Tailoring remote special education for children with down syndrome during COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines

Abstract

Down syndrome is the most common form of intellectual disability. However, there is a paucity of educational research focused on this vulnerable segment of learners especially in the present novel situation. This paper aimed to explore how teachers tailor remote special education for children with down syndrome amid the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines. It draws from a phenomenological qualitative study that collected information from online interviews with nine special education teachers handling children with down syndrome. The results revealed five themes: (1) contextualize individual educational plans; (2) meet sensory and movement needs; (3) emotionally connect with children; (4) communicate often with families; and (5) collaborate with community. This study provides practical insight into the enabling practices that teachers use to design the remote special education for children with down syndrome amid the current crisis.

Keywords:

• remote special education
• down syndrome
• COVID-19 pandemic
• Philippines

Disclosure statement

The author confirms that there are no relevant financial or non-financial competing interests to report for this paper. It also has not been published elsewhere and it has not been submitted simultaneously for publication elsewhere.