Learning to talk
Sue Buckley
Most children and adults with Down syndrome experience significant difficulty with speech and language skills. Few achieve clear and fluent speech and few can express what they wish to communicate effectively because of delays in learning all the vocabulary and the grammar that they need. In recent years, there has been a large research effort exploring all aspects of speech and language development, from birth to adolescent years in particular.
Buckley SJ. Learning to talk. Down Syndrome Research and Practice. 2007;12(1);9-9.
doi:10.3104/research-highlights.2041
Most children and adults with Down syndrome experience significant difficulty
with speech and language skills. Few achieve clear and fluent speech and few can
express what they wish to communicate effectively because of delays in learning
all the vocabulary and the grammar that they need. In recent years, there has
been a large research effort exploring all aspects of speech and language
development, from birth to adolescent years in particular.
In a recent paper, Joanne Roberts and colleagues present a comprehensive
review of this research, covering phonology (speech), semantics (vocabulary),
syntax (grammar) and pragmatics (communication or use of language). Importantly,
the authors also consider hearing and oral motor skills which they rightly
identify as factors which may influence progress in learning to talk.
This is a very useful review paper, as the authors both review current
knowledge and identify the research needed next in each area. The authors
provide detailed advice on interventions that may help, stressing the need to
manage otitis media and hearing loss, to initiate language intervention early in
development, to intervene to increase speech intelligibility, to assess language
in different contexts, to specifically target vocabulary, syntax and pragmatic
skills, to plan to promote the generalisation of skills learned in therapy so
that they are used in many contexts and to make full use of signing or other
augmentative communication aids as needed.
Throughout the paper the authors remind readers of the wide range of
abilities and disabilities that can occur for children with Down syndrome and
the need to plan for individuals while taking account of the syndrome-related
expectations.
Sue Buckley is at Down Syndrome Education International,
Portsmouth, Hampshire, UK.
Original research paper
- Roberts JE, Price J, Malkin C. Language and communication development in Down
syndrome. Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Research Reviews.
2007;13(1):26-35.
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