Speech production in children with Down's syndrome: The effects of reading, naming and imitation

Abstract

This is the accepted version of the paper.This version of the publication may differ from the final published version. Permanent repository link AbstractPeople with DS are known to have difficulties with expressive language, and often have difficulties with intelligibility. They often have stronger visual than verbal short-term memory skills and therefore, reading has often been suggested as an intervention for speech and language in this population. However, there is as yet no firm evidence that reading can improve speech outcomes. This study aimed to compare reading, picture naming and repetition for the same 10 words, to identify if the speech of 8 children with DS (aged 11-14 years) was more accurate, consistent and intelligible when reading. Results show that children were slightly, yet significantly, more accurate and intelligible when they read words compared to when they produced those words in naming or imitation conditions although the reduction in inconsistency was non-significant. The results of this small scale study provide tentative support for previous claims about the benefits of reading for children with DS. The mechanisms behind a facilitatory effect of reading are considered, and directions are identified for future research.

Eficacia de la intervención en las dimensiones del lenguaje en alumnado con Síndrome de Down. Una revisión teórica

“…Es posible encontrar que el mayor número de publicaciones se produjo durante los últimos seis años, en concreto, en el año 2013 (Polisenská y Kapalkovà, 2013;Visootsak et al 2013;Andreou y Katsarou, 2013. ), en el año 2015 (Naess et al 2015;Edgin et al, 2015;Knight et al, 2015.) y en el año 2017 (Witecy y Penke, 2017;Smith et al 2017;Mason et al 2017) siendo todas estas publicaciones estudios sobre el área morfosintáctica de los niños con SD.…”

“…Por tanto, la mayor producción de gestos durante las edades más tempranas podría estar asociado a las dificultades que experimentan con el lenguaje oral. Como medida preventiva, se ha demostrado que la lectura en voz alta podía mejorar la precisión y la inteligibilidad del habla de los niños con síndrome de Down, ya que, según indican estos autores, la palabra impresa permite a los niños confiar en sus habilidades visuales (Knight et al, 2015).…”