Submissions are now open for the 2027 Research Forum

Submissions are now open for the 2027 Down Syndrome Research Forum. The forum will be held online from 15 to 17 March 2027, and submissions close on 8 January 2027.

The Down Syndrome Research Forum is an annual international event, hosted and sponsored by Down Syndrome Education International. It brings together researchers, students, practitioners and families to discuss current research and practice and learn from each other.

We welcome presentations of research, including work in progress, and presentations from practitioners who wish to share their experience of particular interventions or service models. An individual presentation lasts about 20 minutes, including 5 minutes for questions. A symposium brings together 3 or 4 presentations organised around a clear theme.

Keynotes

The following keynotes are planned for 2027:

• Customising Literacy Instruction for Students with Down Syndrome: Research and Applications from Friends on the Block
  Dr Jill Allor
  University Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Simmons School of Education and Human Development, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX, USA
• Measuring what Matters Most: Improving the Lives of People with Down Syndrome Regression Disorder Through Community Engaged Measurement Research
  Dr Ruth Brown-Ennis
  Clinical Psychologist and Assistant Professor, The HOPE Lab, Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
• From Survival to Thriving: The Future of Health Care for People with Down Syndrome
  Dr Katie Greenland
  Assistant Professor, International Centre for Evidence in Disability Research, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
• Speech perception in the presence of competing background sounds: Lifespan trajectories and sources of resilience in individuals with Down syndrome
  Dr Lori Leibold
  Senior Director of Hearing Research, Human Auditory Development Laboratory, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Omaha, NE, USA

Registration

Registration for the 2027 Research Forum will open on 1 February.