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Session 16 - Symposium: Exploring the Mathematical Abilities of Children with Down syndrome

Organiser: Stella Xu, Institute of Education, University College London (stella.xu.21@ucl.ac.uk)

Presenters:

Discussant: Professor Emily K. Farran, School of Psychology, University of Surrey (e.farran@surrey.ac.uk)

Mathematical abilities are essential for daily living, yet many aspects of mathematics remain unexplored in children with Down syndrome. This symposium aims to bridge this gap by bringing together diverse approaches to understand and support the mathematical development of children with Down syndrome.

Firstly, Stella Xu will explore the individual variability across different components of mathematics, highlighting both strengths and weaknesses of mathematical abilities in individual with Down syndrome and challenging the preconceived notions about 'overall weakness'. Next, Dr Jennie Bullen will follow with insights from the MathMIND project, a large-scale study with children with Down syndrome and other genetic conditions. This project focuses on understanding early numeracy as well as classroom interactions, emphasising the importance of efforts towards including measures of children’s strengths. Dr Elena Gil-Clemente will introduce the human-flourishing approach for mathematical education and shows how informal home environments can foster engagement and promote educational equity for children with Down syndrome. Professor Jo Van Herwegen shares outcomes from a randomised control trial of the Maths For Life program in children with various special educational needs. Finally, Professor Emily Farran will discuss the implications of these studies.

Each presentation emphasises the importance of understanding the mathematical abilities of children with Down syndrome by highlighting the role of individual variability, cognitive development, family-centred learning environments, and targeted interventions. Collectively, these contributions offer further insights into improving educational practices and creating opportunities for meaningful engagement with mathematics for children with Down syndrome. (241 words)

Individual Differences and Mathematical Profiles in Williams syndrome and Down syndrome

Authors: Xu, S.1,2, Thomas, M.S.C.2,3 & Van Herwegen, J.1,2

  1. Department of Psychology and Human Development, IOE UCL’s Faculty of Education and Society, London, UK
  2. Centre for Educational Neuroscience, Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck University of London, UK
  3. Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, London, UK

Presenting author: Stella Xu (stella.xu.21@ucl.ac.uk)

Background: Individuals with Down syndrome (DS) and Williams syndrome (WS) are frequently compared due to their similar levels of learning disability and uneven cognitive profiles. While past studies have identified mathematics as a weakness in both conditions, mathematics is a complex componential subject (i.e., counting, procedural knowledge, number sense, arithmetic) and thus, it is important to examine the variability of strengths and weaknesses for each of these components within each condition.

Aims: This study aims to examine 1) the individual differences within these component skills, 2) what the profiles of these components look like in DS, and 3) whether profiles are characteristic of each syndrome or alternatively represent transdiagnostic groupings.

Methods: Data collection is still ongoing. In total, 70 participants aged 5-18 years are currently being recruited, with a goal of 35 participants in each group. Data has been collected for 12 participants with DS and 32 with WS. Data collection involves a battery of cognitive and math measurements.

Results: Initial MANOVA analysis and profile plots revealed varying strengths and difficulties across mathematical abilities within children with DS, as well as significant differences between the two groups.

Conclusions and Implications: The implications of this study extend to moving away from diagnostic labels and focusing on meeting individual needs to address specific needs in mathematical development. The findings also challenge the preconceived notions about 'overall weakness' in mathematics of children with DS and may not accurately reflect their skills in some areas of mathematics.

Cognitive and educational contributors to numeracy for children with Down Syndrome: Preliminary lessons learned from the MathMIND Project

Authors: Bullen, J.C.*1, Costello, K.*2, Siddiqui, Z.*3, Farran, E.K.*2, Van Herwegen, J.*3, & Scerif, G.*1

* equal contributions

  1. Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, UK
  2. School of Psychology, University of Surrey, UK
  3. Department of Psychology and Human Development, UCL’s Institute of Education, University College London, UK

Presenting author: Dr Jennie Bullen (jennie.bullen@psy.ox.ac.uk)

Background. Numeracy is an important skill for independent living. As countries move towards inclusive models of education, there is an urgent need to understand how to best support neurodivergent children in their mathematics education. The current talk focuses on MathMIND, a project seeking to understand the foundations of numeracy for young children with Down syndrome and other neurodivergent children with genetic conditions identified early in life. We will focus on lessons learned from our cognitive battery and our classroom observations.

Method. A total of 240 children aged 4–9 years, balanced across three groups, will complete measures of early mathematics achievement, foundational numeracy skills, executive functioning, spatial reasoning, and general cognitive ability. In addition, an observation of a mathematics class will take place for each child, using a structured observation schedule of interactions with the target child, the type of mathematical manipulatives used, and the level of differentiation provided. Surveys will also be distributed to the classroom teacher and parents, to better understand children’s educational environment.

Results. Data collection is ongoing, so study design and protocol decisions will be our main foci. Preliminary observations will be presented to gather feedback and input. We will focus on the opportunities and challenges of measuring common and unique cross-domain predictors of numeracy in children with Down Syndrome and other genetic conditions. We will discuss adaptations to protocol and efforts towards including measures of children’s strengths, as opposed to focusing on deficits alone.

Conclusions and Implications. Numeracy skills are implicated in many aspects of daily living, and yet, are understudied in children with Down Syndrome and other genetic conditions. As a result, it is unclear how to include children with Down Syndrome into mathematics learning in the classroom. The understanding of cognitive profiles and of optimal educational provisions for children with Down Syndrome and other genetic conditions need to go hand in hand.

Involving parents for enhancing mathematics education of children with Down syndrome

Authors: Gil Clemente, G.1 & Gasca, A.M.2

  1. Universidad de Zaragoza, Spain
  2. Roma Tre Università, Italy

Presenting author: Dr Elena Gil Clemente (elenagil@unizar.es)

Background: Over the past decade, our research on mathematics education for children with Down syndrome has adopted a pedagogical approach based on human flourishing, moving beyond traditional utilitarian views and their inherent limitations. This approach integrates arithmetic and geometric concepts from early childhood. We developed a specific Leisure Time Workshop research methodology (LTWM) inspired by Max Van Manen's phenomenological approach. During Spain's COVID-19 lockdown (March-June 2020), we leveraged informal home settings for mathematical education, building upon research highlighting the importance for children of having a wide range of occasional experiences with mathematical ideas within family environments.

Research question(s): We investigated: 1) Can pseudo-informal mathematical experiences involving number, shape, and space be effectively developed using home areas and objects? 2) What types of engagement show parents and siblings in these mathematical activities? 3) What significant aspects of children's lived experiences when approaching pseudo-informal mathematics at home can be identified, regarding their "flourishing with mathematics"?

Method: The study involved 16 children with Down syndrome (ages 4-14) and their families. We designed and delivered 14 mathematical challenges through WhatsApp, serving as both communication and documentation tool. Family-recorded videos were analyzed to examine children's experiences with mathematical concepts and family engagement. The LTWM methodology was adapted for home settings.

Results: Analysis revealed consistent engagement across participants, with notable involvement from both parents and siblings. Despite diverse family contexts (varying household sizes, ages, spaces, and resources), families demonstrated creative adaptation using household objects for mathematical activities. Video documentation and participant messages evidenced meaningful engagement with mathematical concepts.

Conclusion: Three key findings emerged: 1) The home environment proves highly suitable for developing informal mathematical activities, 2) Guided informal mathematical experiences at home promote educational equity for children with intellectual disabilities, 3) A formative approach to mathematics can be successfully implemented in home settings, maintaining the engaging atmosphere characteristic of our workshop approach.

Improving mathematical outcomes for those with Special Educational Needs using the Maths For Life programme

Authors: Van Herwegen, J.(1), McGuigan, K.(2) Gilligan-Lee, K.(3),

  1. Department for Psychology and Human Development, IOE UCL’s Faculty of Education and Society.
  2. Founder and Author of the Maths For Life programme
  3. School of Psychology, University College Dublin, Ireland

Presenting authors: Professor Jo Van Herwegen (j.vanherwegen@ucl.ac.uk) and Katie Gilligan-Lee (katie.gilligan-lee@ucd.ie)

Background: Maths For Life programme is a targeted intervention programme. The current talk will discuss the outcomes of e new pilot study that explored whether Maths For Life can improve mathematical abilities of those with various Special Educational Needs compared to a business as usual control group in a pre-post intervention design.

Methods: The study included 73 primary school children with various Special Educational Needs who completed the Maths For Life programme for more than 6 months and 45 students with similar ages and needs who followed business as usual classroom programmes. Both groups completed standardised assessments from the British Ability Scales that assess reading and mathematical outcomes at the start of the academic year and again at the end of the academic year. Overall accuracy, independence and non-attempt scores will be calculated at both time points. We will also examine how pre-intervention assessment from Maths for Life compares to the standardised task data that has been collected.

Conclusions: We will discuss the findings of this new pilot study, the role of age and type of special needs, and the need for future studies.

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