scholarly journals Path Learning in Individuals With Down Syndrome: The Challenge of Learning Condition and Cognitive Abilities

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiara Meneghetti ◽  
Enrico Toffalini ◽  
Silvia Lanfranchi ◽  
Maja Roch ◽  
Barbara Carretti
Keyword(s):  
Down Syndrome ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Verbal Ability ◽  
Receptive Vocabulary ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Learning Condition ◽  
Cognitive Measures ◽  
Observation Condition ◽  
Visuospatial Abilities ◽  
Learning Conditions

Analyzing navigational abilities and related aspects in individuals with Down syndrome (DS) is of considerable interest because of its relevance to everyday life. This study investigates path learning, the conditions favoring it, and the cognitive abilities involved. A group of 30 adults with DS and 32 typically-developing (TD) children matched on receptive vocabulary were shown a 4 × 4 Floor Matrix and asked to repeat increasingly long sequences of steps by walking on the grid. The sequences were presented under two learning conditions, one called Oral instructions (participants received verbal instructions such as “turn right” or “turn left”), the other Observation (participants watched the experimenter's moves). Participants were also assessed on verbal and visuospatial cognitive measures. The results showed a similarly better performance in both groups when the Floor Matrix task was administered in the Observation as opposed to the Oral instructions condition. As for the relation with cognitive abilities, in the Floor Matrix task in the Oral instructions condition, individuals with DS showed an effect of both verbal and visuospatial abilities, which was only positive for verbal ability. The effect of verbal and visuospatial abilities was negligible in the TD group. In the Observation condition, performance was predicted by sequential working memory in both groups. Overall, these results shed light on path learning in individuals with DS, showing that they benefited from the Observation condition, and that the involvement of their cognitive abilities depended on the learning condition.

scholarly journals Relationship between Apgar scores and long-term cognitive outcomes in individuals with Down syndrome

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura del Hoyo Soriano ◽  
Tracie C. Rosser ◽  
Debra R. Hamilton ◽  
Danielle J. Harvey ◽  
Leonard Abbeduto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Down Syndrome ◽  
Cognitive Functioning ◽  
Apgar Score ◽  
Visual Memory ◽  
Receptive Vocabulary ◽  
Cognitive Outcomes ◽  
Cognitive Testing ◽  
Cognitive Measures ◽  
Verbal Comprehension

AbstractThis study examined the contribution of the Apgar score at 1 and 5 min after birth to later cognitive functioning in 168 individuals with Down syndrome who were between 6 and 25 years of age at time of cognitive testing. Our results showed that a lower Apgar score at 1 min was related to a worse performance in later cognitive measures of receptive vocabulary, verbal comprehension and production, visual memory and working memory. Results also showed that a lower Apgar score at 5 min was only related to worse later outcomes of verbal comprehension and production and auditory working memory. Our findings suggest a need for future studies investigating how specific perinatal events reflected in the Apgar score are linked to later cognitive functioning in individuals with Down syndrome.

Individual differences, cognitive abilities, aptitude complexes and learning conditions in second language acquisition

2001 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 368-392 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Learning Condition ◽  
Learning Conditions ◽  
Complex Hypothesis ◽  
Acquisition Processes

Individual differences in resource availability, and the patterns of cognitive abilities they contribute to, are important to:• explaining variation between learners in the effectiveness of second language (L2) instructional treatments;• describing differences in implicit, incidental and explicit L2 learning processes; and• explaining child-adult differences in acquisition processes, and therefore to any general theory of second language acquisition (SLA).In this article I describe a framework for research into the effects of cognitive abilities on SLA which is based on four interlocking hypotheses. These hypotheses are drawn from research in psychology, education and SLA and, where possible, I present evidence to support each of them. The hypotheses are:1) the Aptitude Complex Hypothesis;2) the Ability Differentiation Hypothesis;3) the Fundamental Difference Hypothesis; and4) the Fundamental Similarity Hypothesis.The hypotheses, and the relationships between them, define an Aptitude Complex/Ability Differentiation framework for further examining the influence of individual differences in cognitive abilities on SLA, and for developing a theoretically motivated measure of language learning aptitude. I argue that such research should adopt the interactionist approach described by Snow (1994) to identifying individual difference/learning condition interactions at a number of levels. I illustrate some of these interactions.

Mutualistic coupling of vocabulary and non-verbal reasoning in children with and without language disorder

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Louise Griffiths ◽  
Rogier Kievit ◽  
Courtenay Norbury
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Language Disorder ◽  
Verbal Ability ◽  
Change Score ◽  
Developmental Theory ◽  
Receptive Vocabulary ◽  
Verbal Reasoning ◽  
Coupling Parameters ◽  
Rates Of Growth

Mutualism is a developmental theory that posits positive reciprocal relationships between distinct cognitive abilities during development. It predicts that abilities such as language and reasoning will influence each other’s rates of growth. This may explain why children with Language Disorders also tend to have lower than average non-verbal cognitive abilities, as poor language would limit the rate of growth of other cognitive skills. The current study tests whether language and non-verbal reasoning show mutualistic coupling in children with and without language disorder using three waves of data from a longitudinal cohort study that over-sampled children with poor language at school entry (N = 501, 7-13 years). Bivariate Latent Change Score models were used to determine whether early receptive vocabulary predicted change in non-verbal reasoning and vice-versa. Models that included mutualistic coupling parameters between vocabulary and non-verbal reasoning showed superior fit to models without these parameters, replicating previous findings. Specifically, children with higher initial language abilities showed greater improvement in non-verbal ability and vice versa. Multi-group models suggested that coupling between language and non-verbal reasoning was equally strong in children with language disorder and those without. This indicates that language has downstream effects on other cognitive abilities, challenging the existence of selective language impairments. Future intervention studies should test whether improving language skills in children with language disorder has positive impacts on other cognitive abilities (and vice versa), and low non-verbal IQ should not be a barrier to accessing such intervention.

scholarly journals Lexical Phonological Networks in Children with Down Syndrome: An Initial Syllable Similarity Priming Task with an Eye-Tracking Method

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Ramos-Sanchez ◽  
Natalia Arias-Trejo
Keyword(s):  
Down Syndrome ◽  
Target Recognition ◽  
Receptive Vocabulary ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Phonological Priming ◽  
Lexical Competition ◽  
Vocabulary Size ◽  
Phonological Representations ◽  
Priming Task ◽  
Phonological Similarities

Typically-developing (TD) infants as young as 24 months of age use phonological information to establish links between the words of their early lexicons (Mani & Plunkett, 2010; 2011), which facilitates word recognition and learning. However, Down syndrome (DS) children are reported to have difficulties in learning phonological representations (Jarrold & Thorn & Stephens, 2009). The present study aimed to evaluate if DS children establish lexical networks based on phonological similarity by exploring the effects of lexical competition in a phonological priming task. We evaluated 24 children with DS (mental verbal age; M= 40 months) and 24 children with TD (mental verbal age; M= 40 months), matched by receptive vocabulary size, with a phonological priming adaptation of the intermodal preferential looking task. Children with DS showed inhibition of target recognition in related trials compared to unrelated trials. Children with TD showed an absence of priming effects. Further analysis revealed a relationship between the prime cohort size and the level of inhibition of target recognition for both groups. Our results suggest children with DS possess sufficiently detailed phonological representations that allow them to efficiently cluster their lexical entries based on phonological similarities. Moreover, results are thought to reflect differences in the lexical competition processes between the TD and DS groups.

Down Syndrome from a Neurodevelopmental Perspective

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hana D’Souza ◽  
Jamie Edgin ◽  
Annette Karmiloff-Smith
Keyword(s):  
Down Syndrome ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Trisomy 21 ◽  
Genetic Disorder ◽  
Developmental Time ◽  
Receptive Vocabulary ◽  
Chromosome 21 ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Altered Expression ◽  
Wide Range

This is an advance summary of a forthcoming article in the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Psychology. Please check back later for the full article. Down syndrome (DS; trisomy 21) is the most common genetic disorder associated with intellectual disability. It occurs in one out of every 700 to 1,000 live births. DS is caused by trisomy of human chromosome 21, which results in the altered expression of over 300 genes. This neurodevelopmental syndrome is characterized by distinctive facial dysmorphology and an uneven cognitive phenotype including relative strengths and weaknesses. Relative strengths include visual processing, receptive vocabulary, and social-emotional functioning (though performance in these domains generally falls below the level expected for typically developing individuals). Relative weaknesses include verbal working memory, expressive language, and motor ability. However, the phenotype of individuals with DS is far from homogeneous, and a wide range of individual differences is present at every level of description. On the genetic level, the trisomy can occur through different mechanisms at distinct developmental time points, and the expression of trisomy 21 may be modulated by different genes across individuals. On the level of the brain, individual differences in brain structure and/or function correlate with variation in cognition and behavior, including communication skills. Large individual differences can also be observed on the cognitive level. For example, while some toddlers with DS are nonverbal, others reach expressive vocabulary levels close to those of typically developing children. A wide range of individual differences has also been reported in other areas, including the motor domain, sleep, parent-child interaction, and medical and psychiatric comorbidities. In order to understand a neurodevelopmental syndrome such as DS, it is crucial to consider individual variations at multiple levels of description and the interactions between them over developmental time. A more complex, dynamic view that goes beyond a description of DS as a homogenous group is thus required.

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 Differences and Similarities in Predictors of Expressive Vocabulary Development between Children with Down Syndrome and Young Typically Developing Children

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 312
Author(s):  
Kari-Anne B. Næss ◽  
Johanne Ostad ◽  
Egil Nygaard
Keyword(s):  
Down Syndrome ◽  
Motor Skills ◽  
Vocabulary Development ◽  
Receptive Vocabulary ◽  
Auditory Memory ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Expressive Vocabulary ◽  
Typically Developing Children ◽  
Children With Down Syndrome ◽  
Oral Motor

The purpose of this study was to examine potential differences in the predictors of expressive vocabulary development between children with Down syndrome and typically developing children to support preparation for intervention development. An age cohort of 43 children with Down syndrome and 57 typically developing children with similar nonverbal mental age levels were assessed at three time points. Linear mixed models were used to investigate the predictors of expressive vocabulary over time. Both groups achieved progress in expressive vocabulary. The typically developing children had steeper growth than the children with Down syndrome (1.38 SD vs. 0.8 SD, p < 0.001). In both groups, receptive vocabulary, auditory memory, and the home literacy environment were significant predictors of development. In the children with Down syndrome, the phonological awareness and oral motor skills were also significant. Group comparisons showed that receptive vocabulary, auditory memory and oral motor skills were stronger predictors in the children with Down syndrome than in the typically developing children. These results indicate that children with Down syndrome are more vulnerable when it comes to risk factors that are known to influence expressive vocabulary than typically developing children. Children with Down syndrome therefore require early broad-based expressive vocabulary interventions.

scholarly journals Do Infants With Down Syndrome Show an Early Receptive Language Advantage?

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (2) ◽  
pp. 585-598
Author(s):  
Emily Mason-Apps ◽  
Vesna Stojanovik ◽  
Carmel Houston-Price ◽  
Emily Seager ◽  
Sue Buckley
Keyword(s):  
Down Syndrome ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Receptive Language ◽  
Receptive Vocabulary ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Auditory Comprehension ◽  
Expressive Vocabulary ◽  
Time Points ◽  
Expressive Communication ◽  
Shed Light

Purpose The study explored longitudinally the course of vocabulary and general language development in a group of infants with Down syndrome (DS) compared to a group of typically developing (TD) infants matched on nonverbal mental ability (NVMA). Method We compared the vocabulary and general language trajectories of the two groups in two ways: (a) at three time points during a 12-month period and (b) at two time points when the groups had made equal progress in NVMA (a period of 6 months for the TD infants vs. 12 months for the infants with DS). Results The TD group had overtaken the DS group on all general language and vocabulary measures by the end of the 12-month period. However, expressive communication and expressive vocabulary were developing at the same rate and level in the two groups when examined over a period in which the two groups were matched in gains in NVMA. Furthermore, the infants with DS showed a receptive language advantage over the TD group; this group's auditory comprehension and receptive vocabulary scores were superior to those of the TD group at both time points when NVMA was accounted for. Conclusion The results shed light on the widely reported discrepancy between expressive and receptive language in individuals with DS. Although infants with DS appear to be developing language skills more slowly than chronological age TD peers, when NVMA is taken into account, infants with DS do not have expressive language delays, and they seem to show a receptive language advantage.

scholarly journals Small Sets of Novel Words Are Fully Retained After 1-Week in Typically Developing Children and Down Syndrome: A Fast Mapping Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (9) ◽  
pp. 955-965 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stella Sakhon ◽  
Kelly Edwards ◽  
Alison Luongo ◽  
Melanie Murphy ◽  
Jamie Edgin
Keyword(s):  
Down Syndrome ◽  
Word Learning ◽  
Knowledge Retention ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Fast Mapping ◽  
Typically Developing Children ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Learning Conditions ◽  
Novel Word Learning ◽  
Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test

AbstractObjectives: Down syndrome (DS) is a population with known hippocampal impairment, with studies showing that individuals with DS display difficulties in spatial navigation and remembering arbitrary bindings. Recent research has also demonstrated the importance of the hippocampus for novel word-learning. Based on these data, we aimed to determine whether individuals with DS show deficits in learning new labels and if they may benefit from encoding conditions thought to be less reliant on hippocampal function (i.e., through fast mapping). Methods: In the current study, we examined immediate, 5-min, and 1-week delayed word-learning across two learning conditions (e.g., explicit encoding vs. fast mapping). These conditions were examined across groups (twenty-six 3- to 5-year-old typically developing children and twenty-six 11- to 28-year-old individuals with DS with comparable verbal and nonverbal scores on the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test – second edition) and in reference to sleep quality. Results: Both individuals with and without DS showed retention after a 1-week delay, and the current study found no benefit of the fast mapping condition in either group contrary to our expectations. Eye tracking data showed that preferential eye movements to target words were not present immediately but emerged after 1-week in both groups. Furthermore, sleep measures collected via actigraphy did not relate to retention in either group. Conclusions: This study presents novel data on long-term knowledge retention in reference to sleep patterns in DS and adds to a body of knowledge helping us to understand the processes of word-learning in typical and atypically developing populations. (JINS, 2018, 24, 955–965)

Receptive number morphosyntax in children with Down syndrome

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 679-704
Author(s):  
ROBERTO A. ABREU-MENDOZA ◽  
TANIA JASSO ◽  
ELIA E. SOTO-ALBA ◽  
NATALIA ARIAS-TREJO
Keyword(s):  
Down Syndrome ◽  
Eye Movement ◽  
Receptive Vocabulary ◽  
Chronological Age ◽  
Numerical Comparison ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Typically Developing Children ◽  
Children With Down Syndrome ◽  
Spanish Speaking ◽  
Mental Age

ABSTRACTThis study investigated the comprehension of plural morphosyntactic markers and its relationship with numerical comparison abilities in children with Down syndrome (DS). It evaluated 16 Spanish-speaking children with DS (mean verbal mental age = 3;6) and 16 typically developing children with similar receptive vocabulary (mean chronological age = 3;5). Children participated in two preferential looking tasks assessing their abilities to map singular and plural markers to their visual referents and to distinguish one object from more than one. Results showed that both groups of children correctly mapped plural markers to their referents but failed to map singular ones. Furthermore, results also indicated that both groups also looked at collections of more than one object with four objects but not at those with two. The eye movement patterns of children who looked at collections of more than one object suggest a counting-like strategy. These results indicate that comprehension of plural markers of children with DS is similar to that of their typically developing peers; however, it is not related to their numerical abilities.

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