Adapting Phonological Awareness Interventions for Children With Down Syndrome Based on the Behavioral Phenotype: A...

Area of Science:

• Developmental Psychology
• Special Education
• Speech-Language Pathology

Background:

• Children with Down syndrome (DS) often exhibit challenges with phonological awareness, a critical skill for reading acquisition.
• Existing phonological awareness programs may not adequately address the unique learning characteristics associated with the Down syndrome behavioral phenotype.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if adapting a commercial phonological awareness program improves learning outcomes for children with Down syndrome.
• To assess the impact of an adapted program on phonological awareness, letter sound recognition, and word learning.

Main Methods:

• A multiple baseline across participants single-case design was employed.
• Five children with Down syndrome (ages 6-8) participated.
• Intervention effectiveness was evaluated by comparing an adapted program against a non-adapted version.

Main Results:

• A functional relationship was established between the adapted phonological awareness program and improvements in phonological awareness.
• Preliminary evidence suggests positive effects on letter sound and word learning.

Conclusions:

• Adapting phonological awareness interventions to align with the Down syndrome phenotype can enhance learning outcomes.
• Findings support the need for tailored educational strategies for children with Down syndrome to improve literacy skills.