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Related Experiment Video

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Examining Recall Memory in Infancy and Early Childhood Using the Elicited Imitation Paradigm

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Do Infants With Down Syndrome Show an Early Receptive Language Advantage?

Emily Mason-Apps^1,2, Vesna Stojanovik¹, Carmel Houston-Price¹

¹School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, United Kingdom.

Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research : JSLHR

|February 25, 2020

Summary

Infants with Down syndrome (DS) show language development comparable to typically developing (TD) peers when nonverbal mental ability (NVMA) is matched. Infants with DS exhibit a receptive language advantage, challenging assumptions of universal expressive language delays.

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Published on: December 14, 2012

Area of Science:

Developmental Psychology
Linguistics
Genetics

Background:

Down syndrome (DS) is associated with language development challenges.
A discrepancy between receptive and expressive language skills is often reported in individuals with DS.
Nonverbal mental ability (NVMA) is a critical factor in assessing developmental trajectories.

Purpose of the Study:

To longitudinally compare vocabulary and general language development in infants with DS and typically developing (TD) infants.
To investigate language trajectories matched for nonverbal mental ability (NVMA).
To clarify the nature of expressive versus receptive language skills in infants with DS.

Main Methods:

Longitudinal study design with three time points over 12 months.
Comparison of language development between infants with DS and TD infants matched on NVMA.
Analysis of vocabulary and general language measures, including expressive and receptive skills.

Main Results:

TD infants surpassed DS infants in overall language and vocabulary by 12 months.
Expressive communication and vocabulary developed at similar rates when NVMA gains were matched.
Infants with DS demonstrated a receptive language advantage over TD peers, even when controlling for NVMA.

Conclusions:

The widely reported expressive-receptive language discrepancy in DS may be influenced by chronological age comparisons.
When matched for NVMA, infants with DS do not exhibit expressive language delays.
Infants with DS appear to possess a receptive language advantage, highlighting the complexity of language development in this population.