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Improving memory span in children with Down syndrome.

F A Conners1, C J Rosenquist, L Arnett

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0348, USA. fconners@bama.ua.edu

Journal of Intellectual Disability Research : JIDR
|February 12, 2008
PubMed
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Home-based rehearsal training can help children with Down syndrome (DS) improve auditory verbal memory span. Even small gains in memory for children with DS are significant and warrant further research.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Speech and Language Therapy

Background:

  • Down syndrome (DS) is associated with significant deficits in auditory verbal memory span.
  • Memory span is crucial for language development and learning.
  • Improving memory span in children with DS could enhance their response to language interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate a home-based, parent-implemented intervention aimed at enhancing auditory memory span in children with Down syndrome.
  • To determine if improvements in auditory memory span are linked to specific child characteristics or intervention components.

Main Methods:

  • Sixteen children with DS (ages 6-14) participated in a study involving 3-month periods of auditory memory training using overt cumulative rehearsal.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Children were assigned to groups with alternating periods of memory training and visual activities.
  • Memory assessments were conducted before and after each 3-month training period.

    • Main Results:

    • Children showed improvements during training sessions and a modest increase in digit span, a key measure of auditory memory.
    • Digit span improvements correlated with memory training, language comprehension, and verbal working memory.
    • No significant improvements were observed in sentence memory or broader verbal working memory, but a phonological similarity effect emerged, suggesting enhanced phonological coding.

    Conclusions:

    • Home-based rehearsal training offers a potential avenue for improving auditory verbal memory span in some children with Down syndrome, albeit with limited gains.
    • Children with stronger existing language and verbal working memory skills may be the most responsive candidates for this intervention.
    • Despite small improvements, the findings underscore the importance of targeting severely impaired functions in Down syndrome and suggest further research is warranted.