DOWN'S SYNDROME

Integration of children with Down's syndrome into the Irish Education System

Abstract

Increasingly, children with Down's syndrome are attending mainstream schools, but facts suggests that these children are more prone to peer rejection and other problems when compared with their non-disabled counterparts. However, relatively little is known about children's attitudes toward their peers with moderate to serious learning disabilities, including Down's syndrome. This study assessed the attitudes of non-disabled primary school children (n = 118) in mainstream education toward their peers with Down's syndrome. A secondary aim was to assess whether exposure to audiovisual material promoting inclusion had any immediate effects on overall attitudes. A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based survey was administered in four rural-based schools. The results showed that female participants over 10 were the most sociable. Overall attitudes toward inclusion were consistently and statistically significantly more negative than those toward sociability. Other factors, such as contact with peers with Down's syndrome, were not related to attitudes. Neither was there any change in overall attitudes following exposure to the promotional material. Further work is needed to identify factors underpinning the attitudes of non-disabled children to their peers with Down's syndrome and how best to promote inclusion in mainstream schools.

Integration of children with Down's syndrome into the Irish Education System

Introduction

Down's syndrome is the most frequent cause of moderate to severe learning difficulty/disability (LD) in children (Buckley 2000). These vulnerable young people are more likely than their non-disabled peers to experience peer rejection, depression, anxiety, behavioural/conduct problems, delinquency, school drop-out and poor academic adjustment (e.g., Laws et al. 1996; Wenz-Gross and Siperstein 1996). Furthermore, the extent to which these young people experience fully inclusive education has been the subject of considerable debate in recent years. Peer attitudes are one important factor that may impinge upon the successful inclusion of children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) in school settings (Roberts and Smith 1999). However, few studies on peer attitudes have been conducted in the UK (Buckley 2000; Laws and Kelly 2005), or Ireland (Gash et al. 2000). The primary aim of this study was to assess the attitudes of non-disabled children toward their peers with Down's syndrome who were attending rural schools in Ireland. A secondary aim was to examine the short-term impact on attitudes (if any) of administering a video designed to promote inclusive attitudes toward children with Down's syndrome.

Inclusive education

Within the last 10-15 years, it has become increasingly common for children with Down's syndrome to attend mainstream schools (Cuckle 1997). Government policy in the Republic of Ireland has, for some time now, recommended the integration of pupils with LD into mainstream education (Department of Education and Science [DES] 1993, 1995, 1996). The Education for Persons with Disabilities Bill (DES 2003) also protects the constitutional rights of children with disabilities and special needs to appropriate and inclusive education. However, this bill has many critics and the extent to which it fully supports children with SEN is uncertain (Scanlon and McGilloway 2006). Furthermore, under the Education for People with Special Educational Needs Act (DES 2004), ...