Can Children with Down Syndrome Judge Relative Quantity?

Children with Down syndrome (DS) can experience a number of difficulties in mathematics but one relatively unexplored area is that of being able to discriminate between quantities; an important foundational skill for later learning. This study examines whether children with DS can make judgements about relative quantity in the context of a card game with two groups of children group 1 (N = 16) mean age 8y 1 m and group 2 (N = 27) mean age 14y 3 m. The data reveal that they were able to make judgements when the ratio between quantities varied as little as 3:4; for the younger children small set sizes proved to be harder than large sets raising a number of implications for teaching. In both groups there were children who performed at chance level across all set sizes, suggesting that some children experience specific difficulties, but these did not necessarily impede attainments in mathematics.