An overview of the development of infants with Down syndrome (0-5 years)
Sue Buckley and Ben Sacks
This module provides an overview of the development of babies and infants with Down syndrome from birth to five years. It describes the uneven profile of expected development, identifying strengths in social understanding, self-help skills and behaviour, and weaknesses in motor development and speech and language skills, the latter influenced by the high incidence of hearing loss, poor auditory processing and auditory memory skills. Visual processing and visual memory skills are a strength and can be used by parents and therapists to support children's learning. By 5 years of age, many children with Down syndrome can achieve some of the same developmental targets as their peers, if this is expected of them. Most will be walking, toilet trained and able to feed themselves and dress with minimal help. Most will be able to fit into the expectations of the mainstream classroom, regulate their own behaviour and behave in a socially acceptable way. Most children will have significantly delayed spoken language. They will understand more than they can say, and their spoken language will not be clear. Many will have some of the basic concepts and knowledge for learning number, maths and reading. These achievements are possible, provided that parents have high expectations for social development and good behaviour from the first year of life, and that services offer targeted support for motor development and speech and language development. Like all children, progress for children with Down syndrome is influenced by family life and parents' child rearing skills, inclusion with peers at home and in preschool, and the quality of education available. It is also influenced by biological make-up, and some children with Down syndrome are born with more biological disadvantages than others. The first priority for parents is to maintain normal family life. The most powerful influence on the progress of a baby with Down syndrome is to be loved, wanted and absorbed into the everyday life of the family and of the community. Specific teaching and therapies will definitely help, but must be kept in perspective and not allowed to create stress and anxiety for families.
Buckley SJ, Sacks B. An overview of the development of infants with Down syndrome (0-5 years). Down Syndrome Issues and Information. 2001.
doi:10.3104/9781903806029
Introduction
The aim of this module is to provide an overview of development during the period from birth
to five years and to assist the reader in integrating the material covered in the rest of the
DSii modules for this age group. These modules each cover specific aspects of development, i.e.
motor, social and behavioural, speech and language, working memory, early reading and numeracy,
in detail.
This module is intended to help parents, families, teachers and other practitioners who work
with under-fives. In the authors' experience, they all wish to know what developmental progress
to expect for a child with Down syndrome and how to help the child progress as fast as possible.
These two main questions are addressed, with milestones for development included, and a discussion
of the wide range of individual differences in rates of development of children with Down syndrome.
In order to answer the question of how to help children to progress, the reasons for their developmental
profile are outlined as far as they are known, as this information should help to identify effective
therapy and teaching strategies. The question of how to help also leads to a discussion of early
intervention, what interventions are effective and the importance of balancing family needs
with the needs of the baby with Down syndrome.
In the authors' view, in order to understand the ways in which having Down syndrome affects
children's development it is necessary to consider what is known about the development of typically
developing children. In the last thirty years, there have been considerable advances in our
understanding of the processes of development, particularly in the areas of social learning,
cognition and language. The greater our understanding of typical development, the easier it
is to begin to understand the effects of a disabling condition such as Down syndrome on the
processes of development. As we identify the specific effects of Down syndrome on development,
we are in a better position to develop effective interventions and teaching strategies.
This is the approach taken throughout the DSii modules. We draw on research into the development
of typically developing children, the specific research into the development of children with
Down syndrome and research that has evaluated effective interventions, where it exists.