Effectiveness of responsive teaching with children with Down syndrome

Area of Science:

• Developmental Psychology
• Special Education
• Early Intervention

Background:

• Children with Down syndrome (DS) benefit from early intervention programs.
• Parental involvement is crucial for enhancing developmental outcomes in children with DS.
• Responsive Teaching (RT) is an evidence-based approach to foster parent-child interaction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of Responsive Teaching (RT) for preschool-aged children with Down syndrome (DS) and their mothers.
• To assess the impact of RT on parental responsiveness and child development.
• To compare outcomes between children receiving RT and standard care.

Main Methods:

• A randomized control study involving 15 Turkish preschool-aged children with DS and their mothers.
• Participants were assigned to either a control group (standard services) or an RT group (RT sessions + standard services).
• Intervention lasted for six months, with bi-weekly parent-child RT sessions.

Main Results:

• Mothers in the RT group demonstrated significant increases in Responsiveness and Affect, and decreased Directiveness compared to the control group.
• Children in the RT group showed significant improvements in interactive engagement and developmental functioning.
• The RT group's children improved developmental quotient scores by an average of 47%, versus 7% in the control group.

Conclusions:

• Parental responsive interaction, facilitated by RT, positively impacts the developmental functioning of children with DS.
• RT is an effective early intervention strategy for improving developmental outcomes in children with Down syndrome.
• The study highlights the importance of training parents in responsive interaction techniques to support children with developmental disabilities.