Session 10 - Keynote: Parent Power: The uniquely powerful position of parents in supporting language development for children with Down syndrome.

Kelly Burgoyne, Senior Lecturer in Psychology of Education, University of Manchester, UK.

Kelly.Burgoyne@manchester.ac.uk

This keynote will argue the case for why parents are uniquely placed to support early language development for children with Down syndrome. The talk will draw on data from the PACT-DS project in which parents have played a key role in developing, implementing, and evaluating an early language intervention for children with Down syndrome. This data will be situated and discussed in the wider literature to explore critical questions around the role of parents in providing language intervention, the extent to which parents are able to implement intervention, and the potential outcomes of parent-delivered language intervention. The presentation will conclude with implications for research and practice, including suggested ‘critical ingredients’ for effective partnership working with parents to support children’s language development.