Together with colleagues at the Centre for Reading and Language at the University of York, we have recently completed the first large controlled trial of an intervention designed for children with Down syndrome. The first scientific paper from the study is now available. This three year study involved nearly 60 children in schools in York and Portsmouth in the United Kingdom. It was funded by the UK Big Lottery Fund.

Join us online to learn more about the trial and the intervention itself. At these free events, DSE researchers will explain the trail and the design of the intervention, and present their findings. There will also be opportunities to ask us questions.

• 15 May 2012 – 19:00 British Summer Time (11.00am Los Angeles, 2.00pm New York, 16:00 GMT, 20:00 Paris) – Register now…
• 16 May 2012 – 09:30 British Summer Time (08:30 GMT, 10:30 Paris, 12:30 Moscow, 14:00 New Delhi, 18:30 Sydney, 20:30 Auckland) – Register now…

The See and Learn First Written Words and First Sentences Add-Ons for Special Words and Special Stories provide words, phrases and story books with pictures and spoken prompts to support matching and reading activities. The add-on resources are designed for use with the Special Words and Special Stories apps, which should be purchased separately, for use on the Apple® iPad®, iPhone® and iPod touch®. The Special Words app already includes single word vocabulary from See and Learn First Word Pictures and See and Learn More Word Pictures. The new add-ons extend the vocabulary with phrases from See and Learn First Written Words and First Sentences for use in Special Words and phrase books for use in Special Stories.

DSE’s See and Learn programs are designed to support early learning for children with Down syndrome. Our See and Learn programs are evidence-based and make it easy to provide effective support for language learning and speech development during the early years – at home and in group and therapy sessions.

The See and Learn First Written Words and First Sentences Add-Ons for Special Words and Special Stories include the following resources as a single set:

• Add-on books for Special Stories from See and Learn First Written Words
• Add-on words for Special Words from See and Learn First Written Words
• Add-on phrases for Special Words from See and Learn First Written Words
• Add-on books for Special Stories from See and Learn First Sentences
• Add-on words for Special Words from See and Learn First Sentences
• Add-on phrases for Special Words from See and Learn First Sentences

Initially, a US English set and a UK English set are available. We plan to offer additional languages in the future.

System requirements

The See and Learn First Written Words and First Sentences Add-Ons provide resources that can be installed for use with the Special Words and Special Stories apps from Special iApps for use on the Apple® iPad®, iPhone® and iPod touch®.

You must have a compatible device and purchase both the Special Words and Special Stories apps from the App Store in order to use the See and Learn First Written Words and First Sentences Add-Ons.

Purchasing

The See and Learn First Written Words and First Sentences Add-Ons for Special Words and Special Stories are available for purchase as digital downloads for our online stores in the US and in the UK.

• Buy US edition from US store
• Buy UK edition from UK store

Later this year, we will be publishing a major new reading and language intervention (handbook and DVD) and several new See and Learn kits. To make some space for the new publications, we are offering 15% off all of our existing books, teaching resources and DVDs through until the end of April (while stocks last).

Down Syndrome Issues and Information books

These include the Down Syndrome Issues and Information series of short, practical books addressing many aspects of development and education from birth through the school years – including speech and language, memory, reading and writing, number skills, education and social development. The Down Syndrome Issues and Information books provide concise overviews of the research evidence informing effective practice. These are accompanied by guides to effective interventions and teaching practice – many of which target specific age groups (pre-school, elementary and high).

See and Learn teaching resources

Our publications also include the See and Learn early teaching resources. These make it easy to provide additional support for early language development and speech skills. Starting with first words, See and Learn Language and Reading teaches early vocabulary and simple first grammar, providing clear, visual support for spoken language development by teaching early reading. See and Learn Speech offers a step-by-step series of resources specially developed to help children who have Down syndrome develop clear speech.

Down Syndrome in Practice films

Also on offer are our films – available on DVD – looking at effective inclusion, infant development and early speech and communication skills. These offer clear advice, illustrated with practical examples.

Offer details

This offer is available on all orders placed online via our US or UK stores on or before April 30, 2012, paid by credit or debit card. The offer does not extend to credit accounts or official purchase orders, unless accompanied with advance payment.

To claim your discount, enter the code DSE201204 at checkout.

The Reading and Language Intervention for Children with Down Syndrome combines reading and language instruction in daily teaching sessions that are designed to meet the particular learning needs of children with Down syndrome. It incorporates work on letter knowledge, phonological awareness, whole word and book reading. In addition to these key components of effective reading interventions, the program integrates the teaching of vocabulary and connected spoken and written language to help children with Down syndrome overcome some of the challenges associated with their particular language difficulties.

The programme was designed by leading researchers in the fields of reading development and Down syndrome and evaluated in a landmark randomized controlled intervention trial. The trial was funded by the UK Big Lottery Fund and conducted by researchers at Down Syndrome Education International and at the Centre for Reading and Language at the University of York, UK. This study compared the progress of elementary children with Down syndrome receiving the intervention with the progress of children receiving routine reading instruction in inclusive elementary school settings in two areas in the United Kingdom. After 20 weeks, children receiving the programme had made significantly more progress on key reading and language outcome measures than children in the control group.

The first scientific paper from the study, reporting the primary trial results, will be published in the first half of 2012. We will also be publishing a web site describing the intervention and study results, a handbook for teachers and teacher assistants detailing how to deliver the intervention, and supplementary resources to support implementation of the program.

Further details of the publications and other training opportunities will be published shortly. Please sign up for emails to be kept informed.

Dr Kelly Burgoyne and Professor Sue Buckley will be presenting at the 45th Annual Gatlinburg Conference, March 7 to 9, 2012 in Annapolis, Maryland – one of the premier conferences in the United States for behavioral scientists conducting research in intellectual and related developmental disabilities. They will present three papers in a symposium on reading interventions for children with Down syndrome and a poster presentation on the emergence of autistic profiles in young children with Down syndrome.

The reading symposium papers will report on a study of early reading skills, sight word learning and phonics in preschool children with Down syndrome; DSE’s major randomized controlled trial of a reading and language intervention for elementary aged children with Down syndrome; and a recent pilot study of an intervention designed to improve blending skills for children with Down syndrome. The poster presentation will report on a study examining the way that behaviors which could be symptomatic of autistic spectrum disorder develop and change over time in young children with Down syndrome.

Dr Burgoyne and Professor Buckley will also be presenting these findings in a series of web seminars later in March and April (to be announced shortly).

DSE will be again presenting at the Down Syndrome Affiliates in Action Conference this year, updating Down syndrome organizations and leaders from around the US on our latest research, services and resources.

This year, DSE CEO Frank Buckley and research psychologist Dr Kelly Burgoyne will be presenting at the conference, which is being held in Washington DC in early March to coincide with the National Down Syndrome Society’s Buddy Walk on Washington.

Summaries of their presentations follow:

We will also be offering these presentations as web seminars later in the March and April.

Short term and working memory function is central to wider cognitive abilities, but are impaired in people with Down syndrome. Verbal memory skills tend to be more affected than visual memory skills. Previous attempts to improve memory function through rehearsal training have been initially successful, but have not demonstrated that the gains can be sustained following training.

Adaptive memory training taxes an individual’s memory by continually testing them at the limits of their short term memory capacity. Adaptive memory training has been shown to deliver substantial and sustained gains for several populations with low working memory, including children with ADHD. Given this, DSE has been interested in seeing if a similar approach will be beneficial for children with Down syndrome.

Following a promising pilot study, DSE has recently undertaken a randomized controlled trial of Cogmed JM – a computer-based adaptive memory training program originally developed at the Stockholm Brain Institute, at Sweden’s renowned Karolinska Institute. The study was completed in late 2011 and the first scientific paper reporting the results is due to be published in the next few months.

At the Cogmed Conference Stephanie will be presenting the study and our future plans for memory research.

DSE staff are also presenting on our current research at the Down Syndrome Affiliates in Action Conference in Washington DC in early March. We will also be hosting web seminars to coincide with the publication of results from this study in the next few months.

Developmental research has consistently delivered substantial improvements in the lives of young people with Down syndrome for over three decades

DSE plays a vital role undertaking and sponsoring new studies and ensuring that research is translated into everyday teaching practice

During the past year alone, we have completed two ground-breaking randomized controlled trials of reading and language and memory training interventions

Our new, rigorously-evaluated reading and language teaching scheme for school children will be launched in mid-2012

We will continue to publish further steps in our See and Learn early learning programs

In 2012, we expect to start major new research studies, based in both the US and the UK

When my daughter was born 42 years ago, she had no right to education because few believed people with Down syndrome could learn. Only 30 years ago, when I began our first research into early reading, I was told by some that I was wasting my time.

Since then, developmental research has repeatedly shown what children with Down syndrome can achieve when given the right opportunities.

Today, many children are benefiting from evidence-based approaches in early intervention and education.

These changes are transforming the lives of many thousands of children with Down syndrome around the world today.

Our contribution

Many scientists have contributed to these advances – not only those employed and sponsored by DSE. We have played (and continue to play) a vital role undertaking and sponsoring new studies, encouraging collaboration among researchers around the world, and ensuring that research is translated into everyday teaching practice.

Our achievements in 2011

During the past year alone, we have completed two ground-breaking randomized controlled trials of reading and language and memory training interventions, published new early learning resources, helped to begin to bring change to the services available for people with Down syndrome and their families in Eastern Europe, and provided reliable, evidence-based advice and information to over 120,000 people worldwide – reaching 20,000 more than in 2010 – through our publications and training services.

Our plans for 2012

Over the coming year, we will publish our new reading and language teaching scheme for school children with Down syndrome. This scheme has been rigorously tested in a large randomized controlled trial – the first ever for children with Down syndrome. We will work to ensure this scheme improves teaching for over 30,000 children with Down syndrome within the first two years following the global launch in June 2012.

We will continue to publish further steps in our See and Learn early learning programs helping to support early speech, language and reading, memory and number skills development, and to develop more translations and adaptations. See and Learn programs are already helping over 20,000 children.

We will overhaul and update our most popular web sites, making them easier to navigate and ensuring that they continue to offer the most up-to-date, evidence-based information available to the 15,000 people who visit them each week.

We expect to start major new research studies, based in both the US and the UK. We will evaluate new approaches to improving reading comprehension, supporting early language learning, improving speech clarity, training short-term and working memory and strengthening problem solving skills.

We are confident that our practical and targeted developmental research will lead to further breakthroughs for children with Down syndrome of all ages and abilities. Through our publications and services we will ensure that these breakthroughs continue to help children with Down syndrome everywhere.

The best return on investment

The developmental research that DSE supports is practical and has a solid track record of delivering real improvements in the lives of people with Down syndrome. We do not promise miracles, but we do promise continued improvements in educational outcomes and life opportunities today and tomorrow.

At a time when the budgets of many governments, charities and families are increasingly constrained, being able to demonstrate what really does help children with Down syndrome ensures that scarce resources deliver the best results.

Developmental research helps schools, therapists, early years services and charities to continually improve their services. By improving the services provided with taxpayers’ and donors’ funding, this research ensures that many thousands of children with Down syndrome will have the opportunities to achieve more for years to come.

How you can help

You can help us by donating – either to Down Syndrome Education International (a UK charity) or to Down Syndrome Education USA (a US nonprofit).

You can also help us by encouraging others to give – perhaps by encouraging families and friends to consider donations, or by organizing a fundraising event.

However you choose to help and however much you can afford to give, you can be sure that your support will ensure that opportunities and outcomes continue to improve for people with Down syndrome, helping them to live ever more fulfilling lives.

Thank you for your support.

Professor Sue Buckley OBE
Director of Research
Down Syndrome Education International

Our Christmas cards are now on sale. Our exclusive designs include many by children with Down syndrome. Over 50% of the price paid supports research and services to ensure better education for children everywhere.

Down Syndrome Education USA’s Christmas cards are now on sale. We have a selection of exclusive designs, many created by children with Down syndrome.

Buying your Christmas cards direct from us means more of your money goes to charity – at least 50% of the price paid for our cards supports Down Syndrome Education USA’s work to improve education for children with Down syndrome.

The cards are 6′ x 4′ in size, printed in full colour on card from sustainable mixed sources. The message inside reads “Season’s Greetings”. The cards are provided with envelopes made from recycled paper.

They are available from our US store priced $4.00 for 10 cards or $16.00 for 50 cards and from our UK store for £2.00 for 10 cards or £8.00 for 50 cards (plus sales tax and shipping as applicable).

We have recently launched new online stores that offer simpler navigation and a cleaner layout, and that will accommodate new electronic publications we plan to launch in the coming months. Our US store (store.dseusa.org) ships from Down Syndrome Education USA’s offices in California and our UK store (store.dseenterprises.org) ships from our offices in southern England.

We offer a wide range of publications, including our See and Learn early learning programs, the Down Syndrome Issues and Information series of books, our early development and inclusion DVDs, and recommended resources from other publishers including the Numicon math resources.

The new stores will also support the supply of digital products in future, ready for new digital editions of current and forthcoming publications.

We hope you like the new stores. Please let us know what you think (feedback@dseusa.org).

• Find out more…

Two of the first controlled trials of interventions designed to improve cognitive development and learning for children with Down syndrome are drawing to a close. Final assessments are complete and data analysis is underway in both DSE’s landmark classroom language and reading intervention trial and our pioneering evaluation of computer based memory training.

Join us online to find out more about what we have found so far, the implications for education practice, how we will be publishing and supporting the roll-out of the classroom language and reading program in 2012, and what future studies are in the pipeline.

The online sessions are free – simply register using the links below:

• Research update: classroom language and reading trial – Sep 20, 2011 18:00 UK (BST), 19:00 Paris (CEST), 21:00 Moscow (MSD), 10.00am Los Angeles (PDT), 1.00pm New York (EDT)
• Research update: classroom language and reading trial – Sep 21, 2011 09:30 UK (BST), 10:30 Paris (CEST), 12:30 Moscow (MSD), 16:30 Shanghai (CST), 18:30 Sydney (EST)
• Research update: working memory trial – Sep 21, 2011 18:00 UK (BST), 19:00 Paris (CEST), 21:00 Moscow (MSD), 10.00am Los Angeles (PDT), 1.00pm New York (EDT)

We are presenting a Down Syndrome Education Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, on October 20-22, 2011, organised and hosted by The Down Syndrome Association of Charlotte. The event is being held at The Blake Hotel in Charlotte.

DSE speakers, including Professor Sue Buckley and Dr Kelly Burgoyne will be presenting in-depth (two day) tracks covering early intervention and early years education, elementary education, and speech and language therapy (October 20-21), and essentials (one day) tracks covering early intervention and early years education, elementary education, and high school education.

• View program (PDF)
• Register online

The new See and Learn Speech kits are now shipping and available to order from our online store. The first two steps in the programme – See and Learn Playing with Sounds and See and Learn Putting Sounds Together – help children listen and become familiar with sounds, to hear the differences between sounds, to produce sounds in isolation and to blend sounds together.

Building on the success of the See and Learn Language and Reading programme, the new See and Learn Speech programme offers step-by-step guidance and practical resources to make it easy for parents and professionals to provide effective, targeted support for children with Down syndrome.

Speech and language development is an area of particular difficulty for children with Down syndrome, but structured practice targeting key skills can improve progress. We have developed the See and Learn Speech programme to specifically support regular structured practice for young children with Down syndrome (from approximately 6 months to 7 years old).

The first two steps in the programme – See and Learn Playing with Sounds and See and Learn Putting Sounds Together – offer activities to help children listen and become familiar with sounds, to hear the differences between sounds, to produce sounds in isolation and to blend sounds together. We are developing further steps that introduce sounds in words for publication later in 2011 or early 2012.

You can order See and Learn Speech kits via our online store or by calling +1 (949) 757 1877.

UK English editions are also available from our UK online store.

Join staff from Down Syndrome Education USA and Down Syndrome Education International at the National Down Syndrome Congress Annual Convention in San Antonio, Texas, where we will be presenting on effective strategies for supporting early development and education for young people with Down syndrome.

Our exhibit will include many of our publications, including the Down Syndrome Issues and Information series of books, new See and Learn teaching resources (including the new See and Learn Speech steps).

For more information, please visit NDSC’s convention site…