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Despite the importance of and advocacy for developing literacy skills for successful and rewarding participation in the community, there remains a common perception that becoming literate is not possible for people with intellectual disabilities. Until recently, limited research has been undertaken to investigate the literacy skills of adults with intellectual disabilities. In particular, research related to opportunities for lifelong learning in community-based organisations, and to the kinds of literacy activities that might be both developmentally and socially appropriate to assist adults with intellectual disabilities to remain active as they age, is limited in relation to older adults with intellectual disabilities. This exploratory project used a range of instruments to gather information about the literacy skills of older adults to identify their literacy needs and wants, and to consider opportunities to enhance and maintain literacy skills existing in an ongoing activity program in one community-based service organisation. (Contains 4 tables.)

This article reports on a case study of an exemplary teacher who was a participant in a professional learning project, WriteIdeas. The teacher provided instructional support in writing to a targeted student with learning difficulties in an inclusive Year 8 English classroom. Analytical frameworks were developed and applied to the data that had been collected from various sources. The case study sheds light on the multi-faceted nature and complexity of providing responsive and tailored instruction in writing to students in an inclusive setting. (Contains 1 figure.)

We previously reported how the opinions of second-year dentistry students and faculty members can be used to construct an assessment rubric to grade group-based concept maps in physiology (14). This article describes the second phase of this study of the subsequent year's cohort. A case study approach was used to investigate how groups of students used the criteria to complete their complex concept maps. Students' opinions about the assessment task and newly constructed rubric were sampled. Opinions across groups were correlated to academic achievements in the course. Two groups of four students volunteered to be videorecorded during a 4-h workshop, during which they completed their maps. The mapping task was not generally favored by students. However, those students who did favor the task achieved higher academic grades. Most students favored the newly constructed assessment rubric, commenting that it was easy to understand, fair, and appropriate, but reported that extra guidance from tutors and other resources were required. Coded videorecordings of the two observation groups revealed complex interactions around the three criteria of content, logic and understanding, and presentation. Two broad patterns of working were identified. One group distributed their efforts more evenly across the criteria, whereas the other group completed their maps by addressing the criteria in stages. These findings clearly indicate the academic challenges and social complexity in how students work in groups to complete complex concept maps in physiology. (Contains 3 tables and 4 figures.)

The teaching and learning of phonics are core elements of a balanced literacy program for people with intellectual disabilities. Studies have shown that individuals who have limited phonic and decoding skills will be unlikely to progress in their reading ability beyond an emergent level and are more likely to experience difficulty in comprehension. The authors discuss the challenges of integrating contemporary understandings about literacy practices (specifically the Four Resources Model) with a literacy program for a young adult with an intellectual disability. They identify three key strategies to meet these challenges: Knowing the learner; motivating the learner; and using multiple approaches and activities. These strategies and practical teaching approaches are illustrated with examples of the authors' work with a young man with Down syndrome. (Contains 3 tables and 4 figures.)

This article reports the implementation of a specific teaching program (STP) to improve the numeracy skills (place value) of a cohort of young adults with Down syndrome. The STP was based on a range of teaching strategies that research had shown were effective across various groups who have difficulties with numeracy learning. The participants were selected from a post school literacy program at the University of Queensland (Moni & Jobling, 2000). The twelve participants in the program were assessed using the Booker Profiles of Mathematics (Booker, 1995) and divided into three groups based on these profiles. The group chosen to participate in the STP showed the prerequisite skills in number recognition and counting needed to learn place value but had no prior knowledge of the concept. The other groups participated in a series of game sessions and did not receive the STP. The data comprised pre and post testing, field notes, classroom observations and family histories. The five participants in the STP showed improvements in their skill acquisition, including developing some understanding of place value. Our findings demonstrate that individuals with Down syndrome can learn basic numeracy concepts but due to the small sample size more research is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]