methodology involve an experimental and evidence-based approach.

The dependent variables involve reading interventions whereas independent variables focus on assessment of reading skills.

Each study is premised on different intervention strategies, which allows the researchers to assess which one is the most effective. In order to check the reliability of the programs 15 children have been chosen from age 3 to 15 (Lemons et al., 2012).

Children have been engaged in different programs with regard to their grades at school, as well as their reading skills. The interventions have been delivered both individually and at a group level.

All observations have been carried out through recording and transcribing. The procedure has also involved screening and participant selection, as well as training and implementation.

All the stages have been conducted through series of multiple baseline design studies to define whether there is a functional connection between reading interventions and measurement of reading skills among disabled children.

Data Analysis

The main purpose of the selected programs consists in enhancing immediate word identification and improving reading comprehension skills among disabled children.

The instructors should provide background information about the main sounds and phonetic pronunciation of words for children to grasp the main approaches to reading. The analysis of the result has been premised on performance test and scale evaluations to define the degree of phonological awareness.

Conclusions/Implications

The proposed experiment has approved the hypothesis about the evident connection between students’ development and intervention strategies. Over 30 % students have managed to improve their reading skills by means of the proposed programs whereas 70 % were not that good at mastering reading comprehension.

Despite the failure to achieve greater results, the research could serve as a foundation for other studies in the sphere of developing intervention programs for students with Down Syndrome.

More importantly, the proposed study contributes greatly to increased awareness of parents and school counselors who should be more concerned with designing efficient intervention programs.

Due to the fact that the research focuses on learner-centered approach in study, the scholars have managed to provide accurate numerical study and reliable information on the problem.

With regard to the research, being a special educator teacher implies continuous improvement of special education programs and services in an academic environment. Understanding social and cultural diversity is vital to highlight learner differences and develop an individualized approach under CEC Advanced Standard 3.

Critique/Evaluation

In conclusion, the article under analysis discusses urgent issues and develops a consistent framework for analyzing the influence of intervention on the degree of students’ reading comprehension (Down Syndrome Victoria, 2009).

Continuous exploration of current programs dedicated to the analysis of disabled students’ skills and abilities can significantly improve the quality of education in this particular field.

Therefore, the article presents an extensive overview of approaches and techniques that teachers and professionals could employ while dealing with children with Down syndrome.