Trisomy 21 : what we can learn from people with Down syndrome : 2,000 people and their neuropsychological findings

For a long time, it was assumed that a genetic disposition such as trisomy 21 enables predictions to be made about overall personality development. But who could have ever imagined that people with trisomy 21 (Down syndrome) would also be capable of earning a university degree? This book presents the results of having examined 1,294 people with trisomy 21. The results showed that people with trisomy 21 benefit more from abstract learning than their neurotypical counterparts and two-year-olds with the syndrome learn first to read and only then to speak -- and they understand algebra better than arithmetic. Ignorance of neurodiversity inevitably leads to learning difficulties when learning at the same pace as others. This applies to autism and trisomy 21 to the same extent. That's why this book advocates the recognition of trisomy 21 as a variant in the spectrum of human neurodiversity. Menschen mit Trisomie 21 erschließen sich Dinge anders als Menschen ohne diese genetische Abweichung. Sie neigen verstärkt dazu, von Einzelheiten abzusehen. Sie sind deshalb auf geeignete Abstraktionen (Buchstaben, Gebärden, mathematische Symbole usw.) mehr angewiesen als andere Personen. Der anschauungsgebundene, kleinschrittige und Abstraktionen vermeidende Unterricht an Förderschulen trägt diesen neuropsychologischen Besonderheiten nur wenig Rechnung und wirkt eher kontraproduktiv. Gleiches gilt für die vorhandenen Lehr- und Lernmethoden, die solche Aufmerksamkeitsbesonderheiten bislang nur unzureichend berücksichtigen. Sie müssen überdacht werden, um weiter auszubauen, was bisher nur in Aufsehen erregenden Einzelfällen gelingt: normale Ausbildungsgänge für Menschen mit Trisomie 21 bis hin zum Universitätsabschluss. André Frank Zimpel fasst auf Basis einer groß angelegten Studie mit 1294 Teilnehmern zusammen, was heute als gesicherter Befund gelten kann und welche Konsequenzen unser Bildungssystem daraus zu ziehen hat For a long time, it was assumed that a genetic disposition such as trisomy 21 enables predictions to be made about overall personality development. But, who could have ever imagined that people with trisomy 21 (Down syndrome) would also be capable of earning a university degree? We studied 1,294 people with trisomy 21. The results showed that people with trisomy 21 benefit more from abstract learning than their neurotypical counterparts. Two-year-olds with the syndrome first learn to read and only then to speak and will understand algebra better than arithmetic. Ignorance of neurodiversity inevitably leads to learning difficulties when these people are forced to learn at the same pace as others. This applies to autism and trisomy 21 to the same extent. That is why this book advocates the recognition of trisomy 21 as a variant in the spectrum of human neurodiversity. For a long time, it was assumed that a genetic disposition such as trisomy 21 enables predictions to be made about overall personality development. But who could have ever imagined that people with trisomy 21 (Down syndrome) would also be capable of earning a university degree? We have examined 1,294 people with trisomy 21. The results showed that people with trisomy 21 benefit more from abstract learning than their neurotypical counterparts and two-year-olds with the syndrome learn first to read and only then to speak - and they understand algebra better than arithmetic. Ignorance of neurodiversity inevitably leads to learning difficulties when learning at the same pace as others. This applies to autism and trisomy 21 to the same extent. That's why this book advocates the recognition of trisomy of 21 as a variant in the spectrum of human neurodiversity. Book jacket For a long time, it was assumed that a genetic disposition such as trisomy 21 enables predictions to be made about overall personality development. But who could have ever imagines that people with trisomy 21 (Down syndrome) would also be capable of earning a university degree?We have examined 1.294 people with trisomy 21. The results showed that people with trisomy 21 benefit more from abstract learning than their neurotypical counterparts and two-year-olds with the syndrome learn first to read and only then to speak - and they understand algebra better than arithmetic. Ignorance of neurodiversity inevitably leads to learning difficulties when learning at the same pace as others. This applies to autism and trisomy 21 to the same extent. That's why this book advocates the recognition of trisomy 21 as a variant in the spectrum of human neurodiversity So gelingt die schulische Inklusion von Menschen mit Trisomie 21