Elementary
FREE Webinar – Lessons Learned
Presented by Kate Dougherty, Lessons Learned – an Outside the Box look at Education/Medical & Technology Issues/Accommodations/Accessibility for #everychild
Helping your child succeed in school is very important. You should have already learned what your school system is doing to work with your child’s IEP to make their school time successful. If you need more information on IEP’s you can check out our 3 to 5 Ages & Stages page.
This report on inclusion, published in Down Syndrome News, provides studies and information to counter arguments against inclusive education settings – Inclusion Works Parts 1 and 2
The TIEScenter provides resources for families on inclusion in the classroom, community support, and helping your child with academics throughout the course of their child’s school career. The following
10 inclusive education briefings, developed by the TIES Center (www.tiescenter.org) in collaboration with NDSC Policy Advisor, Ricki Sabia, address important information and recommendations for parents of students with the most significant cognitive disabilities.
Each child and parent relationship when it comes to school is unique and different. Latasha Byrd spoke at NDSC’s Convention from Your Couch about how her system of “Mom-Schooler” works best for her daughter. You can check out her blog and information on Countdown to K
LP Online™ is an online learning community based on The Learning Program™ which serves as a platform for sharing strategies, resources, and activities to improve academic outcomes for students with Down syndrome. LP Online™ equips participants with knowledge and tools to work effectively with students with Down syndrome in home and school settings.
LP Online™ offers three levels of instruction.
- Level 1 is appropriate for students in preschool through 1st grade (ages 3-5)
- Level 2 is appropriate for students in 2nd or 3rd grade (ages 6-8)
- Level 3 is appropriate for students in 4th through 6th grade (ages 9-12)
Learning from a Distance
NDSC Board member, Sean Smith, created a webinar series to help families cope with online learning. The sessions focus on understanding the nature of the online learning curriculum, content, and instructional techniques. Once you’ve set up your home learning environment and understand different ways to access materials for different learners, he helps you explore the various tools and techniques parents and educators can use to make accommodations. You can watch the recorded sessions.
Other at Home Resources
ABCmouse.com is a global education initiative with a goal to help children build a strong foundation for future academic success by providing a comprehensive and engaging online curriculum to greatly assist early learners to succeed in pre-k, kindergarten, and early elementary school programs. Free for 30 days
Vooks – Storybooks brought to life. A kid-safe, ad-free streaming library of read-aloud animated storybooks.
Khan Academy can be used for any age through the college level. Khan Academy provides personalized learning where students practice at their own pace, first filling in gaps in their understanding and then accelerating their learning. Created by experts, Khan Academy’s library of trusted, standards-aligned practice and lessons covers math K-12 through early college, grammar, science, history, AP®, SAT®, and more. It’s all free for learners and teachers.
TED-Ed is a site for learning through video. Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Great for older students.
Kids Pages offers a collection of flashcards that are great for learning English or can be used as ESL flashcards.
AAP Health Care Information for Families
You can print a checklist for your child’s age, to take with you to your pediatrician here:
You can also print the Down Syndrome Growth Charts, updated by the CDC in November 2015:
The NDSC Book Project gives books to schools and libraries in the NDSC Convention host cities. In 2023, NDSC created a bibliography to allow anyone to select books for their personal, school or public library so that we can continue to educate the public that individuals with Down syndrome are “more alike than different”.
“Individuals with Down syndrome (DS) derive measurable physiologic and psychologic benefits from participation in physical activities and sports.” – Osman N. Sanyer, MD
Getting your child involved in sports and other activities in school can be very beneficial. Finding a Special Olympics group in your area is a great way to start. Find Special Olympics near you.
Another great way to get involved is by checking out your local affiliate groups. Most affiliate groups such as Gigi’s Playhouse include group-based activities for different ages. You can visit our Local and National Support Networks to find an organization near you.