Discriminating Quantity: New Points for Teaching Children with Down Syndrome About Number?

Abstract

The focus of much mathematics teaching has been on the acquisition of counting, an area where children with Down syndrome can experience particular difficulties. Research with typically developing children has highlighted how early awareness of quantity provides a strong platform for the acquisition of later mathematical skills and programmes of early intervention have been introduced. Many of these studies are embedded in the work and traditions of developmental and cognitive psychology and can be difficult to access. Consequently, this is an area that has been largely ignored in the curricula of children with Down syndrome. This paper seeks to make this literature more available. It systematically reviews previous research with children with Down Syndrome on these early foundations. It considers seemingly contradictory findings in the light of differences in tasks, their presentation and instructions, and the responses required, in order to draw conclusions and reflect on the implications for teaching and learning. Some of these propositions are in contrast to existing practices and call for further research to test their effectiveness.

Training basic numerical skills in children with Down syndrome using the computerized game “The Number Race”

“…Six-year-old children with DS displayed the expected ratio-dependent effect in a numerosity comparison task as they could discriminate between 8 and 16 dots (1:2 ratio) but failed to discriminate between 8 and 12 (2:3 ratio) as similarly done by controls matched on both chronological and mental age 22 . Similarly, children with DS displayed a performance that decreased as a function of the numerical ratio and was higher for large compared to small numerical quantities 23 . In line with this evidence, two eye-tracking studies showed that children with DS demonstrate looking patterns, when performing a numerosity comparison task, similar to typically developing individuals matched for mental age 24 , 25 .…”

“…Overall, it emerges that individuals with DS display a specific numerical deficit concerning the processing of small numerical quantities. In contrast, the processing of large numerical quantities appears to be in line with mental age 23 . The deficit in processing small numerical quantities might be explained by a limited capacity of the OTS.…”

Predictors of the Attitudes of Preservice Teachers Toward Teaching Students With Down Syndrome in Regular Schools in Ghana

“…Although students with DS are increasingly receiving education in regular schools, teachers continue to raise concerns over teaching these students (Alfaraj & Kuyini, 2014; Lalvani, 2013). However, appropriate training can equip teachers with the requisite pedagogical skills to teach students with DS in regular classrooms (Cologon et al, 2011; Faragher & Clarke, 2016; Porter, 2019). In this study, we assessed the attitudes of preservice teachers toward teaching students with DS in inclusive classrooms.…”

“…The ineffective participation of students with DS in regular classrooms has largely been attributed to the lack of adequately trained teachers and the unavailability of required teaching and learning materials to support their inclusion in regular classrooms (Alfaraj & Kuyini, 2014). In efforts toward developing an inclusive society, studies have shown that educating teachers about DS and providing pedagogical training and institutional support will enable them to support students with DS (Cologon, 2013; Cologon, Cupples, & Wyver, 2011; Faragher & Clarke, 2016; McFadden, Tangen, Spooner‐Lane, & Mergler, 2017; Porter, 2019). As such, there is a need to change teachers' attitudes to enable them to embrace the prospect of teaching students with DS.…”

Receptive number morphosyntax in children with Down syndrome

“…Studies have also shown that hearing redundant plural markers helps English-learning two-year-olds to distinguish one from four objects (Wood, Kouider, & Carey, 2009). Children with DS have an ability to compare large quantities consistent with their mental age (Abreu-Mendoza & Arias-Trejo, 2015;Karmiloff-Smith et al, 2012;Paterson, Girelli, Butterworth, & Karmiloff-Smith, 2006), but their small quantity comparison skills are impaired (Karmiloff-Smith et al, 2012;Paterson et al, 2006;Sella, Lanfranchi, & Zorzi, 2013; for a recent review, see Porter, 2019). However, the ability to discriminate between one object and a collection of more than three objects has not been studied in children with this syndrome.…”