{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,20]],"date-time":"2026-08-20T15:38:44Z","timestamp":1787240324000,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":38,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,5,31]],"date-time":"2021-05-31T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1622419200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Brain Sciences"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background and aims: Research on typically developing (TD) populations has shown that the home learning environment plays a significant role in cognitive development and learning, but very little is known about the home learning environment of children with Down syndrome (DS) or children with Williams syndrome (WS). The present study examined and compared, for the first time, the home learning environment of children diagnosed with DS and children diagnosed with WS to investigate whether different cognitive profiles were reflected in their home literacy and number experiences. Methods and procedures: Quantitative and qualitative data were collected through a web-based survey from 58 parents and one foster parent of primary school children with DS (n = 35) and WS (n = 24) mostly based in the UK. The survey targeted the children\u2019s general level of functioning and academic skills; type, format, and frequency of home learning activities; parents\u2019 expectations for their child\u2019s academic outcomes; parents\u2019 attitudes towards literacy and mathematics; children\u2019s interest towards mathematics; and the use of technology to support home learning activities. Outcomes and results: Our results showed that, overall, the home learning environment of children with DS and children with WS were similar but changed based on the child\u2019s cognitive profile. Comparative analyses showed that parents of children with DS engaged more often in activities supporting counting than parents of children with WS, despite both groups reporting difficulties with this skill. Moreover, our results indicated that literacy-based activities occurred more often than mathematics-based activities and that the home numeracy environment was characterized by activities supporting different mathematical skills such as counting, arithmetic, and numeracy. Parents in both groups engaged with their child in both formal and informal literacy and mathematics-based activities, but informal activities occurred more often when supporting counting and number recognition skills. Conclusions and implications: The current study provides evidence that the home learning environment of children with DS and children with WS include different literacy- and mathematics-based activities and that the home learning environment changes on the basis of the child\u2019s strengths and weaknesses. The findings are discussed in relation to previous studies and the impact on parental interventions.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/brainsci11060733","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,5,31]],"date-time":"2021-05-31T21:42:06Z","timestamp":1622497326000},"page":"733","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":8,"title":["The Home Learning Environment of Primary School Children with Down Syndrome and Those with Williams Syndrome"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"11","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4815-7667","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Erica","family":"Ranzato","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Psychology and Human Development, UCL Institute of Education, 20 Bedford Way, Bloomsbury, London WC1H 0AL, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Andrew","family":"Tolmie","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Psychology and Human Development, UCL Institute of Education, 20 Bedford Way, Bloomsbury, London WC1H 0AL, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jo","family":"Van Herwegen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Psychology and Human Development, UCL Institute of Education, 20 Bedford Way, Bloomsbury, London WC1H 0AL, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,5,31]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"228","DOI":"10.1002\/mrdd.20156","article-title":"Down syndrome: Cognitive phenotype","volume":"13","author":"Silverman","year":"2007","journal-title":"Ment. 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