title: Receptive vocabulary analysis in Down syndrome.
abstract: The present study is an in-depth examination of receptive vocabulary in individuals with Down syndrome (DS) in comparison to control groups of individuals of similar nonverbal ability with typical development (TD) and non-specific etiology intellectual disability (ID). Verb knowledge was of particular interest, as it is known to be a predictor of later syntactic development. Fifty participants with DS, aged 10-21 years, 29 participants with ID, 10-21 years, and 29 participants with TD, 4-9 years, completed measures of receptive vocabulary (PPVT-4), nonverbal ability (Leiter-R), and phonological memory (Nonword Repetition subtest of the CTOPP). Groups were compared on percentage correct of noun, verb and attribute items on the PPVT-4. Results revealed that on verb items, the participants with ID performed significantly better than both participants with DS and TD, even when overall receptive vocabulary ability and phonological memory were held constant. Groups with DS and TD showed the same pattern of lexical knowledge, performing better on nouns than both verbs and attributes. In contrast, the group with ID performed similarly on nouns and verbs, but worse on attributes.
authors.affiliation: University of Mississippi, United States; University of Alabama, United States. Electronic address: sjloveal@olemiss.edu.
authors.forename: Susan J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Loveall
authors.affiliation: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, United States; University of Alabama, United States.
authors.forename: Marie Moore
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Channell
authors.affiliation: Ouachita Baptist University, United States; University of Alabama, United States.
authors.forename: B Allyson
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Phillips
authors.affiliation: MIND Institute and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, United States.
authors.forename: Leonard
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Abbeduto
authors.affiliation: University of Alabama, United States.
authors.forename: Frances A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Conners
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D032882:Comprehension; D004314:Down Syndrome / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D007804:Language Development; D008297:Male; D014825:Vocabulary; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Down syndrome; Intellectual disability; Lexical development; Receptive vocabulary; Verb knowledge