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Case Study Essay

Bobby – Foundation, with Down syndrome

A child with special needs is identified as having ‘a learning difficulty or disability which

calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her’ (Westwood, 2015, p. 3).

This essay will explore the case study of Bobby, a student in Foundation year at primary

school who has Down syndrome. When catering for Bobby within the classroom, the teacher

should have an understanding of Down syndrome and how this disability impacts Bobby’s

classroom experience. The teacher must carefully consider planning and assessment suited to

Bobby’s needs and also the circle of people required to help Bobby meet his needs at school.

The teacher must acknowledge social, emotional and academic needs, that adopt to and assist

Bobby in every way possible. Finally, the teacher should form a strong communication path

between Bobby’s parents and any caregivers that Bobby is regularly in contact with.

What is Down syndrome?

Newton, Puri and Marder (2015) state that Down syndrome is when the individual has ‘an

additional chromosome 21 in the human cell’ causing them to have an ‘intellectual disability’

(p. 3). The disability is named after Doctor Langdon Down in 1866 who first recognised the

disability, but it was Professor Jerome Lejeune in 1959 who identified that people with Down

syndrome actually had an additional chromosome. It is a genetic condition and ‘people with

Down syndrome have 47 chromosomes in their cells instead of 46’ (Down Syndrome

Australia, 2011, para. 1). Occasionally referred to as ‘Trisomy 21’, Down syndrome is a

common chromosome disorder with no cure.

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Each individual with Down syndrome is not alike, meaning that the physical, health and

development challenges that these individuals face, vary from one another (Down Syndrome

Australia, 2011, para. 1). Down syndrome can be early identified through testing before the

child is born but testing cannot detail the level of intellectual disability the child will have.

For individuals with Down syndrome, communication can be difficult as speech can

sometimes be limited, but it is vital to never underestimate their power to understand others.

It is important not to disregard an individual with Down syndrome as they in fact have many

of the same aspirations as people without the disability do. Therefore, people with this

disability must be valued and should be able to share a part in the community and actively

participate where possible.

Impacts on classroom experience:

Five year old Bobby had been diagnosed with Down syndrome just after his birth and has

already undergone specialist tests to discover more about his intellectual disability. Down

Syndrome Australia (2011) states that young individuals who have Down syndrome ‘find it

very difficult to develop language skills and speak clearly’ and this can also be heavily

impacted by ‘hearing loss’ (para. 2). Prior to attending pre-school Bobby was non-verbal, this

presents major impacts on Bobby’s classroom experience as he is unable to communicate his

needs to his educators. This also places challenges on the teacher when trying to understand

whether or not Bobby is acquiring the knowledge being taught. Bobby’s lack of

communication skills also impacts his interaction with peers in the classroom as Bobby is

unable to express his feelings and is therefore unable to effectively engage in play.

Bobby’s case study states that after six months of attending his school, he has managed to use

‘two-word phrases’ (NCCD, 2019, para. 4). According to Newton et al. (2015), the average

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age for a child with Down syndrome to put together ‘two-word phrases is 30 months’ (p. 34).

With this in mind, it is simple to recognise that Bobby is quite behind in his language

development as a result of his disability. Newton et al. (2015), state that ‘children with Down

syndrome do not see as clearly as children who do not have Down syndrome’ which explains

Bobby’s mild vision impairment and therefore this impacts his classroom learning experience

(p. 37). It is also mentioned that Bobby wears foot splints which impacts his classroom

experience as he may not sometimes be able to keep up with his peers and may find some

physical activities to be challenging. With Bobby’s bowel issues, it is important to recognise

that he may be required to go to the bathroom frequently therefore missing out on classroom

learning. Bobby may also feel excluded by his peers because of his disability and therefore

this can negatively impact Bobby’s classroom experience.

Considerations when planning for inclusion:

As a teacher planning and assessing to include Bobby in the classroom, they must look at all

of Bobby’s developmental impacts and work with them setting small achievable goals.

Bobby has difficulties in his speech so visual cue cards are great to assist Bobby’s language

development. For example, a toilet cue card indicating Bobby needs assistance to go to the

bathroom or whole class visual timetables can be used. Prior to attending school, Bobby may

have communicated using sign language and to promote inclusion of Bobby in the classroom,

the teacher can use basic sign language when teaching. This teaches the other students in the

classroom sign language, enabling them to communicate with Bobby and therefore promoting

classroom inclusion.

As mentioned in the case study, Bobby has a mild vision impairment and ‘requires hand-on-

hand support when crossing the road’ (NCCD, 2019, para. 2). To cater for Bobby’s visual

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impairment, an immediate action that must take place is seating the child close to the board at

the front of the class. Newton et al. (2015) recommends the use of ‘black felt pens for writing

and learning materials with good contrast’ (p. 37). As Bobby wears foot splints, the teacher

should take into consideration the layout of the room and how this can cater for Bobby’s

intellectual disability. For example, the teacher should ensure there is clear walking pathways

for Bobby, the room is not overcrowded with furniture and that clutter is minimised by

having resources stored away. Bobby’s bowel issues require him to use the toilet with

assistance frequently. The educator can cater for this by designating specific times of the day

that Bobby goes to the toilet. To encourage Bobby’s toilet training the teacher can create a

social story about going to the toilet and implement a rewards system to positively reinforce

his toilet training at school.

The case study also states that Bobby has ‘a good visual memory but a short attention span’

and can only ‘stay on task for a few minutes’ therefore the educator should design activities

for Bobby that are simple and engaging (NCCD, 2019, para. 5). The educator should reduce

background noise and gain ‘visual attention before starting to speak’ (Newton et al., 2015, p.

37). The educator could also use a Frequency Modulation System to reduce classroom

background noise and Bobby wears a personal receiver such as headphones so then the

teacher’s speech is amplified during the lesson. Westwood (2015) mentions that for students

with special needs ‘the national curriculum often needs to be modified to accommodate the

needs and different rates of learning of these students’ (p. 4). Goals for Bobby should be

assessed and adjusted frequently to ensure development is occurring. For example, Bobby

began his schooling experience non-verbal and therefore a major planning and assessment

goal for him was to begin to use language and put together two-word phrases.

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People responsible for meeting the student’s needs:

For students with Down syndrome, there are many services and individuals that can help to

assist meeting their needs. At his school, Bobby ‘is supported by two special needs education

assistants’ and Bobby’s classroom also has ‘a full-time education assistant’ (NCCD, 2019,

para. 3). It is extremely vital that the education assistants acquire the skills to be able to assist

a student with Down syndrome. The case study identifies that training has been undertaken

by the education assistants through the ‘Down Syndrome Association and have attended a

state Diverse Learners Conference’ (NCCD, 2019, para. 3). This training can help to assist

the student in multiple ways, for example, education assistants have the knowledge to

understand Bobby’s bowel issues and can support Bobby when going to the toilet.

Some students with Down syndrome can experience sensory difficulties and therefore the

teacher must consider this in her planning. Newton et al. (2015), states that ‘physio- and

occupational therapists, can support children by making adjustments and providing activities

that can help’ and in turn this can assist the educator in their planning for Bobby (p. 37). To

further assist language development of students with this disability, speech therapy can be

used. Working one on one with a speech pathologist offers many benefits for the child as they

can develop their sounds and expression more thoroughly. Bobby’s school has a speech

pathologist on school grounds that he works with daily and therefore this is extremely

beneficial in meeting Bobby’s language development needs.

Addressing social, emotional and academic needs of the student:

To adapt to Bobby’s social needs in the classroom the teacher can first discover Bobby’s

interests, which can then be incorporated into the play that he will engage in with his peers.

Creating awareness in the classroom on Bobby’s disability is also great for his social

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development and is best done for Foundation aged students through children’s literature. The

Down Syndrome Victoria (2015) website has a list of books recommended for students with

Down syndrome and their peers stating that ‘reading or learning about a disability is a great

way to further understand a child’s experiences’ (para. 2).

To adapt to Bobby’s emotional needs in the classroom the teacher could have a traffic light

system for Bobby to use when communicating his emotions. When he is feeling angry,

anxious or happy, he can point to the traffic light colour, which indicates to the teacher and

assistants how Bobby is feeling and if he needs a break. Another strategy to adopt when

addressing Bobby’s emotional needs is to have a sensory box. In the sensory box can be

different toys that Bobby likes and textured materials, so when Bobby is feeling sad and

needs a break, he can sit down and go through his sensory box.

To adapt to Bobby’s academic needs in the classroom the teacher must constantly review and

modify the curriculum and assessment tasks to suit him. As an educator it is important not to

rush Bobby’s learning process and a lot of reinforcement and repetition is required for Bobby

to grasp concepts. For example, picture cards can be used to indicate his answers and

questions for an assessment task can be verbally repeated to Bobby. Incorporating Bobby’s

interest into the learning is also essential to ensure Bobby stays on task because of his short

attention span. Allowing Bobby to work with a peer or buddy causes the learning experience

to become more engaging and also assists his social development needs.

Communication with parents and caregivers:

For Bobby and his Down syndrome, the teacher and his parents or caregivers must keep in

regular contact. As important as it is for the teacher to know what is happening in Bobby’s

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life, it is also important for Bobby’s caregivers to know how he is developing at school. Each

morning Bobby is dropped off and each afternoon he is picked up, the teacher and Bobby’s

caregivers should communicate with each other information about Bobby. The teacher and

caregivers can email throughout the day or even call in case of emergency. Any

developments or routines that are being established at home should be discussed with the

teacher to ensure that they are also followed through at school. As Bobby’s parents are very

supportive, the teacher should try and involve them in the classroom, whether it be on

excursions or parent helping.

The teacher should inform the parents of any changes occurring to Bobby’s curriculum or

even any changes around the school that may affect Bobby’s routine and influence his

behaviour. Newton et al. (2015) presents a fantastic means of communication for teachers

and parents called a ‘Home to School link book’ (p. 39). This can be treated as a diary of

communication ‘for parents and school staff to share information about the child’ (Newton et

al., 2015, p. 39). Information included in this diary could simply be what Bobby enjoyed

doing during the school day or Bobby can draw a picture of his favourite part of the day.

Likewise, parents can contribute to the diary with ‘images and words from the weekends or

evenings for their child to share with friends and teachers at the school’ (Newton et al., 2015,

p. 39).

Overall, having a student with Down syndrome in the classroom is an exciting learning

experience for the teacher and all those involved. For any child with Down syndrome it is

important for the teacher to have the knowledge about the intellectual disability first. From

here, the teacher can observe the impacts it has on the student’s classroom experience.

Therefore, the teacher can cater for the student’s needs, adapt it to the classroom and

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communicate clearly with professional personnel and their parents exactly how they are

going to cater for the student in the classroom.

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References:

Down Syndrome Australia. (2011). What is down syndrome? Retrieved

from https://www.downsyndrome.org.au/what_is_down_syndrome.html

Down Syndrome Victoria. (2015). Talking about down syndrome. Retrieved

from http://www.downsyndromevictoria.org.au/DSAV/For_families/Talking_about_Do

wn_syndrome/DSAV/Families/Talking_about_Down_syndrome.aspx?hkey=151689af-

cbeb-4a0c-a617-828c53c180a0

NCCD. (2019). Case study: Bobby, extensive, cognitive. Retrieved

from https://www.nccd.edu.au/case-studies/bobby-extensive-cognitive

Newton, R. W., Puri, S., & Marder, L. (2015). Down syndrome: Current perspectives.

London, [England]: Mac Keith Press.

Westwood, P. (2015). Commonsense methods for children with special educational needs

(7th ed.). London: Routledge Falmer.