RECEPTIVE AND EXPRESSIVE SEMANTIC SKILLS IN CHILDREN WITH DOWN SYNDROME
Keywords:
expressive and receptive semantics, Down syndromeAbstract
Research has shown that there is a distinct delay in the linguistic area, including semantics, affecting both receptive and expressive language skills in Down syndrome (DS). This paper presents the results of an experiment conducted in order to investigate expressive and receptive semantic skills in ten children with DS and ten children with typical development (TD). For this purpose, two tasks that measure expressive and receptive vocabulary, subscales of a test standardized for the Greek population, were given to both groups. Our results showed that both receptive and expressive semantic skills of children with DS were poorer than those of their typically developing counterparts and the performance in expressive semantics was correlated with that in receptive semantics in the DS group. However, when expressive semantics were compared to receptive semantics in DS they were found to be statistically significant poorer, delineating the deficits that exist in the expressive domain of language in DS.
References
I. Berglund, E., Eriksson, M. & Johansson, I. (2001). Parental reports of spoken language skills in children with Down Syndrome. Journal of Speech and Hearing Research, 44, 179-191.
II. Caselli, M., Bates, E., Casadio, P., Fenson, J., Fenson, L., Sanders, L. & Weir, J. (1995). A crosslinguistic study of early lexical development. Cognitive Development, 10, 159-199.
III. Caselli, M., Monaco, L., Trasciani, M. & Vicari, S. (2008). Language in Italian children with Down syndrome with specific language impairment. Neuropsychology, 22, 27–35.
IV. Caselli, M., Vicari, S. & Longobardi, E. (1998). Gestures and words in early development of children with Down Syndrome. Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing Research, 41, 1125-1135.
V. Chapman, R. (2006). Language learning in Down syndrome: The speech and language profile compared to adolescents with cognitive impairment of unknown origin. Down Syndrome Research Practice, 10, 61-66.
VI. Chapman, R. & Hesketh, L. (2001). Language, cognition and short-term memory in individuals with Down syndrome. Down Syndrome Research and Practice, 7(1), 1-7.
VII. Chapman, R., Hesketh, J. L. & Kistler, D. Predicting longitudinal change in language production and comprehension in individuals with DS: hierarchical linear modeling. Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing Research, 45, 902-915.
VIII. Chapman, R., Schwartz, S. & Kay-Raining Bird, E. (1991). Language skills of children and adolescents with Down Syndrome. I. Comprehension. Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing Research, 34, 1106-1120.
IX. Chapman, R., Seung, H. K., Schwartz, S. & Kay-Raining Bird, E. (1998). Language skills of children and adolescents with Down syndrome: II. Production deficits. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 41, 861–873.
X. Facon, B., Facon- Bollengier, T. & Grubar, J. C. (2002). Receptive vocabulary and syntax comprehension in children and adolescents with mental retardation. American Journal of Mental Retardation, 107, 91-98.
XI. Fowler, A. (1990). Children with Down syndrome: A developmental perspective. New York: Cambridge University Press.
XII. Hick, R., Botting, N. & Ramsden, C. (2005). Short-term memory and vocabulary development in children with Down Syndrome and children with Specific Language Impairment. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 47, 532-538.
XIII. Georgas, D., Paraskevopoulos, I. N., Bezevegis, I. G. & Giannitsas, N. D. (1997). Greek WISC-III: Wechsler intelligence scales for children. Athens: Ellinika Grammata.
XIV. Laws, G. & Bishop, D. (2003). A comparison of language abilities in adolescents with Down syndrome and children with specific language impairment. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 46, 1324–39.
XV. Mervis, C. & Byron, R. (2000). Expressive vocabulary ability of toddlers withWilliams Syndrome or Down Syndrome: A comparison. Developmental Neuropsychology, 17, 111-126.
XVI. Miller, J. (1998). The Psychobiology of Down Syndrome. Cambridge: MIT Press.
XVII. Miller, J. (1999). Improving the communication of people with Down Syndrome. Baltimore: Brookes.
XVIII. Nash, H. & Snowling, M. (2008). Semantic and phonological fluency in children with Down Syndrome: atypical organization of language or less efficient retrieval strategies. York: University of York.
XIX. .
XX. Roberts, J. E., Price, J. R & Malkin, C. (2007). Language and communication development in Down Syndrome. Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities. Research Reviews, 13, 26-35.
XXI. Toms, M., Morris, N. & Foley, P. (1994). Characteristics of visual interference with visuospacial working memory. British Journal of Psychology, 85, 1, 131-144.
XXII. Tzouriadou, M., Singolitou, E., Anagnostopoulou, E. & Vakola, I. (2008). Psychometric criterion of Language Adequacy (L-a-T-o). Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and Ministry of Education.
XXIII. Vicari, S., Caselli, M.C. & Tonucci, F. (2000). Asynchrony of lexical and morphosyntactic development in children with Down Syndrome. Neuropsychologia, 38(5), 634-644.
XXIV. Yoder, J. & Warren, F. (2004). Early predictors of language in children with and without Down Syndrome. American Journal of Mental Retardation, 109, 285-300.
Additional Files
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2021 International Education and Research Journal (IERJ)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.