title: Simultaneous treatment of grammatical and speech-comprehensibility deficits in children with Down syndrome.
abstract: Children with Down syndrome often display speech-comprehensibility and grammatical deficits beyond what would be predicted based upon general mental age. Historically, speech-comprehensibility has often been treated using traditional articulation therapy and oral-motor training so there may be little or no coordination of grammatical and speech-comprehensibility treatment. The purpose of this paper is to provide the rationale for and preliminary evidence in support of integrating speech and grammatical intervention using a type of recast treatment in six children with Down syndrome. Speech-comprehensibility and MLU growth in generalisation sessions occurred in 4/6 and 5/6 participants, respectively. Using multiple baseline design logic, two of these participants showed evidence of treatment effects on speech-comprehensibility and two in MLU in generalisation sessions, respectively. The study constitutes a conservative test of the intervention effects for reasons that are discussed. The theoretical and applied significance of these findings are discussed.
authors.affiliation: John F Kennedy Center, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, USA. Stephen.m.camarata@vanderbilt.edu
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Camarata
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Yoder
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Camarata
mesh_terms: D002675:Child, Preschool; D004314:Down Syndrome / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D005793:Generalization, Psychological; D006801:Humans; D007361:Intelligence Tests; D007805:Language Development Disorders / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D015588:Observer Variation; D013064:Speech Disorders / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*