Emerging Trends in Mathematics Education for People with Down Syndrome: Current Research and Future Directions

ABSTRACT

In September 2017, a group of researchers met for the first conference devoted to the singular purpose of exploring a neglected field – the learning of mathematics by individuals with Down syndrome. This special issue is a result of that first meeting and identifies three emerging trends in the mathematics education of learners with Down syndrome: the goals, content, and pedagogy. Education is central to the goal of improving an individual’s quality of life and only recently has the impact of mathematics been fully comprehended. Many researchers continue to explore the development of the concept of number and there is still much to learn. As a new development, we see that interest is now expanding to explore other areas of mathematics. We still have a long way to go to understand how best to open the doors of mathematics to all learners with Down syndrome. We conclude by offering six areas requiring immediate future research in the field of mathematics and Down syndrome.

KEYWORDS:

• Down syndrome
• intellectual disability
• mathematics education
• numeracy
• geometry
• 21st century skills

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.