Language development and the intervention strategies associated with the specific cognitive profile of children with Down syndrome

2007 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 17500600
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Science education
• Research Institution: Prefectural University of Hiroshima
• Principal Investigator: TAMAI Fumi Prefectural University of Hiroshima, Faculty of Health and Welfare, Professor (10280207)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): YAMASAKI Kazuko Prefectural University of Hiroshima, 保健福祉学部, Associate Professor (30280209) ; HORIE Mayumi Prefectural University of Hiroshima, 保健福祉学部, Associate Professor (90310862)
• Project Period (FY): 2005 – 2007
• Keywords: Down syndrome / cognitive development / language development / auditory short-term memory / speech and language intervention

Research Abstract

Children with Down syndrome typically find learning to talk difficult. Their expressive language skills are usually more delayed than would be expected in relation to their comprehension skills. Research shows that they often have difficulty in grammar and producing clear speech more than lexical and pragmatic language component. The language disorders in children with Down syndrome are influenced by a variety of factors. Poor phonological awareness, short-term memory for verbal/phonological working memory difficulty are contributing factors, in addition to intellectual disabilities, hearing loss, and the problem of speech motor function. The purpose of this study was to provide the effective strategies of language intervention to compensate for cognitive deficit in Down syndrome.
1. We planned the intervention program to improve the articulation of spoken language for a child with Down syndrome, focused on the phonological awareness. The phonological awareness includes the ability to distinguish units of speech, such as a words syllables and mora. Training words were presented both auditory and visually in form of pictures and written words. We employed a variety of activities, such as tapping a rhythm of a song with beating a drum. Some improvement in speech sounds was demonstrated.
2. The intervention designed to promote short-term memory facilitated expressive words and communicative interaction on the part of a child with Down syndrome.
3. The conversation was evaluate d through adult-child interaction in the different situations. The initiation of conversation, maintaining topics, the communicative function were occurred in the different situations.
These results suggested that multi-modal stimuli, particularly visual information are effective to make up for the deficit of the auditory short-term memory in children with Down syndrome.