Development of Self‐Help, Language, and Academic Skills in Persons With Down Syndrome

Abstract

Using visual analysis by means of scatterplots, correlational analysis, and linear regressions, the authors explored the skills of individuals with Down syndrome in the areas of self‐help, language, academics, and computer skills. By combining data of several Dutch studies, they obtained 1,252 different observations made by parents on 862 individuals, aged <1–35 years. Research shows advancement in language skills up to the age of 12, with plateauing afterward. In contrast, self‐help skills still increase in adolescence and young adulthood. Academics and computer skills improve up to the age of 14. However, less developed academic skills (and computer skills) of adolescents and young adults appear to be a generational difference, rather than a loss of acquired skills. In their analysis, the authors differentiated between students with a primarily regular school career vs. those with a primarily special school career. In addition, in both groups, the studies were differentiated between students with an IQ >50 vs. an IQ between 35 and 50. The comparison between the various subgroups revealed that children with special education backgrounds in the higher IQ range demonstrated less advanced academic skills than children with regular education backgrounds in the lower IQ range. This suggests that regular education is more stimulating for academic skill development. Using age, “school career,” and IQ (<35; 35–50; 50–60; 60–70; >70) as predictors, regressions confirmed this conclusion. The authors conclude that their analyses show that the shift in the early 1990s in the Netherlands toward more inclusion in education for students with Down syndrome has led to better outcomes in academic skill development for these students.

A Multi-Method Investigation of Pragmatic Development in Individuals With Down Syndrome

“…In contrast to our hypotheses, no sex differences were observed in these rates over time. Prior work examining skills such as adaptive functioning, receptive vocabulary, and grammatical abilities suggests variable patterns of development in DS, with reduced predictive relationships between age and ability, or even declines in later adolescence and adulthood (Cuskelly, Povey & Jobling, 2016; de Graaf & de Graaf, 2016; Dykens et al, 2006). Perhaps, then, current results reflect a more general tendency during school age for pragmatic abilities of individuals with DS to stabilize.…”

“…In contrast, comparing pragmatic growth of children with DS to mental-age matched TD controls on a standardized measure of pragmatic language that involves making pragmatic language judgments (the Comprehensive Assessment of Spoken Language-Pragmatic Judgment Subscale), G. E. Martin et al (2013) reported that boys with DS demonstrated greater difficulties on vocabulary, syntax, and pragmatic language and developed these skills at a slower rate than TD boys of similar nonverbal mental age. There are mixed findings overall regarding changes in rates of development of other abilities across age periods in DS, with some studies suggesting “plateaus” in development and other suggesting no differences in rates of development between preschool and adult years (Cuskelly, Povey, & Jobling, 2016; Dykens et al, 2006; de Graaf & de Graaf, 2016). This suggests a continued need for research on longitudinal development of pragmatic language in DS, examining different types of pragmatic skills with a particular focus on comparison groups and assessment methods employed.…”

The Surplus Effect in Adaptive Behaviour in Down Syndrome: What Can Promote It?

“…This was also observed in an Australian group with DS-individuals born between 1971 and 1978 compared to historical data from the UK and the U.S. [ 29 ]. In the Netherlands, a shift toward school inclusion took place later in the 1990s, showing improved academic outcomes despite lower cognitive skills due to regular educational settings [ 30 ]. Self-help was acquired until young adulthood, whereas computer skills showed generational differences.…”

Learning, Social, and Psychological Outcomes of Students with Moderate, Severe, and Complex Disabilities in Inclusive Education: A Systematic Review

“…In order to select the results relevant to our target group, we took into account the information provided by the studies on the severity of the disability. Only one study (Dessemontet, Bless, & Morin, 2012) referred to standardised measures (IQ), while three other studies (de Graaf & de Graaf, 2016;de Graaf & van Hove, 2015;Ferreira, Aguiar, Correia, Fialho, & Pimentel, 2017) reported measures derived from non-standardised instruments (e.g. Abilities Index declared by teachers, IQ reported by parents, IQ in different areas declared by parents and teachers).…”

“…difficulties in communicating with peers and teachers). Three studies compared adaptive skills of students with MSCD in special and inclusive settings (de Graaf & de Graaf, 2016;Dessemontet et al, 2012;Hardiman et al, 2009) using quantitative data collection. According to Dessemontet et al (2012), outcomes in global adaptive behaviours were greater for students attending inclusive settings compared to those students attending special education; likewise in computer skills and language, as reported by de Graaf and de Graaf (2016).…”