Classroom Language Skills for Children with Down Syndrome: A Guide for Parents and Teachers (Topics in Down Syndrome) [Paperback]

Libby Kumin (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1890627119 | ISBN-13: 978-1890627119 | Publication Date: January 2001 | Edition: 1

This book emphasises the crucial role teachers and speech-language pathologists play. It explains how to make adaptations to curriculum, verbal instruction, classroom routines, and written assignments. The book discusses ways to enhance social communication between children with Down syndrome and other students during class, lunch, and recess. Also covered is the use of augmentative communication methods for children with Down syndrome who are non-verbal or rarely use speech. As an added bonus, there are numerous forms and checklists for parents such as an IEP planner, home-school communication tips, samples of visual prompts, graphic organisers, and worksheet adaptations. Overall, this guide offers parents an in-depth overview of their child's language skills in school, while providing teachers and SLPs with useful ideas and adaptations that will help them meet the communication needs of their students with Down syndrome.

Editorial Reviews

Review

[P]rovides a comprehensive manual for accessing the whole range of Speech and Language services for children with Down syndrome. -- William I. Cohen, M.D. Director, Down Syndrome Center of Western Pennsylavania Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Co-Founder and Co-Chair, Down Syndrome Medical Interest Group

About the Author

Libby Kumin, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, is the Director of the Graduate Program of the Department of Speech-Language Pathology/Audiology at Loyola College in Baltimore, Maryland, where she is also Founding Director of the Down Syndrome Center for Excellence. She is the author of COMMUNICATION SKILLS IN CHILDREN WITH DOWN SYNDROME (Woodbine House, 1994).

Product Details

• Paperback: 375 pages
• Publisher: Woodbine House; 1 edition (January 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1890627119
• ISBN-13: 978-1890627119
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #127,599 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy it for your child's teacher!, November 22, 2002

By 

Thomas Paul (Plainview, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Classroom Language Skills for Children with Down Syndrome: A Guide for Parents and Teachers (Topics in Down Syndrome) (Paperback)

This book picks up from where Dr. Kumin's earlier book, "Communication Skills in Children with Down Syndrome" leaves off. Aimed at the elementary and middle school years, this book is about developing good communication and learning skills. Parents and teachers interested in reading skills will want to look at, "Teaching Reading to Children with Down Syndrome," by Patricia Logan Oelwein. I have had the pleasure of hearing Dr. Kumin speak and she is undoubtedly one of the leading expert on communication skills in children with Down syndrome. The book starts with a look at what language skills a child will need in school and then goes on to discuss building a team and a curriculum to reach that goal. The main topic of the book is how to help the child with Down syndrome learn in an inclusive environment. Dr. Kumin shows us that children with Down syndrome can learn and can succeed but they may need to have the curriculum adapted to their needs. For example, she shows how worksheets can be confusing for a child with Down syndrome but she also shows how they can be easily adapted to make them less confusing. Many children fail, not because they don't understand the material but rather because they have trouble following complicated multi-step instructions. One specific example she discusses is math word problems. The complex language of the word problem can be very difficult for the child to understand even though they have no difficulty doing the actual math problem. Dr. Kumin discusses how IDEA requires that children with disabilities be given accommodations in order to help them be fairly assessed. As a parent or a teacher you will want to read this book. The research discussed and the many ideas put forth can help a child succeed and build self confidence where before there was fear and failure. If you are a teacher of a child with Down syndrome, buy this book. If you are a parent of a child with Down syndrome then buy two copies, one for yourself and the other for your child's teacher.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Guide for both Teachers and Parents, December 21, 2001

By 

RobertL - See all my reviews

This review is from: Classroom Language Skills for Children with Down Syndrome: A Guide for Parents and Teachers (Topics in Down Syndrome) (Paperback)

This book clearly explains how to understand and successfully navigate the many complicated intricacies of school system practices, federal regulations, and classroom environments, for helping children with Down syndrome, and other children with special needs in this area, to develop language skills during their elementary school years. This book is a complete and easy to understand volume, explaining how language skills are developed, and offering developmental solutions that can be tailored to each student's needs. There are numerous and helpful tools, such as worksheets and practical examples, for creating effective teaching and classroom participation practices. In summary, I found this book to be a wonderful and essential guide to state-of-the-art practices for teaching the critical skills of Classroom Language and Communication to children with Down syndrome.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must have!, September 9, 2003

By 

Lisa - See all my reviews

This review is from: Classroom Language Skills for Children with Down Syndrome: A Guide for Parents and Teachers (Topics in Down Syndrome) (Paperback)

While written specifically for children with Down Syndrome, this book is an excellent source of information for any parent of a child with a language impairment, advocate or teacher. It clearly encompasses best practices in the provision of language services to students with language impairments and gives valuable-- and specific-- insights and advice on the design of IEPs and curriculum. The language is clear and accessible to those without professional training or certification in speech and language pathology. My non-Down Syndrome child has a language impairment and I am involved in professional ESE advocacy; I use this book extensively in training parents on SLP issues, best practices, delivery models , and the development of meaningful IEPs. I also suspect that an earlier reviewer intended to review another book, this is not a book about reading or phonics, but about the provision of educationally relevant services and development of academic and functional skills for students with communication impairments.