Using Principles of Fast Mapping to Teach Two Children with Down Syndrome State Names
Open Access
Author:
Hall, Caitlin Elizabeth
Area of Honors:
Communication Sciences and Disorders
Degree:
Bachelor of Science
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Dr. Krista M Wilkinson, Thesis Supervisor Dr. Carol Anne Miller, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
Fast mapping Down syndrome geography
Abstract:
In the subject of geography, there is a need for an efficient teaching method for students with Down syndrome. Fast mapping is a method by which kids learn new vocabulary naturally, but it has been used in a limited scope for deliberate instruction. Data shows that computers can be an effective teaching tool for both geography and vocabulary, as long as the method by which instruction occurs on a computer is also an efficient method of teaching. Exclusion training (teaching through fast mapping) using a computer tutorial has proven to be a powerful method in teaching vocabulary to children with Down syndrome. The goal of this study is to explore the use of exclusion training in teaching geography vocabulary to two students with Down syndrome. Both participants in this study were given a computerized tutorial that used exclusion training to teach the names of the states. The degree of completion varied between the two participants, but both participants were able to learn the names of novel states accurately and efficiently. While further studies are needed to understand the full potential of fast mapping as an instructional tool, the results of this study suggest that exclusion training can be used to teach academically relevant materials to students with Down syndrome.
