Stars of Success: Understanding How Children With Down Syndrome Learn

Stars of Success: Understanding How Children with Down Syndrome Learn is the only text available offering regular classroom and special educators, as well as parents, a succinct identification and discussion of the specific learning needs characteristic of children with Down syndrome and other intellectual disabilities. Approved by the NDSS, the text provides proven and effective instructional techniques for parents and professionals. An understanding of the child's mental processing ability and appropriate instructional design is an imperative prerequisite to the most successful presentation of academic materials. Stars of Success is the first book to integrate current research and information regarding the learning needs and processes of educationally challenged children into a single reference. Information contained in this guide affords children with educational challenges an actual opportunity to achieve successful, academic inclusion.

Susan J. Peoples, loving wife of Stephen J. Peoples, is the very proud mother of four children. Her youngest son, Michael, was born with Down syndrome in 1991. Mrs. Peoples' three other children Katie, Betsy, and Thomas, are currently attending college and graduate schools. One day while driving Betsy, then twelve inquired, "Mom if you could take Michael's Down syndrome away would you do it?" Without hesitation Mrs. Peoples replied, "No! Down syndrome is what makes Michael the neat, little boy he is. I would take away the hardships, but never the Down syndrome." As an educator for over 30 years (B.S. in elementary education and graduate studies), research clinician, author and parent of a child with Down syndrome, Ms. Peoples has spent the past thirteen years exploring, evaluating, and designing curricular materials and methods to improve the educational experience of children with Down syndrome and other intellectual disabilities. Mrs. Peoples currently is the only author of curricular materials designed exclusively to meet those needs.

Mrs. Peoples has been a featured speaker at numerous schools and conferences, including the Down Syndrome Association of Greater St. Louis 2009; the Down Syndrome Guild of Greater Kansas City 2008 conference; Conferences in North and Central Minnesota sponsored by the Down Syndrome Association of Minnesota 2008; the 2008 Arc of Minnesota State Conference; the National Down Syndrome Congress (NDSC) 2007 Annual Conference; the 2006 UPS for Down Syndrome Chicago Conference; the 2006 Manitoba Down Syndrome Society (Winnipeg, Canada) Conference; the Phoenix 2005 Down Syndrome Network Conference; the 2005 NDSS Nebraska Conference.

Ms. Peoples has also created several reading series, spelling, phonetic and handwriting programs designed to improve the inclusion of children with Down syndrome and other intellectual disabilities in the educational setting. She continues to provide workshops and is currently writing her next book.