Strategy production by young Down syndrome children

Area of Science:

• Developmental Psychology
• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Special Education

Background:

• Children with Down syndrome (DS) often exhibit unique cognitive profiles.
• Understanding self-control and attention regulation is crucial for cognitive development.
• Previous research has explored cognitive differences in DS, but impulse control nuances require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the ability of young children with Down syndrome to delay gratification with that of nonretarded children.
• To identify specific within-task strategies that aid performance in self-control tasks.
• To explore the implications for cognitive assessment and conceptualizations of intellectual disability.

Main Methods:

• A sample of children with Down syndrome was compared to three control groups of nonretarded children.
• Control groups were matched for developmental age, language age, and ability to delay gratification.
• Performance on a task requiring touching an attractive but prohibited stimulus was assessed.

Main Results:

• Children with Down syndrome showed significantly less ability to delay touching the prohibited stimulus compared to nonretarded peers.
• This difference persisted even when controlling for developmental and language age.
• Nonretarded children utilized strategies like attention redirection (verbal and nonverbal) to facilitate performance.

Conclusions:

• Children with Down syndrome experience greater difficulty with impulse control and delaying gratification.
• Specific cognitive strategies observed in typically developing children may be less readily employed by those with DS.
• Findings have implications for refining cognitive assessments and understanding the developmental trajectory in Down syndrome.