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Symbolic functioning and language development in children with Down syndrome.

Ciara O'Toole1, Shula Chiat

  • 1Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland. c.otoole@ucc.ie

International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders
|March 21, 2006
PubMed
Summary

Symbolic play and comprehension in children with Down syndrome are linked to language development, particularly in younger children. These skills are crucial for early intervention and understanding communication disorders.

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Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Linguistics
  • Clinical Psychology

Background:

  • Understanding preverbal skills is vital for identifying communication delays and guiding early intervention.
  • Symbolic play is linked to language emergence in children with Down syndrome, but the precise nature of this relationship requires further clarification.
  • Previous studies often focused on functional play, not symbolic play, and may have inadvertently influenced children's behavior, obscuring true comprehension.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate symbolic functioning and language in children with Down syndrome, differentiating symbolic from functional play.
  • To explore the understanding of novel symbols (gestures, miniatures, abstract symbols) and their relationship to symbolic play and language.
  • To determine if symbolic skills correlate with language development and non-verbal cognition, hypothesizing a stronger link with language.

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Main Methods:

  • Assessed 21 children with Down syndrome (32-95 months) using the Test of Pretend Play and a novel symbolic comprehension task.
  • Administered standardized language and non-verbal tests to participants.
  • Employed correlational analysis, examining age-related changes and performance across different symbol types (gestures, miniatures, abstract symbols).

Main Results:

  • Symbolic play and comprehension significantly correlated with expressive and receptive language, independent of chronological age.
  • The association between language and symbolic functioning was stronger in younger children, diverging with age and language development.
  • Children understood gestures more easily than miniatures or abstract symbols.

Conclusions:

  • Symbolic functioning assessments provide valuable insights for intervention strategies in children with Down syndrome.
  • These findings contribute to a better understanding of language and communication disorders.
  • Symbolic skills are important indicators for language development and intervention planning.