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This lecture was authored by Molly M. Zimmerman, an advanced graduate student in the University of Pittsburgh Department of Communication Science and Disorders, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. The presentation was prepared as a term assignment for the graduate course Cleft Palate and Craniofacial Disorders, taught by faculty member Ellen R. Cohn Ph.D. (ecohn+@pitt.edu).
Children with Down syndrome can do most things that any young child can do, such as walking, talking, dressing, and being toilet trained, but usually develop later than other children. Down syndrome usually results in some degree of mental retardation, the degree of which varies widely. However, many will learn to read and write. Many people with Down syndrome hold supported employment, and frequently live semi-independently.
How Will Children With Down Syndrome Develop Compared To Other Children?
Effects On Speech
Expressive language of children with Down syndrome is commonly more delayed than receptive language (Desai, 1997). Contributing factors to expressive language delay include: mental deficiency, relatively large tongue in a small oral cavity, excessive salivation, poor oral closure, dry and thickened mucous, dental anomalies, hypotonia, hearing problems, aphasia. Disordered articulation in children with down syndrome reflects a delay in speech development similar to that of normal children (Borsel, 1988).
References
Desai, Sindoor (1997) Down Syndrome: A Review of the Literature. http://altonweb.com/cs/ downsyndrome/desai.html (7/20/99) Klaiman, P., Witzel, M.A., Marger-Bascal, F., Munro, I.R., (1988). Changes in aesthetic appearance and intelligibility of speech after partial glossectomy in patients with Down syndrome. Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, 3, 403-8. Margar-Bacal, F., Witzel, M.A., Munro, I.R., (1987). Speech intelligibility after partial glossectomy in children with Downs syndrome. Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, 1, 44-9.
References Continued
Parsons, CL., Iacono, TA., Rozner, L., (1987). Effect of tongue reduction on articulation in children with Down Syndrome. American Journal of Mental Deficiency, 4, 328-32. Pilcher, E., (1998). Dental care for the patient with Down syndrome. The Down Syndrome Educational Trust, 5(3), 111-116. Siddiqui, A., Pensler, J.M., (1990). The efficacy of tongue resection in treatment of symptomatic macroglossia in the child. Annals of Plastic Surgery, 1, 14-7.
References Continued
The March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation, (1997). Down Syndrome Public Health Educational Information Sheet. http://www.noah.cuny.edu/pregnancy/march_ of_dimes/birth_defects/downsynd.html (7/20/99) Van Borsel, J., (1988). An analysis of the speech of five Downs syndrome adolescents. Journal of Communication Disorders, 5, 409-21.