Research/ Awareness Project

Down syndrome

Jessica E. Huett

MLED 3071

Arkansas Tech University

I.) Introduction and Overview:

I did my shadow study on J____ a student at Morrilton Middle School. J___ has Down syndrome which is a genetic condition in which there is an extra chromosome in the cells of a baby’s body. This extra chromosome results most often from abnormal cell division of the egg after conception. It canals occur in the sperm before conception of a baby or in the fertilized egg after conception. Why the cells divide in an abnormal way is not known.

The extra chromosome changes the normal development of the baby’s brain and body and results in distinct physical features such as flat face, small ears and mouth, and broad hands and feet that are usually seen at birth.

Another aspect of Down syndrome is mild to moderate mental retardation. Down syndrome is the leading genetic cause of mental retardation in the United States. In addition, a combination of factors, including mental retardation, reduced muscle toe, problems processing information in the brain, and hearing loss, may lead to developmental disabilities.

Other birth defects, such as heart defects or intestinal problems, are present in children with Down syndrome. In addition, because of the structure of their ears and respiratory tract, these children are prone to ear and respiratory infections.

In the past, children with Down syndrome were placed in institutions and died at a young age. This was mostly because medical problems such as heart defects at birth were not treatable at that time. Also, it was believed that they could not function in social settings. There are still many myths about people with Down syndrome.

Today, if children who have Down syndrome receive proper care and appropriate social opportunities, they can be healthy and develop to their full potential. Many live in to their 50s, and some into their 60s or older.

II.) Criteria for Classification:

The board of education believes that the organization of groups or individuals for learning within a particular classroom should reflect the philosophy for the school and school district. Grouping should be primarily for the purpose of meeting individual needs and should be done in relation to the concepts, skills, and understanding which need to be developed by all members of a particular group of children.

III.) Summary of Involvement:

In the observation of my student compared to the rest of the class my student seems to rule the classroom. If there is an errand to run this student is the one to do it. J___ has gone to this Middle school ever since the school was built 9 years ago. J___ is now 21 years old and will be moving on to an adult care center. This seems to be hard for the faculty because they have always had J___ at the school. J___ knows everyone at the school and he also knows how to get his way with them. J___ rules the classroom and it seems that he will really be missed.

When J___ had time with me it seemed like we were never alone in our corner because someone had to always come over to see what was going on. He seems to really get along with all of the other students and they enjoy being around J___.

When I first started going to observe J___ the rest of the class including L_____, T_______, W_______, N_____, and L_______did not pay much attention to me, but by the second time the class noticed and was with us from then on. My first visit was on a Friday afternoon for 1 hour, J___ greeted me and colored me a picture he wanted me to take back to show my teacher. When J___ was coloring me a picture W______ a young lady in the class also had to do the same. Actually everything I asked Josh to do or things

I did with him W______ answered or did with us also. The teacher introduced me to every student one at a time, later he also told me the special condition of each student.

The second visit J_____ was working on his name and address. He got very excited when he seen me and he wanted to give me a copy of his work. So the teacher let me have a copy of the work he was doing that day. Every time I went J____ would tell me about his birthday which was coming up. J___ doesn’t communicate very well but he has his own way of telling things. He was taking the whole class and some faculty to Bonanza for lunch for his birthday and asked me to come.

Some characteristics J____ has that I have noticed is that for starters he is self motivated. He does not have to be told to do something for example helping others he just does things on his own. He is very social and loves doing things for others. Also I noticed that J___ liked to play with puzzles, cards, watching TV and movies, and listening to music.

The last school visit was mainly looking at his IEP and learning a little more about his needs.

I also went to J____’s birthday party at Bonanza of Morrilton. J___’s mom and dad, uncle and aunt, and also his brother where there. All of his classmates came on the bus with Mr. Ed, the teacher and Ms. Gwen, the aide. Also some teachers from the school who have had J___ in class before and the principal came. It was a lot of fun. A friend of J____’s named M_______ came from the adult care center that J___ will be attending after graduation it was really neat to see these two old classmates see each other again. The party was fun and the theme was spongebob, J___ had a cake and also lots of gifts. I

really had a good time. I also got to see how J___ reacts out in public he was very well behaved, I was impressed.

IV.) Development:

Down syndrome occurs in all cultures, ethnic groups, socioeconomic levels, and geographic locations. Currently, there are about 350,000 people with Down syndrome in the U.S.. About 1,680 babies in the U.S. were born with Down syndrome in 1998. Trisomy 21 occurs in 1 in 650 to 1,000 live births. In women 30 years old, Down syndrome occurs in about 1 in 1,000 births. In women 40 years old, Down syndrome occurs in about 9 in 1,000 births. So this research shows that one person with Down syndrome is not alone there are a lot of children born with this disease. A child with a disease like this one should never be treated badly or any differently then a “normal” child. This is an important concept that all children should be taught.

V.) Modifications and Special Provisions:
J___ has achieved mastery of ¾ of all goals and objectives of his current IEP and has almost completed the remaining goals and objectives, and will have completed them by this year’s graduation date May 16, 2003. J___ is self-contained in Special Education class for all except P.E. and lunch recess but is functioning very well in all areas. J___ has made great improvements in communication and interaction with family members and neighbors this school year. J___ will need supervised education programs for post graduation education. The plans for J___ is as follows: The committee recommends that J___ be allowed to continue his education in a self-contained special education classroom in his district until age 21, graduation and be allowed to continue his education at the Action Services, Inc as assisted education after graduation from public school.

J___ is functioning at the <1 grade level in all areas of academics. J___’s low level of functioning in academic areas and lack of communication skills severely limits his involvement in general curriculum/appropriate activities.

In the area of discipline J___ can not follow regular rules. He needs a time out consequence or removal to a quiet place and removal of rewarding activities. The modifications used for J___ are peer tutor, transcribers, shorten assignments, small group, read tests, and limit number of questions. J___ also works with a speech therapist and with an Alpha Talker.

Journal Reviews:

1.) Cognitive decline in Down syndrome: a validity/reliability study of the Test for severe impairment.

http://firstsearch.oclc.org

The assessment of cognition and cognitive deterioration in persons with Down syndrome is important because these individuals are at increased task of developing Alzheimer’s disease at a relatively young age. It can be extremely difficult to distinguish between the cognitive impairment of dementia and the and the underlying mental retardations in persons with Down syndrome because most persons with this syndrome score poorly on standardized cognitive tests used in general populations with out mental retardations.

The standardized administration of a mental status instrument is preferable to less formal assessments of cognitive ability because it allows confident comparisons of result over time. To date there has been no consensus on suitable instruments and only very few are available.

The test for severe impairment is a short neuropsychological test that takes approximately 10 minutes to administer. It was designed for use with persons from the general population who’s Mini Mental State Examination score is less that 10 out o 30. The level of difficulty of the Test of Severe Impairment is such that most persons with moderate and severe mental retardation should be able to score on it unless they are in an advanced stage of dementia. This instrument contains six sections each of which has four items. Only 8 out of the 24 points

available on the Test for Severe Impairment require the subject to answer a question verbally. This may be of benefit when testing persons with Down syndrome whose verbal abilities tend to be relatively poorly developed.

In conclusion the Test of Severe Impairment can be added to the other objective-based performance test to measure cognitive impairment and monitor progression of dementia in adults with Down syndrome. The usefulness of this instrument in assessing persons with Down syndrome exceeds that of the Down syndrome Mental Status Examination in that it extends to subjects with severe mental retardation. A further advantage of the Test for Severe Impairment

Over the Down syndrome Mental Status Examination is its ease of administration in terms of complexity own time. Further work to establish cut-off scores for dementia and annual rates of change scores for that dementia is continuing in the context of an ongoing longitudinal study.

2.) Learning about happiness from persons with Down syndrome: felling the sense of joy and contentment.

http://firstsearch.oclc.org

A wells known stereotype about children with Down syndrome is that they are relentlessly happy. Gardner discussed the concept of multiple intelligences and noted that he is highly suspect of expressing the strengths of humanity through a single standardized measure, such as that of IQ. Individuals with Down syndrome

have not faired well on the IQ question and have consequently experienced undervaluing as a result. Yet proceeding along the lines as Gardner’s thought perhaps there is here an opportunity to define an “HQ” or Happiness Quotient that may have at its core some of the characteristics instilled by possessing a 47^th chromosome. The HQ would be a measure of an individual’s ability to contribute to a sense of the well-being of others. Perhaps that is what I have witnessed in the drown faces of the tired parishioners who suddenly reach within the depth of some internal reserve and become transformed by the smile and touch of the hand of the young woman with the extra chromosome.

A teenager with Down syndrome can do what every other teenager does: hold down an after school job and learn the importance and value of being contributing member of her community. The vision that called for all our children to become part of their communities can be viewed in wonderful and surprising ways. If there is any stereotype to explore here, it appears to be that of a modern teenager, except that they are truly happy most of the time and generally content to be a teenager.

More than ever, individuals with Down syndrome are rightly assuming their places in the center of our society. Obstacles are being removed as they break the stereotypes and mold of the innocent adult child. New frontiers will be confronting this new generation of adults, who like each of us will require the ongoing support and encouragement of their social networks, including their families and friends. The social revolution of the 70’s which allowed many

disfranchised embers of our society to finally emerge, can no longer be denied for individuals with Down syndrome. The “early intervention” generation is now coming of age, with the full complement of high quality educational experiences and participation in the general society. Self-advocacy is the critical new path that will witness citizens with Down syndrome taking their place in unprecedented ways alongside their peers who do not have disabilities. These young people on pioneering paths will embrace their challenging places. Yet, the endearing personalities of the talented individuals who have already asserted new places for themselves are only a preview of the good that is still to come.

3.) Prevalence of carpal tunnel syndrome among individuals with Down syndrome

http://firstsearch.oclc.org

The prevalence of carpal tunnel syndrome in patients with Down syndrome is not known. Rumble et al. (1989) found that patients with Down syndrome have an increased level of amyloid protein in serum compared to a control group without Down syndrome. Other investigators have reported that patients with amyloidsis have a higher incidence of carpal tunnel syndrome compared to the general population. Therefore, one might suspect that carpal tunnel syndrome is more frequent in patients with than in those without Down syndrome. If so, an electrophysiological examination is necessary because only a few patients are able

to report symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome or to participate reliably in a clinical testing of sensation.

The diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome was defined as definite if an abnormal distal motor latency as well as a reduced sensory distal conduction velocity were present in the median nerve. Carpal tunnel syndrome was defined as probable if either a prolonged distal motor latency or reduced distal sensory nerve conduction velocity below 50 m/sec were considered abnormal and indicative of carpal tunnel syndrome, if the ulnar nerve was normal.

Results from the study show that many patients with Down syndrome have electrophysiological evidence of carpal tunnel, often quite sever. The relation between nerve conduction data and amplitudes of action potentials showed a preponderance of patients with impaired nerve conduction without signs of axonal loss. This indicates that the pathophysiology of carpal tunnel syndrome in these patients is primarily due to demyelination.

3.) Parents’ reports young people with Down syndrome talking out loud to themselves

http://firstsearch.oclc.org

By the age of 10 to 12 years, most people have stopped talking out loud to themselves. If they continue, it is often seen as a sign if immaturity, loneliness, or

mental disorder. Typically, it evokes some form of social disapproval. Many parents in research studies have told that their young adult with Down syndrome talks out loud to himself or herself or to objects, and some have expressed concern about this habit. In an extreme instance the young person was seen by a therapist and given medication in an attempt to stop this self-talk.

An alternative hypothesis is that self-talk in these young people is developmentally appropriate. Talking out loud is very common in children. Piaget (1926) was one of the first to describe a high incidence if talking out loud to oneself (private speech) in 5 to 6 year old children. Berk (1994) recently estimated that private spec accounts for 20% to 60% of the speech of children less than 10 years old. The developmental level of most young people with Down syndrome is less than 10 years, hence private speech viewed as appropriate.

4.) Verbal Short-Term Memory in Down syndrome: A Problem of Memory, Audition, or speech?

http://firstsearch.oclc.org

Individuals with Down syndrome tend to have poor verbal short-term memory. An individual’s verbal short-term memory span is a maximum number of items that he or she can correctly repeat under these conditions. Although span does depend on the nature of the to-be-remembered verbal information, adults typically have digit spans of around 7. However, the verbal

short-term memory spans of individuals with Down syndrome tend to considerably lower.

The aim of this study was to determine whether individuals with Down syndrome suffer from fundamental verbal short-term memory deficit. To this end, three alternative explanations of poor verbal short-term memory performance were examined within a single experimental design. The possibility that individuals with Down syndrome experience general problems in short-term memory was explored by including tests of visual-spatial as well as verbal short-term memory. The suggestion that auditory problems might account for poor verbal short-term memory performance was tested by comparing memory for digits presented either auditory or auditory with additional visual support. The impact of speech-motor difficulties on verbal short-term memory performance was assessed by contrasting performance on tasks that require individuals to give a full serial response with that seen similar tasks involving only yes/no recognition judgments.

VI.) Lesson Plans

Building a bridge

Author: Jessica Huett
Date Created: 4/23/2003 8:56:23 PM CST

VITAL INFORMATION

Grade/Level:
6

Subject(s):
Mathematics

Standards:

AR- Arkansas Learning Standards
	• Subject : Mathematics
		• Strand : Geometry and Spatial Sense
			• Content Standard 1: The student will demonstrate, construct, communicate, and apply the properties of geometric shapes and spatial sense to connect geometry with problem solving situations.
				• Grade Range : Grades 5-8
					Student Learning Standard GS.1.1.: Identify, draw, describe, classify, and compare geometric figures and their relationships in one, two, and three dimensions (from points to polyhedra) with physical materials.
					Student Learning Standard GS.1.2.: Apply geometric properties and formulas (e.g., triangles have 180 degrees, opposite sides of rectangles are equal, Pythagorean theorem) to solve problems with and without appropriate technologies.
					Student Learning Standard GS.1.3.: Make predictions based on transformations of geometric figures in problem solving situations (e.g. compare 2 pictures and determine what changes were made i.e. flip, slide, rotation).
					Student Learning Standard GS.1.4.: Establish and apply geometric relationships through informal reasoning (e.g. estimate angle measures)
					Student Learning Standard GS.1.5.: Visualize, model, and represent 3 dimensional objects (e.g., cube models, base plans/nets, building plans, isometric dot paper sketches) to develop and implement problem-solving strategies and verify solutions.

Objective(s):
The 6th grade students will demostrate their understanding of geometric shape by bilding a bridge and making sure it will hold up under the pressure of the weight of a textbook.This activity will be graded by a rubric.

IMPLEMENTATION

Set:
This lesson will be introduced as a challenge to the students to build the best bridge in the class. The bridges will be judged by an engineer.

Learning Activities/Time Required:
This activity will demonstrate the students understanding of geometric shapes and also how to work in groups. The students will also learn how to ask questions of each other and also depend on each other to get the project done.

Closure:

Resources and Unit Handouts:

• Materials and resources:
  The students will be provided with a rubric to which they will be graded when the project is completed.
  The students will be able to use of the resources in the classroom part of the challenge is creativity.

Grouping for Instruction:
Students will be grouped in twos

Adaptations/Modifications/Interventions:
Gifted students will use resources from the Internet, library and local agencies to research

Mentally retarded students will work with the group.
They will use the research gathered by the group
to draw a diagram of the bridge.

Technology Integrated:
Technology will be integrated for some of the students.

Warm-Blooded Vertebrates

Author: Jessica Huett
Date Created: 4/24/2003 8:09:40 PM CST

VITAL INFORMATION

Grade/Level:
5

Subject(s):
Science

Standards:

AR- Arkansas Learning Standards
	• Subject : Science
		• Strand : Life Science System
			• Content Standard 3: Students will demonstrate an understanding of the connections and applications in life sciences.
				• Grade Range : Grades 5-8
					Student Learning Standard LS.3.1.: Design and conduct life science investigations to answer different kinds of questions.
					Student Learning Standard LS.3.4.: Use appropriate equipment, tools, techniques, technology, mathematics, and technical writing in scientific investigation.

Objective(s):
Students should be able to identify birds and mammals based on external observations.

IMPLEMENTATION

Set:
The class will have a discussion about mammals that they are familiar with including pets and humans.

Learning Activities/Time Required:
Students will make drawing and take pictures of different types of mammals. After doing so the students will change the pictures with another group and let that group classify the animals.

Closure:

Resources and Unit Handouts:

• Materials and resources:
  Pictures of birds and mammals to classify

Grouping for Instruction:
Groups of two.

Adaptations/Modifications/Interventions:
The students with learning disabilities will be grouped with those without to help with this activity.

The students with other disabilities will also be grouped with someone who can help them with this activity and also that can help them draw.

Technology Integrated:

Pretzel Geometry

Author: Jessica Huett
Date Created: 3/30/2003 12:32:12 PM CST

VITAL INFORMATION

Grade/Level:
5

Subject(s):
Mathematics

Standards:

AR- Arkansas Learning Standards
	• Subject : Mathematics
		• Strand : Geometry and Spatial Sense
			• Content Standard 1: The student will demonstrate, construct, communicate, and apply the properties of geometric shapes and spatial sense to connect geometry with problem solving situations.
				• Grade Range : Grades 5-8
					Student Learning Standard GS.1.1.: Identify, draw, describe, classify, and compare geometric figures and their relationships in one, two, and three dimensions (from points to polyhedra) with physical materials.
					Student Learning Standard GS.1.3.: Make predictions based on transformations of geometric figures in problem solving situations (e.g. compare 2 pictures and determine what changes were made i.e. flip, slide, rotation).
					Student Learning Standard GS.1.5.: Visualize, model, and represent 3 dimensional objects (e.g., cube models, base plans/nets, building plans, isometric dot paper sketches) to develop and implement problem-solving strategies and verify solutions.

Objective(s):
The 5th grade students will be able to demonstrate an understanding of lines, line segments, parallel lines, and angles.

IMPLEMENTATION

Set:
The motivation of this activity is mainly the pretzels. Students like to be able to eat in the classroom and this is a fun way for the students to get to eat and learn at the same time. I will have the pretzels in baggies and will ask the students if they know what it is. Then I will give a little history on pretzels and how they can be used to do geometry.

Learning Activities/Time Required:
Each student will be given 5 pretzels each. First the students will be asked to make a line segment on their own with the pretzels, while the students are trying I will make one on the overhead with the overhead turned off. After the students have had time to try I will show them my line segment. The students will then make a line segment with 3 pretzels and draw what they have made on their paper. I will demonstarte to the students that one pretzel makes a line segment just like two pretzels will make a line segment. The students will then use the same technique as before to make a intersection with the pretzels. I will make an intersection on the overhead just like I did with a line segment. Next I will explain what parallel lines are and do an example on the overhead after doing the example the students will make parallel lines with their pretzels. The students have already learned about right, acute, and obtuse angles so we will bring in some prior knowledge by making these angles with your pretzels.
After going over all of the above the students will be evaluated with 2 worksheets where they write the definitions of Parallel line segment, line, acute angle, line segment, intersecting lines and obtuse angle. On the second sheet the students will draw Intersecting line segments, Two Parallel lines, Acute Angle, Four Parallel line segments, Obtuse Angle, and Two Intersecting Line Segments that form Right Angles.

Closure:
The 50 minute class period will be brought to a close by the worksheets to evaluate what the students have learned and also by questioning the students at the end and also throughout the lesson. I will ask the students what they have learned and if they have any questions for me.

Resources and Unit Handouts:

• Materials and resources:
  Pretzels, rulers, paper, and overhead

Grouping for Instruction:
The lesson will be a whole group hands-on activity.

Adaptations/Modifications/Interventions:
One student in the class will need some modifications. This student will be fine during the explanation and group work. But after the students get their worksheets she will need some extra help reading and understanding the language of the worksheet.

ADHD students will assist in distributing supplies to students to help with hyperactivity.
The hands-on activity will help to keep the students attention.

Mentally retarded students will be paired with a nondisabled
student for this activity.

Technology Integrated:
none

ASSESSMENT

Assessment Activity:
The students will be evaluated by the worksheets and also by questioning.

Expectations for Performance:

Assessment/Rubrics:

Reflection:
One thing that I really need to work on is saying ok. You never really notice how many times you say little things like this, because you say it as a response to questions and answers and also as a habit. This needs work. Also I need to learn to organize the things I put on the board a little better. This class was pretty good with answering questions and I believe this really helped me with my first time teaching a lesson. The one thing that I never thought about was interruptions during the lesson. And of course someone knocked on the door in the middle of the lesson, but I feel like I did ok. I just took the paper and laid it to the side until class was over. It went ok, the teacher told me that someone else knocked on the door earlier but I did not even hear it.
One thing that went wrong when I first got there was the teacher told me that she would get the handouts copied and she forgot but I got there early enough to fix this problem with little difficulty.
All together I felt that my first experience with teaching a real class went pretty good.