One of the most difficult decisions I think, is which way to turn for educating our children. Katy went to mainstream nursery which was wonderful and she mixed well, but she couldnt communicate properly with them as she mainly signed. When it came to choosing which way to goOn the nursery headmistress persuaded me to have a look at our nearest special needs school and I reluctantly went along not knowing what to expect.
Seeing the children in an enviroment where they are at ease and can learn at their own pace from specially taught staff was enlighteneing, they were able to communicate using various ways and everything was adapted to be accessable. I think the main thing that made me decide to opt for this school was the happy accepted atmosphere and staff who were ready and able to cope with the genuine problems that our kids may have. My own thoughts now are that all mainstream schools should be ready to integrate all children but until they are I dont want to put my little girl into an enviroment that is not ready for her.
On the other hand I was talking to another mum a few days ago whos main reason for her choice of mainstream was so that her child would be accepted in the local society and have friends close by to grow up with... Very strong point and makes me think......

If you have a view on education please email pam@theupsofdowns.com and I will publish it online

Make sure work level is appropriate as children with Down’s get frustrated more easily if work is too hard; they can also get upset if work is too different from others in the class as they dislike being singled out.

·         Make sure the child knows and understands the rules; he/she should be treated no different from peers if deliberately disobeying. – all staff should be aware of need for consistency.

·         Encourage good behaviour with visual reinforcement and reward.

·         Don’t confront bad behaviour; try to distract or ignore child; try ‘time-out’

·         In post-primary school a home-school book is useful to ensure parents and teachers are working together.

·         Use colour coding, diagrams etc. to help pupil get to know timetable.

·         Encourage pupil to have lists of equipment for different days. – classroom assistant might help with this.

·         Make the child aware when he/she has to listen, e.g. point to your ears.

Allow lots of opportunities for practice when learning a new skill and try to use it in many different settings.

For further educational information, follow the link below, then use your 'back' button to return

http://www.socsci.ulst.ac.uk/education/scte/sen/index.html