A child with Down syndrome - Challenge for families, kindergartens and schools

Abstract

Every day, the number of children born with disabilities is increasing. One of the many disabilities is Down's syndrome, which occurs on average in one of 650 infants. For a child born with this disability, it is much more difficult to normally grow, develop and function in everyday life. In the past, children born with Down syndrome were neglected, and their education was not paid almost any attention. Today, there are significant changes in social awareness related to rights and needs of children with Down syndrome. Early intervention programs that are being developed in order to mitigate problems of children with disabilities are becoming much better, and the number of therapeutic methods is increasing. There are a number of institutions and organizations which provide assistance and support to the parents of children with Down syndrome. To encourage their overall development and enable easier and more efficient functioning in society, children with Down syndrome are being integrated into pre-school and school facilities. The aim of this work is to further sensitize the public to problems and needs of this very vulnerable population of children and show examples of successful integration of children with Down syndrome in kindergarten and elementary schools.

The challenges of integrating students with Down Syndrome

“…Timely announcements can direct students to the acceptance of students with disabilities, but the actual value is achieved through those who live and work together." (Duranovic, M., Klasnic, I., & Opic, V., 2017).…”

Awareness and Acceptance of the Community Towards Individuals with Down Syndrome

“…Mainstream schooling has better outcomes for children who have Down syndrome. Research has shown that students with Down syndrome gain academic, social and behavioral advantages from being educated with their typically developing peers in mainstream schools (Buckley et al, 2006;Down Syndrome Ireland, 2018).…”

Knowledge and Awareness Regarding Trisomy 21 among Parents of School Going Down Syndromes in Islamabad and Rawalpindi: a Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study

“…People with DS manifests over fifty distinctive features that varies child to child, however most of the people does have very fundamental knowledge about it, even in an advanced and developed country like the US.Children with DS are amiable, pleasant, and social; however, they do go with the same level of emotional development, therefore, selective conditioning is required with them. Duranovic et al mentions that children with DS are less creative, therefore, the role of an educator plays an integrative role by indulging them into interactive games and exercise 19 .…”