There is little information presented on the study of language function in Down's Syndrome sufferers in their late adolescence or adulthood. Down's syndrome, however, is an important reference for the study of language acquisition. While looking at Down's Syndrome from this point of view, it could be possible to generalize the findings to all forms of mental retardation, although it may be necessary to categorize Down's Syndrome sufferers in their own classifiable group.
The reason for this grouping comes from the shared characteristics found in all DS people. All share around the same IQ of 45, as well as ability in non-verbal cognitive functioning, and basic communicative and linguistic development. From a language standpoint, very few DS people are so handicapped by the syndrome that they fail to develop speech, or are so little handicapped that their speech function appears normal. Such cases, should they exist, should be documented and examined. With evidence in these cases, it will be possible to know for sure if language development is different between mentally retarded and non-retarded individuals with regard to linguistic development.
Life span for DS people has gone up considerably in the last thirty years, rising from 10 to over 50. DS people make up one third of the mentally retarded population. This large number makes the desire for remediation much stronger than that of simple maintenance. Some physicians have taken to screening embryos and pregnancy termination when a genetic anomaly of this kind becomes present, but this practice can be deemed unethical as well as wasteful as it removes another individual that can be learned from.
Down's Syndrome mental development is considerably slower than standard mental development, as evinced by Gibson's mental age plateau scheme. DS people reach Plateau 1 at 4 to 6 years, while a standard learner reaches it at 18 months. Plateau 2 is reached in DS at 8-11 years, as opposed to 30 months for standard. Plateau 3 is not reached until 12 to 17 in DS, while it is reached at 40 months in standard. This shows the decline mentally from adulthood on in DS people.
Language development problems in DS can be found from an early point on. DS infants vocalize with little room for their mothers to respond, leading to vocal clashes. This shows that basic turn taking ability is slow to develop in DS infants. DS infants also experience delays in maintained eye-contact with their mothers, further slowing the language development in DS people.
Consistent words are also delayed in DS patients, with strings of consistent words not coming until 3 1/2 to 4 years of age. This is indicative of the lower linguistic function of DS people, but the answer of Down's Syndrome alone as the cause is too general. There is always the possibility of several other environmental factors that inhibit language development. It is possible that normal language input to the child given by the parent is not an optimal strategy for producing language development in children with DS.
Early language development in DS people should not be viewed as slow-motion development of language in standard learners. There are key differences in the language acquisition process. DS children use far more symbolic tokens, as well as a dedication to a routine for language that standard learners do not exhibit. Communication, however, seems to be the same for both groups at the early level.
While much is known about early development language acquisition in DS people, there has been little research to show how language is developed in late adolescent and adult DS people. One study conducted with young DS adults found that DS females are able to utilize language with more accuracy than DS males, but the rule of language simplicity was found true throughout the study. Grammatical morphology and function words provided difficulty, and were therefore avoided throughout most of the study.
The thought of a life-span intervention study is prudent, as studies have shown that language development all but stops after the age of 14 in DS people. There is a theory though that familial intervention can promote language development, as a study of an individual with familial support showed the promise of language development up until the age of 30.
In order to combat the language development problems inherent in DS people, it is clear that the only way to create a continued developmental learning strategy in DS people is to intervene with the developmental retardation throughout the DS patient's entire life, rather than during the developmental years of childhood.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
15 comments:
It is clear that early intevention is key when trying to help a family member or loved one who has DS. Utilizing speech pathologists can enable children with DS to learn proper pronunciation that is key to understanding their speech. DS children suffer from various forms of speech problems and it is through early detection and speech therapy that a child with DS can learn to speak clearly enough to hold a conversation where they can be understood and in turn be a productive part of that conversation.
I find it both interesting and sad that language development pretty much stops for DS learners at the age of 14. I think a really intense, focused effort should be made to reach out to these learners to help them continue to acquire language skills throughout their lifetimes. Huge strides have already been made with people with DS, and I think it's possible to work with them in a way that will help them continue to acquire language skills. People with DS are already used to hard work. If the approach is taken that they need to work throughout their lifetime in order to rise above their language development problems, I think most people would gladly do it. We shouldn't give up on people at the age of 14 just because they're not expected to develop further.
The sooner that a child suffering from DS can begin working towards acquiring better language skills the better off they will be. With all the advances in education today, programs should be put in place to help kids who do suffer from DS. I agree with what both Pamela and Julie said. Utilizing our resources such as speech patholgists is a great way to try and help DS suffers acquire better language skills. Also, it is very sad that language development does stop for DS learners at age 14. There shouldn't be limitations put on language acquistion. It is true that kids with DS have been dealt a difficult hand when it comes to speech but we as a society should embrace the chance to help these kids. They want to be like every other child so why not push them to try and develope better language skills. For me, there is nothing more rewarding than seeing a child succeed, especially when they are expected to fail. My advice is get involved early on. Give kids with DS hope and encouragment.
I cannot imagine going through life with limited communication skills. I am in awe of and have deep respect for children with DS and for those who help them. It seems as though the sooner a parent introduces his child to a speech therapist the more likely it is the child will do better. Practice is crucial for those with language problems, just like it is crucial for any task that you are not already hardwired to perform.
I'm really glad that our society has advanced enough to be able to care for kids with DS. Fifty years ago, a child with DS may have been a hopeless case.
Language development for DS children is very strange because of how the language is there, but it is not thorough enough. It is amazing how speech can be taught and gained through the training of muscles in the mouth and other parts of the jaw. Children with DS are very remarkable people who never put themselves out and just continue to help themselves grow into a level of speech most people can understand. Not only in this article, but during our movie we watched it makes me very happy to go into the subject I'm going into because with out language where would we be in the world and I am inspired to do my best to help those who need help with language.
I was unaware until this article that Down's Syndrome children's language acquisition was that much slower than children without DS. I knew they learned at a slower rate, but I had no idea that there was that much of a discrepancy between the two. Also, I find it unreal that all DS people have an I.Q. of about 45. I have seen people with cases of DS ranging from mild to extremely severe. Therefore, the same I.Q. for all of them would not seem possible. Also, DS members can be people who contribute to society as much as any other person. We should not let something as simple as language acquisition stop them.
I never realized that children with DS had mental handicaps. I also did not realize that DS students have lower mental abilities. I also never realized that at the age of 14, language development typically stops with DS children. This is why early detection is key and why these children should be given extra attention and care. These children need to take language development classes.
Reading this article and watching the video on learners with DS the other day has made me realize what a tough struggle these children have to face to become even semi-efficient communicators. The specialists that work with them are amazing; their knowledge and determination has been successful in taking education of children with DS to the level it is at now. But I wonder what I could do for such children in a classroom. I am overwhelmed. I try to remember that only a few years ago these children were considered as lost causes and we have quickly turned the page on that kind of thinking. Obviously early intervention has been effective; hopefully by refining methods even further we will see even more progress in education of learners with DS.
This article has really made me realize how difficult these children have it. It amazes me that the kids with DS plateau at such different levels than the kids without DS. I am also surprised to read that all DS people have an IQ of 45. How is that possible? It seems that the earlier a child with DS gets help with language development, then the better off they will be in life. Its sad that language development pretty well stops for DS children at the age of 14. We need to do everything we can to help these children with DS to become better communicators.
I think it is very important to try to get help for a DS child early on. If there language development stops at 14 then they should be getting help with their speech from when they first learn to speak. If their development is going to stop at an early age then they need attention early on too. With help, people with DS can speak clearly and effectively, as they did in the video. I think it is imperative that someone knows how to communicate if it is at all possible. It is the key to our society. I believe it would be less frustrating for that person with DS to be able to communicate.
I didn't realize that the language development in DS children was that much slower than normal. It seems logical that they would be somewhat slower, but this study makes it sound like a huge difference. I was especially surprised that language stops developing in DS children at the age of fourteen. If that is true, then maybe efforts should be made to work on their language at a younger age and more intensly. Maybe with some kind of scaffolding method of teaching it would be possible for DS people to continue to acquire language skills past this point and throughout their lifetime. Otherwise, they'll always be at a language disadvantage because they start learning late and stop learning early.
Everything that I read in this article makes sense to me because my best friend has a son with down syndrome. Everyday he goes to "school" where they teach him how to try to speak (because he is one that doctor's said would never be able to speak or walk, but he walks) and communicate. I don't think the fact that language development should stop at the age 14. Because they are incapable of learning further doesn't mean that they can't adapt what they have learned to new things that they encounter.
I found this article quite surprising. The facts about Down Syndrome are little known. It is very good that people with Down Syndrome have a much better chance of living a long life now. I think that if a down syndrome child can get help at a young age, it would best benefit them for years to come.
It is very sad to hear that Down Syndrome kids will have a hard time developing their language skills. I could not imagine going through that kind of agony.However, I believe that kids with down syndrome still have a chance to better their language skills. I believe that if they keep practicing, it will become alot easier for them. Parents and teachers should not give up on students with DS. They need them, so they shouldnt give up on the DS students.
The fact that language acquisition is slowed down is somewhat intuitive. Down's Syndrome (DS) affects the facial and oral musculature, which in turn affects their ability to produce certain sounds. If you cannot produce a sound, chances are, you will be much slower in remembering and using words that contain that particular sound. Spoken language is nothing more than a meaningful chain of sounds and silences, so if you ability to produce those sounds is inhibited, this will severely limit your ability to communicate verbally. This can also explain why DS students will develop more sophisticated systems of non-verbal communication much faster than others. Non-verbal communication can be an effect way to get one's point across; so it makes sense that this will develop more quickly when speech is hindered.
Post a Comment