Down Syndrome, Up Tempo
- The Matrix
- Mar 3, 2016
- 3 min read
Children with Down syndrome are often judged before they have an opportunity to show what they can do. They are often viewed as clumsy or having a lack of motor skills when they attempt to participate in gym class. Having very little knowledge myself on the best ways to positively include and engage those students with Down syndrome into a physical education class. Knowing this I decided to do some of my own research on the topic and see what I could find.
I found that there is very little information or research available on the topic of getting Down syndrome students engaged and included into gym class. Most of the prior information that I found about students with Down syndrome described them as “clumsy” (p. 34, Jobling, Virji-Babul & Nichols, 2006), and did not give any ways to help reduce this clumsiness and help them succeed in physical education. One article I was able to find was Children with Down Syndrome Discovering the Joy of Movement by Anne Jobling, Naznin Virji-Babul and Doug Nichols, it discusses the use of dance to develop and improve their movement abilities of students with Down syndrome.
This article discussed the positive use of dance to help improve the quality of movement patterns of children with Down syndrome and discussed the use of a “Laban-based movement education for play programs.” (p. 35, Jobling, Virji-Babul & Nichols, 2006). A Laban-based system uses “the essential elements of movement in dance” (p. 35, Jobling, Virji-Babul & Nichols, 2006). This program uses dance as a framework for practicing and developing different movement skills, as well as helping students with Down syndrome to better understand their body and spatial awareness.
This type of program has been proven to have a positive effect on the movement skills and abilities of those students with Down syndrome and has aided them in transferring those skills back into other activities in physical education class. Also it has helped to improve their social skills such as communication, self-confidence, creativity and improve their participation levels.
Overall, I program such as this which uses dance to aid those children with Down syndrome improve their abilities is a great program to include into a physical education classroom and it can be a positive form of inclusion to help those with Down syndrome feel a part of the class.
I also came across this list of ten tips about how to include students with Down syndrome into the classroom; I found that it is also relevant in the gym as many of these tips are also transferable to a physical education classroom:
Believe that your student with Down syndrome can succeed in your classroom.
Ensure that your student has an effective communication system.
Have IEP goals that reflect and relate to how the student can participate in the classroom and access the curriculum.
Ensure that the IEP team works as a team.
Educate your students about Down syndrome and how they can best support their classmate.
Round up your supports and resources.
Have a “toolbox” of ways to adapt the curriculum.
Vary instructional methods.
Know who your student is.
Understand that “Equality” isn’t the same as “Equity.”
Taken from: Quick Tips for Teaching Students with Down Syndrome in General Education Classes http://www.dsconnection.org/files/content/Reference%20Tips%20for%20Including%20Children%20with%20Down%20Syndrome.pdf
Check out this site to view these tips as well as some on how to facilitate communication and social inclusion, ways to adapt the curriculum and better educate those students with Down syndrome.
References:
Down Syndrome Education Alliance. (n. d.). Quick Tips for Teaching Students with Down Syndrome in General Education Classes. Retrieved on March 2, 2016 from:
http://www.dsconnection.org/files/content/Reference%20Tips%20for%20Including%20Children%20with%20Down%20Syndrome.pdf
Jobling, A, Virji-Babul, N, & Nichols, D. (2006). Children with Down Syndrome. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 77 (6), 34-54. DOI: 10.1080/07303084.2006.10597892
Retrieved from: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07303084.2006.10597892