Mathematics interventions for children and adolescents with Down syndrome: a research synthesis

Training basic numerical skills in children with Down syndrome using the computerized game "The Number Race"

Individuals with Down syndrome (DS) present reduced basic numerical skills, which have a negative impact on everyday numeracy and mathematical learning. Here, we evaluated the efficacy of the adaptive (non-commercial) computerized game “The Number Race” in improving basic numerical skills in children with DS. The experimental group (EG; N = 30, M_{age-in-months} 118, range 70–149) completed a training playing with “The Number Race”, whereas children in the control group (CG; N = 31, M_{age-in-months} 138, range 76–207) worked with software aiming at improving their reading skills. The training lasted 10 weeks with two weekly sessions of 20–30 min each. We assessed both groups’ numerical and reading skills before and immediately after the end of the training, as well as at a 3-months follow-up. We found weak evidence for post-training groups differences in terms of overall numeracy score. However, the EG displayed substantial improvements in specific numerical skills and in mental calculation, which were maintained over time, and no improvement in reading. Conversely, the CG showed improvements in their reading skills as well as in number skills but to a lesser extent compared to the EG. Overall, “The Number Race” appears as a suitable tool to improve some aspects of numeracy in DS.

Mathematical interventions for students with autism spectrum disorder: Recommendations for practitioners

Students with extensive support needs (ESN; i.e., autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability, or both), have the ability to learn a variety of mathematical skills when taught using scientifically validated strategies (e.g., Bouck, Satsangi, Taber-Doughty, & Courtney, 2014; Creech-Galloway, Collins, Knight, & Bausch, 2013; Root, Browder, Saunders, & Lo, 2017). The urgency of teaching grade-aligned, mathematical standards to this population has significantly increased in the past two decades. Yet, in order to teach grade-aligned mathematics to individuals with disabilities, teachers need access to scientifically validated strategies that can be effective with this heterogeneous population. This article extends work by Fleury and colleagues (2014) by expanding their findings of interventions to teach academic content to students with ASD. We hope practitioners can use this article as a starting point when selecting scientifically validated interventions to teach mathematics to students with ESN. We highlight mathematics interventions from a variety of recent literature reviews of mathematics interventions for students with ASD, ID, or both to provide guidance for practitioners of what we know works for which students under what conditions. This article also seeks to bridge research to practice by offering recommendations for math educators serving students with disabilities in heterogeneous classrooms.

Mathematics interventions for children and adolescents with Down syndrome: a research synthesis

BACKGROUND

Many children and adolescents with Down syndrome fail to achieve proficiency in mathematics. Researchers have suggested that tailoring interventions based on the behavioural phenotype may enhance efficacy.

METHOD

The research questions that guided this review were (1) what types of mathematics interventions have been empirically evaluated with children and adolescents with Down syndrome?; (2) do the studies demonstrate sufficient methodological rigor?; (3) is there evidence of efficacy for the evaluated mathematics interventions?; and (4) to what extent have researchers considered aspects of the behavioural phenotype in selecting, designing and/or implementing mathematics interventions for children and adolescents with Down syndrome? Nine studies published between 1989 and 2012 were identified for inclusion.

RESULTS

Interventions predominantly focused on early mathematics skills and reported positive outcomes. However, no study met criteria for methodological rigor. Further, no authors explicitly considered the behavioural phenotype.

CONCLUSIONS

Additional research using rigorous experimental designs is needed to evaluate the efficacy of mathematics interventions for children and adolescents with Down syndrome. Suggestions for considering the behavioural phenotype in future research are provided.