title: Home literacy environments, interest in reading and emergent literacy skills of children with Down syndrome versus typical children.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The present study examined home literacy environments, children's interest in reading and emergent literacy skills of pre-school-aged children with Down syndrome (DS; n=20), school-aged children with DS (n=17) and typically developing children (n=18) matched on chronological age with the younger DS group and mental age (MA) with the older DS group.
  
  
  METHODS
  Parents filled out questionnaires on their home literacy environments and their children's interest in reading. School-aged children with DS and typical children were assessed on cognitive functioning, receptive vocabulary, alphabet knowledge, familiarity with print conventions and comprehension of meaning.
  
  
  RESULTS
  School-aged children with DS and typical children - as opposed to pre-school-aged children with DS - were exposed to more literacy-rich home environments and had greater interest in reading. School-aged children with DS also outperformed the MA-matched typical group on letter and sight word knowledge and familiarity with print conventions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Parents of children with DS tailor home literacy environments to their children's developmental levels. Confirming earlier studies, children with DS achieved some higher literacy skills than what was expected for their MA, emphasising the importance of early reading interventions for this population.
authors: Special Education & Counseling, California State University, Los Angeles, CA, USA. lricci@calstatela.edu
authors: L
authors: L
authors: Ricci
mesh_terms: D000124:Achievement; D000293:Adolescent; D001077:Aptitude Tests; D002140:California; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D032882:Comprehension; D004314:Down Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D018479:Early Intervention, Educational; D004495:Education of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011932:Reading; D012016:Reference Values; D012931:Social Environment; D014825:Vocabulary