Deanna Horstmeier, Ph.D.      300 pages/2004

An educator with 30 years of experience and the parent of a young man with Down Syndrome, was inspired to write Teaching Math to meet the needs of hands-on learners after observing the difficulty her adult son with Down syndrome and his peers had in applying math skills to everyday life.

For years, the math program explained in this book has been successfully used with preschoolers, children, and adults with Down syndrome, autism spectrum disorders, and other cognitive disabilities. Its success lies in capitalizing on the visual learning strengths of these concrete learners and using manipulatives, games, and activities to teach and maintain motivation. A key feature of this method is the early introduction of the calculator, which allows students to progress in their understanding of math without having to memorize math facts. This book can be used to help students learn the critical math survival skills needed for living independently or help students in their math curricula at school.