Signing and Lexical Development in Children with Down Syndrome

Abstract

-Language development in children with Down syndrome is delayed, on average, relative to general cognitive, motor and social development, and there is also evidence for specifi c delays in morphology and syntax, with many adults showing persistent problems in these areas. It appears that the combined use of signed and spoken input can boost early language development signifi cantly, this evidence coming initially from single case-studies, and more recently from larger scale controlled studies. Research with typically developing hearing and deaf children, as well as children with Down syndrome, has demonstrated the importance of establishing joint attention for vocabulary development. Furthermore, studies carried out with children with Down syndrome indicate that reducing attentional demands may be especially important in scaffolding language development in this group. The use of signing strategies which have been found to facilitate language development in deaf children when signing to children with Down syndrome is discussed, as is the need for further research on this topic and on the importance of joint attention for the use of other augmentative and alternative communication systems, such as graphic symbol and picture systems.Keywords -Down syndrome, language, lexical development, signing, augmentative and alternative communication, joint attention Language and cognitive development in children with Down syndromeIt is now well established that people with Down syndrome typically experience specifi c delays and defi cits in language relative to other cognitive domains, with many adults showing persistent problems in the areas of morphology and syntax (Fowler, 1990; Miller, 1992;Rondal & Comblain, 1996;Tager-Flusberg, 1999). There is, however, much variability between individuals, with some developing to a much higher level of linguistic competence (Rondal, 1995). The profi le of abilities can also change over time in the same individual. Miller (1999) found evidence for several distinct cognitive profi les in children with Down syndrome. The most common pattern was one in which receptive language and nonverbal mental age were in advance of expressive language, but there were smaller groups who showed different patterns, including a substantial group whose expressive language was at the same level as their receptive language and nonverbal ability, and others who showed delays in both receptive and expressive language. The same individuals could show different profi les when tested at different times over a two-year period. Recent work by Paterson (2000; see also Paterson, Brown, Gsödl, Johnson & Karmiloff-Smith, 1999) also indicates that cognitive profi les in both Down syndrome and Williams syndrome change over time, emphasising the importance of developmental processes and the problems that can be encountered when applying an adult neuropsychological model to genetic disorders. Joint attention and early language developmentOne major infl uence on early language development, and particularly lexical...

Comunicação suplementar e/ou slternativa e ganho lexical na criança com síndrome de Down: estudo piloto

“…Independente do efeito dessas características, indivíduos com SD apresentam particularidades específicas verificadas quanto à linguagem: atraso substancial na aquisição e desenvolvimento da fala; uso prolongado e atípico dos gestos; alterações no desenvolvimento do vocabulário; dificuldade particular quanto à sintaxe; desenvolvimento atípico da pragmática (Clibbens, 2001;Yoder e Warren, 2004;O´Toole e Chiat, 2006;Rondal, 2006;Abbeduto et al, 2007;Roberts et al, 2007a).…”

“…Segundo a literatura sobre o desenvolvimento típico, linguagem e cognição desenvolvem-se juntos, enquanto que, em crianças com SD o desenvolvimento da cognição é superior ao da linguagem, embora ambas as áreas encontram-se prejudicadas (Limongi et al, 1999;Vicari et al, 2000;Clibbens, 2001;Stoel-Gammon, 2001;Clibbens et al, 2002;Iverson et al, 2003;Laws e Bishop, 2004;O´Toole e Chiat, 2006;Rondal, 2006). Isto reflete a importância do desenvolvimento cognitivo no desenvolvimento da linguagem.…”

“…Acredita-se que outro parâmetro de linguagem deva ser utilizado para a análise do ganho evolutivo com a intervenção do uso de CSA. Na literatura (Kumin, 1996;Vicari et al, 2000;Vicari et al, 2002;Ypsilanti et al, 2005;Abbeduto et al, 2007;Roberts et al, 2007a) (Piaget, 1978(Piaget, ed.orig.1946 O uso dos gestos é visto na literatura como característica importante do perfil de linguagem do indivíduo com SD (Kumin, 1996;Caselli et al, 1998;Clibbens, 2001;Iverson et al, 2003;Andrade, 2006;Limongi et al, 2006;O´Toole e Chiat, 2006;Abbeduto et al, 2007;Roberts et al, 2007a;Stefanini et al, 2007). Alguns autores destacam a importância dos gestos como forma de CSA (Foreman e Crews, 1998;Clibbens et al, 2002;Kumin, 2003;Millar et al, 2006;Roberts et al, 2007a), embora também se refiram a outros recursos com ajuda (símbolos soltos ou em pranchas de CSA, p.ex.…”

"A emergência da expressão comunicativa na criança com síndrome de Down"

“…Eles são individuais, próprios de cada criança, e são totalmente compreensíveis pelo interlocutor (Franco e Wishart, 1995;Foreman e Crews, 1998;Clibbens, 2001;.…”

“…Tais dados estão de acordo com a literatura sobre a presença de substantivos no início do desenvolvimento lexical (Reed, 1994;Colombo e Burani, 2002;Jones e Smith, 2005;, bem como indicam que este grupo apresentou desenvolvimento de linguagem mais atrasado e mais lento quando comparado com as crianças com DT, segundo os estudos de alguns autores (Jones, 1977;Cunningham et al, 1985;Gomes et al, 1992;Franco e Wishart, 1995;Cahill e Glidden, 1996;Clibbens, 2001; Johanson-Glenberg e Chapman, 2004;Yoder e Warren, 2004).…”