title: Cognitive stimulation of pupils with Down syndrome: A study of inferential talk during book-sharing.
abstract: In the education of pupils with Down syndrome, "simplifying" literal talk and concrete stimulation have typically played a dominant role. This explorative study investigated the extent to which teachers stimulated abstract cognitive functions via inferential talk during book-sharing and how pupils with Down syndrome responded. Dyadic interactions (N=7) were videotaped, transcribed and coded to identify levels of abstraction in teacher utterances and to evaluate the adequacy of pupil responses. One-third of the teachers' utterances contained high levels of abstraction and promoted inferential talk. Six of the seven children predominantly responded in ways which revealed inferential thinking. Dialog excerpts highlighted individual, contextual and interactional factors contributing to variations in the findings. Contrary to previous claims, the children with Down syndrome in the current sample appear able to draw inferences beyond the "here-and-now" with teacher support. This finding highlights the educational relevance and importance of higher-order cognitive stimulation of pupils with intellectual disabilities, to foster independent metacognitive skills.
authors.affiliation: Department of Special Needs Education, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1140, Blindern, NO-0318 Oslo, Norway. Electronic address: l.i.engevik@isp.uio.no.
authors.forename: Liv Inger
authors.initials: LI
authors.lastname: Engevik
authors.affiliation: Department of Special Needs Education, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1140, Blindern, NO-0318 Oslo, Norway. Electronic address: k.a.b.nass@uv.uio.no.
authors.forename: Kari-Anne B
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Næss
authors.affiliation: Department of Special Needs Education, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1140, Blindern, NO-0318 Oslo, Norway. Electronic address: b.e.hagtvet@isp.uio.no.
authors.forename: Bente E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Hagtvet
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D003071:Cognition; D004314:Down Syndrome / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D004495:Education of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D000067489:Metacognition; D013334:Students; D013850:Thinking
keywords: Book-sharing; Cognitive stimulation; Down syndrome; Inferential talk; Intellectual disability