Aggregated early intervention effects for Down's syndrome persons: patterning and longevity of benefits.
Pooled findings from 21 early intervention demonstration studies for Down's syndrome infants and children yield consistency of short-term benefits in the growth of finer motor skills, simple social repertoire and DQ/IQ scores, but conflicting evidence in support or not of benefits in the gross motor, linguistic and cognitive/academic domains. Support for the tenacity of gains, on follow-up to the early years of primary schooling, is disappointing. It is recommended that: (1) intervention programmers view the key working assumptions and ideological positions governing present practices more critically; (2) intervention curricula reflect the unique biological and behavioural properties of the syndrome, taking into account individual differences which are independent of etiological label; and (3) care delivery systems be based more fully on multidisciplinary collaboration, especially between the health sciences and education fields.
Gibson
D
D
Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Harris
A
A
D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004314:Down Syndrome / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D009048:Motor Skills; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities / Q000379:methods*