Following the postponement of last year's Down Syndrome Research Forum due to the pandemic, the 2021 forum moved online for the first time, involving many more participants in many more countries than ever before.
The Down Syndrome Research Forum is an established, international meeting of researchers and practitioners interested in advances in our understanding of how to best meet the developmental and educational needs of children with Down syndrome. The event is sponsored by Down Syndrome Education International and hosted annually in partnership with researchers active in the field.
This year's forum was hosted online and brought together over 300 researchers, professionals and parents in 32 countries. A total of 38 papers and 11 posters were presented sharing research and practice from 9 countries.
Topics covered included education and inclusion, the diagnosis and needs of those with autism, services for adults, access to and benefits of technology for users who have Down syndrome, the needs of families and access to services, hearing issues and interventions, speech and language issues, interventions and services, and the challenges of using technology to deliver services.
Professor Sue Buckley commented "Our aim is to support research and evidence-based practice - and to bring together those in our communities who can inform research and also take the evidence to services to improve the lives of individuals with Down syndrome and their families.
"We have run the Forum for over 20 years and I think we achieved this better than ever before. Going online expanded our reach and improved access."
2022 Down Syndrome Research Forum
We plan to host the 2022 forum primarily online on or around 10 and 11 March 2022. Further details and a call for papers will be announced later in 2021.
Further information and staying in touch
Abstracts and posters from the 2021 forum are available on the forum web site.
We also host a Facebook group dedicated to discussions of research and evidence-based practice, that is open to anyone interested.
To be notified on future announcements, join our mailing list.