Sensory and Perceptual Abilities in People With Down Syndrome

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Armando Bertone ◽  
Jacalyn Guy ◽  
Christina Marcone
Keyword(s):  
Down Syndrome ◽  
Information Processing ◽  
Sensory Level ◽  
Refractive Errors ◽  
Typical Development ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Perceptual Performance ◽  
Practical Information ◽  
Perceptual Abilities ◽  
Learning And Instruction

During typical development, the efficiency with which distinct image attributes, objects such as faces, and emotions are analyzed depends on the development of ocular functioning (sensory level) and brain mechanisms mediating perceptual abilities (neural level). Compared to typically developing individuals, ocular differences are more frequent in persons with Down syndrome (DS) and include an increased incidence of refractive errors, i.e. hyperopia and myopia, and difficulties with accommodation (focusing up close). In most cases, these conditions can be corrected with bifocals, resulting in greatly improved literary skills that underlie reading, particularly for younger persons with DS. In addition, individuals with DS seem to benefit from the spatially structured presentation of visual material when learning, another accommodation that can be implemented during instruction. Finally, although not specific to DS, young children and adults with DS generally identify and recognize emotions less efficiently than do persons without DS. However, among persons with DS, these difficulties seem to be more pronounced for more intense emotions, including fear and anger. In sum, visual profiles based on sensory and perceptual performance can advance our understanding of atypical information processing among persons with DS, as well as provide practical information aimed at improving learning and instruction.

scholarly journals Pronoun Comprehension in Individuals With Down Syndrome: Deviance or Delay?

2014 ◽  
Vol 57 (4) ◽  
pp. 1442-1452 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eirini Sanoudaki ◽  
Spyridoula Varlokosta
Keyword(s):  
Down Syndrome ◽  
Language Comprehension ◽  
Selection Task ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Typical Development ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Pilot Studies ◽  
Deficit Model ◽  
Reflexive Pronouns ◽  
Heated Debate

Purpose Results of recent pilot studies suggest that the interpretation of pronouns in individuals with Down syndrome (DS) may follow a pattern unattested in typical development, indicating the presence of a selective deficit targeting the comprehension of reflexive pronouns. These findings come at a time when there is a heated debate surrounding pronoun comprehension in typical development as well. This study aims to contribute to these debates by examining pronoun comprehension in Greek, a language that exhibits unusual patterns in pronoun comprehension in typical development. Method Seven Greek-speaking individuals with DS and a control group of 14 typically developing (TD) children were tested. The authors examined the comprehension of strong pronouns, reflexive pronouns, and pronominal clitics, using a picture selection task. Results The data reveal evidence of deviant pronoun comprehension in individuals with DS compared with the TD group. The DS group encountered problems in the interpretation of reflexive pronouns when compared with the TD group, while the performance of the two groups was comparable in all remaining conditions. Conclusions Findings are in line with the selective deficit model of language comprehension in DS, supporting the presence of a cross-linguistic reflexive deficit.

scholarly journals Stimulus Overselectivity in Autism, Down Syndrome, and Typical Development

2016 ◽  
Vol 121 (3) ◽  
pp. 219-235 ◽  
Author(s):  
William V. Dube ◽  
Rachel S. Farber ◽  
Marlana R. Mueller ◽  
Eileen Grant ◽  
Lucy Lorin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Down Syndrome ◽  
Receptive Vocabulary ◽  
Test Accuracy ◽  
Typical Development ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Common Learning ◽  
Intellectual Level ◽  
Picture Communication ◽  
Nonverbal Reasoning ◽  
Stimulus Overselectivity

Abstract Stimulus overselectivity refers to maladaptive narrow attending that is a common learning problem among children with intellectual disabilities and frequently associated with autism. The present study contrasted overselectivity among groups of children with autism, Down syndrome, and typical development. The groups with autism and Down syndrome were matched for intellectual level, and all three groups were matched for developmental levels on tests of nonverbal reasoning and receptive vocabulary. Delayed matching-to-sample tests presented color/form compounds, printed words, photographs of faces, Mayer-Johnson Picture Communication Symbols, and unfamiliar black forms. No significant differences among groups emerged for test accuracy scores. Overselectivity was not statistically overrepresented among individuals with autism in contrast to those with Down syndrome or typically developing children.

scholarly journals Mother–Child Play: Children With Down Syndrome and Typical Development

2009 ◽  
Vol 114 (4) ◽  
pp. 274-288 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Venuti ◽  
S. de Falco ◽  
G. Esposito ◽  
Marc H. Bornstein
Keyword(s):  
Down Syndrome ◽  
Typical Development ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Typically Developing Children ◽  
Children With Down Syndrome ◽  
Child Play ◽  
Mental Age ◽  
Solitary Play ◽  
Exploratory Play ◽  
Collaborative Play

Abstract Child solitary and collaborative mother–child play with 21 children with Down syndrome and 33 mental-age-matched typically developing children were compared. In solitary play, children with Down syndrome showed less exploratory but similar symbolic play compared to typically developing children. From solitary to collaborative play, children with Down syndrome increased their exploratory play, attaining the same level as typically developing children. Pretense significantly increased from solitary to collaborative play only in typically developing children. Differences between mothers' play in the two groups mirrored those between their children. Both groups showed similar attunement and synchrony. Mothers contribute to the play development of children with Down syndrome through their own adaptation to their children's limitations and potentialities.

Beyond autism: Challenging unexamined assumptions about social motivation in typical development

2019 ◽  
Vol 42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Bartsch ◽  
David Estes
Keyword(s):  
Social Interest ◽  
Social Motivation ◽  
Typical Development ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
New Approaches

Abstract In challenging the assumption of autistic social uninterest, Jaswal & Akhtar have opened the door to scrutinizing similar unexamined assumptions embedded in other literatures, such as those on children's typically developing behaviors regarding others’ minds and morals. Extending skeptical analysis to other areas may reveal new approaches for evaluating competing claims regarding social interest in autistic individuals.

scholarly journals The Association between Difficulties with Speech Fluency and Language Skills in a National Age Cohort of Children with Down Syndrome

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 704
Author(s):  
Kari-Anne B. Næss ◽  
Egil Nygaard ◽  
Hilde Hofslundsengen ◽  
J. Scott Yaruss
Keyword(s):  
Down Syndrome ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Typically Developing Children ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Exact Test ◽  
Children With Down Syndrome ◽  
Speech Fluency ◽  
Age Cohort ◽  
Student’S T

The present study (a) addressed difficulties in speech fluency in children with Down syndrome and typically developing children at a similar non-verbal level and (b) examined the association between difficulties with speech fluency and language skills in children with Down syndrome. Data from a cross-sectional parent survey that included questions about children’s difficulties with speech fluency, as well as clinical tests from a national age cohort of 43 six-year-olds with Down syndrome and 57 young typically developing children, were collected. Fisher’s exact test, Student’s t-test, linear regression, and density ellipse scatter plots were used for analysis. There was a significantly higher occurrence of parent-reported difficulties with speech fluency in the children with Down syndrome. Higher language scores were significantly associated with a lower degree of difficulties; this association was strongest for vocabulary and phonological skills. Although difficulties with speech fluency were not reported for all children with Down syndrome, a substantially higher occurrence of such difficulties was reported compared to that for typically developing children. The significant association between difficulties with speech fluency and the level of language functioning suggests that speech fluency and language skills should be taken into consideration when planning treatment for children with Down syndrome.

scholarly journals Inhibitory Dimensions and Delay of Gratification: A Comparative Study on Individuals with Down Syndrome and Typically Developing Children

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 636
Author(s):  
Martina Fontana ◽  
Maria Carmen Usai ◽  
Sandra Pellizzoni ◽  
Maria Chiara Passolunghi
Keyword(s):  
Down Syndrome ◽  
Response Inhibition ◽  
Interference Suppression ◽  
Delay Of Gratification ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Typically Developing Children ◽  
Mental Age ◽  
Two Samples

While previous research on inhibition in people with Down syndrome (DS) reported contradictory results, with no explicit theoretical model, on the other hand, a more homogeneous impaired profile on the delay of gratification skills emerged. The main goal of the present study was to investigate response inhibition, interference suppression, and delay of gratification in 51 individuals with DS matched for a measure of mental age (MA) with 71 typically developing (TD) children. Moreover, we cross-sectionally explored the strengths and weaknesses of these components in children and adolescents vs. adults with DS with the same MA. A battery of laboratory tasks tapping on inhibitory sub-components and delay of gratification was administrated. Results indicated that individuals with DS showed an overall worse performance compared to TD children on response inhibition and delay of gratification, while no differences emerged between the two samples on the interference suppression. Additionally, our results suggested that older individuals with DS outperformed the younger ones both in response inhibition and in the delay of gratification, whereas the interference suppression still remains impaired in adulthood. This study highlights the importance of evaluating inhibitory sub-components considering both MA and chronological age in order to promote more effective and evidence-based training for this population.

Pathways to language: a naturalistic study of children with Williams syndrome and children with Down syndrome

2012 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 106-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
YONATA LEVY ◽  
ARIELA EILAM
Keyword(s):  
Down Syndrome ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Williams Syndrome ◽  
Language Delay ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Naturalistic Study ◽  
Children With Down Syndrome ◽  
Network Properties ◽  
Development Of Language ◽  
Language Onset

ABSTRACTThis is a naturalistic study of the development of language in Hebrew-speaking children with Williams syndrome (WS) and children with Down syndrome (DS), whose MLU extended from 1·0 to 4·4. Developmental curves over the entire span of data collection revealed minor differences between children with WS, children with DS, and typically developing (TD) controls of similar MLU. Development within one calendar year showed remarkable synchrony among the variables. However, age of language onset and pace of acquisition departed significantly from normal timing. It is argued that in view of the centrality of genetic timing and the network properties of cognition, normal schedules are crucial determinants of intact development. Consequently, with respect to neurodevelopmental syndromes, the so-called ‘language delay’ is indicative of deviance that is likely to impact development in critical ways.

scholarly journals Single-Word Speech Intelligibility in Children and Adults With Down Syndrome

2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 222-236 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alyssa Wild ◽  
Houri K. Vorperian ◽  
Ray D. Kent ◽  
Daniel M. Bolt ◽  
Diane Austin
Keyword(s):  
Down Syndrome ◽  
Speech Intelligibility ◽  
Word Identification ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Single Word ◽  
Vowel Production ◽  
Adult Men ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Assessment And Treatment ◽  
High Vowels

Purpose A single-word identification test was used to study speech production in children and adults with Down syndrome (DS) to determine the developmental pattern of speech intelligibility with an emphasis on vowels. Method Speech recordings were collected from 62 participants with DS aged 4–40 years and 25 typically developing participants aged 4–7 years. Panels of 5 adult lay listeners transcribed the speech recordings orthographically, and their responses were scored in comparison with the speakers' target words. Results Speech intelligibility in persons with DS improved with age, especially between the ages of 4 and 16 years. Whereas consonants contribute to intelligibility, vowels also played an important role in reduced intelligibility with an apparent developmental difference in low versus high vowels, where the vowels /æ/ and/ɑ/ developed at a later age than /i/ and /u/. Interspeaker variability was large, with male individuals being generally less intelligible than female individuals and some adult men having very low intelligibility. Conclusion Results show age-related patterns in speech intelligibility in persons with DS and identify the contribution of dimensions of vowel production to intelligibility. The methods used clarify the phonetic basis of reduced intelligibility, with implications for assessment and treatment.

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