Delivering Effective Inclusion and Adaptations in the Classroom

Teachers must consider the specific needs of pupils with Down’s Syndrome in the classroom. This includes managing vision and hearing impairments by ensuring that materials are large enough, written clearly (preferably in black using felt pens), and adapted to each student’s visual needs. Additionally, teachers should accommodate any other sensory or health conditions. There is also an increased likelihood of pupils with Down’s Syndrome having autism, which may necessitate speech and language therapy, as well as activities to promote communication skills. Teachers need to be mindful of challenges related to verbal working memory and the processing of information, and how this might be linked to intellectual disabilities.

It is also important to recognise common strengths, such as the ability to use visual supports or spatial tools, including the written word, and learning through imitation by copying models. These strengths can help students achieve success, regardless of their developmental progress. Even those with complex needs may be able to read or understand texts at some level.

Using visual aids, calculators, and other equipment can help overcome barriers for individual students. Every student’s needs and interests are unique, so it’s essential to appreciate and cater to these individual differences.

Tips for Supporting and Developing Attention Skills

For whole-class listening or presentations:

• Use a whiteboard to highlight key points of the lesson. Teaching assistants should avoid speaking while the teacher is talking, as the goal is to maintain the child’s attention. Assistants can use pictures, written words, or drawings on the whiteboard to support understanding.
• Employ picture or word cards, props, or other manipulatives.
• Provide printed copies or allow access to individual laptops/screens.
• Use a listening support book with pictures to help students engage. Skills tend to improve as students get older.

During activities:

• Offer independent tasks the child can complete on their own.
• Provide a variety of short activities, with breaks to move around or take photos.
• Have additional activities prepared.
• Use cumulative rewards and motivators as examples.

These strategies may need to be adapted as the student grows older, requiring fewer changes to activities.

There are many ways to adapt teaching, and physical adaptations are particularly effective. Ultimately, the teacher is the key facilitator of learning, and their interaction with the learners is crucial in helping them grasp new concepts.

Outcome-Led, Task-Led, and Text-Led Approaches

• Outcome-Led: For example, if teaching Macbeth, the aim is for all students to understand the plot by the end of the lesson. Students can demonstrate their understanding in various ways—some may write a paragraph referencing the text, others might create a storyboard, and some might produce images with single words. The key is that they can all explain the plot when asked.
• Task-Led: This approach exposes students to the same concept but through different tasks. For example, when discussing how Macbeth is portrayed in the first act, more able students may be tasked with sorting quotes, while others might work with fewer or simpler cards.
• Text-Led: This involves using different versions of Macbeth. For instance, starting with a modern adaptation, such as the Orchard text, then moving towards more challenging versions like No Fear Shakespeare, before eventually tackling the original text. To fully comprehend a text, students need to understand 95% of its vocabulary. This can be achieved through pre-teaching vocabulary, using dual coding (combining images with text), or engaging students actively with the text by highlighting and discussing key points.

Mini-whiteboards, post-it notes, and highlighters can be used to engage students actively with the material.

Inclusive Education and Hidden Curriculum

Traditional classroom environments, lessons, assignments, and behavioural expectations are often designed with the advantage of non-disabled, typically white, middle-class students in mind. The hidden curriculum communicates implicit messages about what is considered ‘normal’—including physical abilities, movement, and communication styles. Special education is often focused on ‘remediation’, which assumes the problem lies within the student, rather than addressing issues in the system or environment.

Simply placing children with Down’s Syndrome in mainstream classrooms is not enough. True inclusivity requires tailored support, ensuring access to learning, communication, and meaningful social interactions. Inclusive education should focus on restructuring both the environment and teaching methods. It is also important to educate non-disabled students about disability and to foster positive identities for students with disabilities.