Reading Skills in Down Syndrome: Implications for Clinical Practice

2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (04) ◽  
pp. 330-344
Author(s):  
Susan J. Loveall ◽  
Andrea Barton-Hulsey
Keyword(s):  
Down Syndrome ◽  
Clinical Practice ◽  
Phonological Awareness ◽  
Reading Instruction ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Reading Development ◽  
Word Decoding ◽  
Decoding Skills ◽  
Children With Down Syndrome ◽  
Reading Subskills

AbstractThough children with Down syndrome can learn to read, they may have difficulty developing some component skills, including phonological awareness and word decoding. Given reading's foundation in language, speech-language pathologists (SLPs) should play a central role in supporting access to and providing reading instruction for children with Down syndrome. This article reviews the available research on reading in Down syndrome and offers guidance for SLPs working with this population. We start by reviewing the Down syndrome phenotype, highlighting physical features and cognitive and linguistic patterns of strength and weakness that impact reading development. Next, we define different reading subskills and outline typical reading development, including stages of prereading, learning to read, and transitioning to using reading as a tool for learning. We then use these stages to review what is known about reading in Down syndrome, including relevant intervention work. We also incorporate considerations for clinical practice. In particular, we encourage SLPs to advocate for supporting reading development in children with Down syndrome, to work with families to develop rich home literacy environments, and to work with educators to promote phonological awareness and decoding skills. Lastly, we note limitations in our current knowledge and include a call for more research.

Phonological Awareness and Oral Reading Skill in Children With Down Syndrome

2000 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 595-608 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda Cupples ◽  
Teresa Iacono
Keyword(s):  
Down Syndrome ◽  
Phonological Awareness ◽  
Oral Reading ◽  
Reading Ability ◽  
Reading Development ◽  
Reading Skill ◽  
Receptive Language ◽  
Phoneme Segmentation ◽  
Children With Down Syndrome ◽  
Theoretical View

The existence of a necessary association between phonological awareness (PA) and oral reading development has been questioned using evidence from children with Down syndrome. In this study, 22 children with Down syndrome (between the ages of 6;7 and 10;3) initially completed tests of receptive language, cognitive function, oral reading, and PA. Reading and PA were reassessed approximately 9 months later. Better oral reading was associated with superior phoneme segmentation skills on reassessment. Furthermore, there was some evidence that early segmentation ability predicted later nonword reading, but not the reverse. The results indicate an association between PA and early oral reading ability in children with Down syndrome and are interpreted within a theoretical view of reading development in which PA plays a central role.

Effects of Targeted Reading Instruction on Phonological Awareness and Phonic Decoding in Children with Down Syndrome

2011 ◽  
Vol 116 (2) ◽  
pp. 111-129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathy Cologon ◽  
Linda Cupples ◽  
Shirley Wyver
Keyword(s):  
Down Syndrome ◽  
Phonological Awareness ◽  
Reading Instruction ◽  
Oral Reading ◽  
Reading Ability ◽  
Reading Skills ◽  
Chromosome 21 ◽  
Children With Down Syndrome ◽  
Individual Instruction ◽  
Assessment Results

Abstract This research evaluated the effectiveness of reading instruction targeting oral reading and phonological awareness for children with Down syndrome (affecting chromosome 21). The participants were 7 children ranging in age from 2 years, 11 months to 10 years, 8 months. Each child acted as his/her own control, with assessments of language, cognition, phonological awareness, word and short-passage comprehension, and oral reading ability conducted on four occasions (initially, preintervention, postintervention and delayed postintervention) over approximately a 12-month period. The intervention was conducted over 10 weekly sessions and involved individual instruction. The postintervention assessment results provided evidence that phonic reading instruction was generally effective in improving reading skills and phonological awareness of children with Down syndrome.

Reading Development in Children With Nonsyndromic Cleft Palate With or Without Cleft Lip: Meta-analysis and Systematic Review

2021 ◽  
pp. 105566562110398
Author(s):  
Hope Sparks Lancaster ◽  
Kari M. Lien ◽  
Jordan Haas ◽  
Paige Ellis ◽  
Nancy J. Scherer
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Cleft Palate ◽  
Phonological Awareness ◽  
Cleft Lip ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Reading Development ◽  
Effect Sizes ◽  
School Age Children ◽  
School Age ◽  
Word Decoding

Objective We conducted a meta-analysis and systematic review of literature comparing pre-reading and general reading in school-age children with nonsyndromic cleft palate with or without cleft lip (NSCP/L) to their peers without NSCP/L. Methods Our literature search identified 1238 possible records. After screening we identified 11 samples for inclusion for systematic review and eight for meta-analysis. We compared 292 children with NSCP/L to 311 peers for 23 pre-reading effect sizes and 17 general reading effect sizes (EFg). We conducted a random-effects metaregression using robust variance estimation. Results On average school-age children with NSCP/L scored lower on pre-reading (EFg = −0.36) and general reading measures (EFg = −0.38) compared to their peers. We conducted post-hoc analyses on phonological awareness and word decoding effect sizes; children with NSCP/L performed lower on phonological awareness (EFg = −0.22) and word decoding (EFg = −0.39) compared to their peers. There was weak evidence that hearing status and/or speech-language functioning might moderate reading development. There was limited evidence that age or socioeconomic status moderated reading development. However, samples did not consistently report several characteristics that were coded for this project. Conclusions Our findings suggest that school-age children with NSCP/L have persistent reading problems. Further research is needed to explore reading development in children with NSCP/L, as well as the relationships among hearing, speech, language, and reading development.

Adapting Phonological Awareness Interventions for Children With Down Syndrome Based on the Behavioral Phenotype: A Promising Approach?

2015 ◽  
Vol 53 (4) ◽  
pp. 271-288 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher J. Lemons ◽  
Seth A. King ◽  
Kimberly A. Davidson ◽  
Cynthia S. Puranik ◽  
Deborah Fulmer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Down Syndrome ◽  
Phonological Awareness ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Functional Relation ◽  
Behavioral Phenotype ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Single Case Design ◽  
Children With Down Syndrome ◽  
Alphabetic Language ◽  
Case Design

Abstract Many children with Down syndrome demonstrate deficits in phonological awareness, a prerequisite to learning to read in an alphabetic language. The purpose of this study was to determine whether adapting a commercially available phonological awareness program to better align with characteristics associated with the behavioral phenotype of Down syndrome would increase children's learning of phonological awareness, letter sounds, and words. Five children with Down syndrome, ages 6 to 8 years, participated in a multiple baseline across participants single case design experiment in which response to an adapted phonological awareness intervention was compared with response to the nonadapted program. Results indicate a functional relation between the adapted program and phonological awareness. Suggestions for future research and implications for practice are provided.

scholarly journals The Effects of Phonological Awareness on Word Formation and Decoding Skills of Disabled Readers

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Solomon O Makinde
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Phonological Awareness ◽  
Reading Instruction ◽  
Word Formation ◽  
Focused Attention ◽  
Decoding Skills ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Significant Achievement ◽  
Disabled Readers ◽  
And Control

In the recent times, educators and researchers have focused attention on the identification of methods to increase the effectiveness of reading instruction in our schools. One of the most compelling and well-established findings in this field of research is the important relation between phonological awareness and reading. This study examined the effects of phonological awareness on the word formation and decoding skills of disabled beginning readers. Data gathered using a quasi-experimental design involving 100 pupils in experimental and control conditions showed significant achievement on the skills of decoding t (98) = 15.22 p < 0.05 and word formation t (98) = 16.02 p < 0.05. The implications of the findings of the study for reading instruction in developing countries are drawn.

Intensive computer-based phonics training in the educational setting of children with Down syndrome: An explorative study

2020 ◽  
pp. 174462952091129
Author(s):  
C Nakeva von Mentzer ◽  
N Kalnak ◽  
M Jennische
Keyword(s):  
Down Syndrome ◽  
Phonological Processing ◽  
Reading Strategies ◽  
Educational Setting ◽  
Word Decoding ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Children With Down Syndrome ◽  
Explorative Study ◽  
Computer Based ◽  
The Individual

Children with Down syndrome (DS) using intensive computer-based phonics (GraphoGame, GG) were studied. The children’s independence and improvement in phonological processing, letter knowledge, word decoding, and reading strategies were investigated. Seventeen children (5–16 years) with DS participated in a crossover design through 8 weeks (one period), with three test sessions separated by 4 weeks. Children were randomly assigned to GG intervention or regular schooling (RS). All children completed one period and eight children completed two periods. A majority gradually became independent in managing GG. At the group level, very little benefit was found from working with GG. At the individual level, several children with mild to severe intellectual disabilities showed increased decoding of trained words. After one period of GG and RS, an increase in alphabetically decoded words was found. The finding suggests that when individual challenges are considered, computer-based phonics may be beneficial for children with DS in their educational setting.

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