Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Down Syndrome

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Handbook of Pragmatic Language Disorders

Abstract

In this chapter, we provide an overview of the complex socio-communicative/pragmatic phenotype associated with Down syndrome (DS) across development. After reviewing the epidemiology and clinical and cognitive profiles of the DS phenotype, we outline the current literature on pragmatics in DS. In this regard, there is clear evidence of delays in the acquisition of pragmatic language skills in individuals with DS that begin early in development. That said, areas of relative strength have been identified in the domain of pragmatics in DS. We consider general issues in the treatment of pragmatic difficulties in individuals with DS. There are few evidence-based treatments focused on improving the pragmatic language skills of individuals with DS. Given the vital role pragmatic language competence plays in daily living skills, interventions that are tailored to address the specific needs of individuals with DS across a variety of contexts are likely to support the development of positive peer relationships, intimate relationships, community integration, and employment success.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 259.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 329.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 329.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Abbeduto, L., McDuffie, A., Thurman, A. J., & Kover, S. T. (2016). Language development in individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities: From phenotypes to treatments. International Review of Research in Developmental Disabilities, 50, 71–118.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Abbeduto, L., Murphy, M. M., Kover, S. T., Giles, N. D., Karadottir, S., Amman, A., et al. (2008). Signaling noncomprehension of language: A comparison of fragile X syndrome and Down syndrome. American Journal of Mental Retardation, 113(3), 214–230.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Abbeduto, L., Murphy, M. M., Richmond, E. K., Amman, A., Beth, P., Weissman, M. D., et al. (2006). Collaboration in referential communication: Comparison of youth with Down syndrome or fragile X syndrome. American Journal of Mental Retardation, 111(3), 170–183.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Abbeduto, L., Warren, S. F., & Conners, F. A. (2007). Language development in Down syndrome: From the prelinguistic period to the acquisition of literacy. Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Research Reviews, 13(3), 247–261.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Adamson, L. B., Bakeman, R., Deckner, D. F., & Romski, M. (2009). Joint engagement and the emergence of language in children with autism and Down syndrome. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 39(1), 84–96.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Airenti, G. (2017). Pragmatic development. In L. Cummings (Ed.), Research in clinical pragmatics (pp. 3–28). Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders-fourth edition-text revision (DSM-IV-TR). American Psychiatric Association.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Arya, R., Kabra, M., & Gulati, S. (2011). Epilepsy in children with Down syndrome. Epileptic Disorders, 13(1), 1–7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ashby, S. A., Channell, M. M., & Abbeduto, L. (2017). Inferential language use by youth with Down syndrome during narration. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 71, 98–108.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baio, J., Wiggins, L., Christensen, D. L., Maenner, M. J., Daniels, J., Warren, Z., et al. (2018). Prevalence of autism spectrum disorder among children aged 8 years – Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 11 sites, United States, 2014. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Surveillance Summaries, 67(6), 1–23.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barstein, J., Martin, G. E., Lee, M., & Losh, M. (2018). A duck wearing boots?! Pragmatic language strategies for repairing communication breakdowns across genetically based neurodevelopmental disabilities. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 61(6), 1440–1454.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berger, J., & Cunningham, C. C. (1981). The development of eye contact between mothers and normal versus Down’s syndrome infants. Developmental Psychology, 17(5), 678–689.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berger, J., & Cunningham, C. C. (1983). Development of early vocal behaviors and interactions in Down’s syndrome and nonhandicapped infant-mother pairs. Developmental Psychology, 19(3), 322–331.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Betancur, C. (2011). Etiological heterogeneity in autism spectrum disorders: More than 100 genetic and genomic disorders and still counting. Brain Research, 1380, 42–77.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bishop, D. V. M. (2003). The children’s communication checklist, version 2 (CCC-2). Psychological Corporation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bishop, D. V. M. (1998). Development of the Children’s Communication Checklist (CCC): A method for assessing qualitative aspects of communicative impairment in children. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines, 39(6), 879–891.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Breslin, J., Spanò, G., Bootzin, R., Anand, P., Nadel, L., & Edgin, J. (2014). Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome and cognition in Down syndrome. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 56(7), 657–664.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brock, J., & Jarrold, C. (2005). Serial order reconstruction in Down syndrome: Evidence for a selective deficit in verbal short-term memory. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 46(3), 304–316.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bull, M. J., & Committee on Genetics. (2011). Health supervision for children with Down syndrome. Pediatrics, 128(2), 393–406.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Camaioni, L., Perucchini, P., Muratori, F., Parrini, B., & Cesari, A. (2003). The communicative use of pointing in autism: Developmental profile and factors related to change. European Psychiatry, 18(1), 6–12.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Canfield, M. A., Honein, M. A., Yuskiv, N., Xing, J., Mai, C. T., Collins, J. S., et al. (2006). National estimates and race/ethnic-specific variation of selected birth defects in the United States, 1999–2001. Birth Defects Research Part A: Clinical and Molecular Teratology, 76(11), 747–756.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Capirci, O., Iverson, J. M., Pizzuto, E., & Volterra, V. (1996). Gestures and words during the transition to two-word speech. Journal of Child Language, 23(3), 645–673.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Capone, G., Goyal, P., Ares, W., & Lannigan, E. (2006). Neurobehavioral disorders in children, adolescents, and young adults with Down syndrome. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part C: Seminars in Medical Genetics, 142C(3), 158–172.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Capone, G. T., Grados, M. A., Kaufmann, W. E., Bernad-Ripoll, S., & Jewell, A. (2005). Down syndrome and comorbid autism-spectrum disorder: Characterization using the aberrant behavior checklist. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part A, 134A(4), 373–380.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Capone, N. C., & McGregor, K. K. (2004). Gesture development. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 47(1), 173–186.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carpendale, J., Lewis, C., & Martin, J. (2007). How children develop social understanding. Canadian Psychology, 48(1), 49–51.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carr, J. (1995). Down’s syndrome: Children growing up. Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Carr, J. (2002). Down syndrome. In P. Howlin & O. Udwin (Eds.), Outcomes in neurodevelopmental and genetic disorders (pp. 169–197). Cambridge University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Carr, J. (2005). Stability and change in cognitive ability over the life span: A comparison of populations with and without Down’s syndrome. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 49(12), 915–928.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carvajal, F., & Iglesias, J. (2000). Looking behavior and smiling in Down syndrome infants. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 24(3), 225–236.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carvajal, F., & Iglesias, J. (2006). Judgements of facial and vocal signs of emotion in infants with Down syndrome. Developmental Psychobiology, 48(8), 644–652.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Caselli, M. C., Vicari, S., Longobardi, E., Lami, L., Pizzoli, C., & Stella, G. (1998). Gestures and words in early development of children with Down syndrome. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 41(5), 1125–1135.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cebula, K. R., Moore, D. G., & Wishart, J. G. (2010). Social cognition in children with Down’s syndrome: Challenges to research and theory building. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 54(2), 113–134.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chan, J., & Iacono, T. (2001). Gesture and word production in children with Down syndrome. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 17(2), 73–87.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Channell, M. M., McDuffie, A. S., Bullard, L. M., & Abbeduto, L. (2015). Narrative language competence in children and adolescents with Down syndrome. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 9, 283. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2015.00283

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Channell, M. M., Phillips, B. A., Loveall, S. J., Conners, F. A., Bussanich, P. M., & Klinger, L. G. (2015). Patterns of autism spectrum symptomatology in individuals with Down syndrome without comorbid autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders, 7(1), 5. https://doi.org/10.1186/1866-1955-7-5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Channell, M. M., Thurman, A. J., Kover, S. T., & Abbeduto, L. (2014). Patterns of change in nonverbal cognition in adolescents with Down syndrome. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 35(11), 2933–2941.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chapman, R. S. (1997). Language development in children and adolescents with Down syndrome. Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Research Reviews, 3(4), 307–312.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chapman, R. S., Seung, H.-K., Schwartz, S. E., & Kay-Raining Bird, E. (1998). Language skills of children and adolescents with Down syndrome. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 41(4), 861–873.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cicchetti, D., & Sroufe, L. A. (1976). The relationship between affective and cognitive development in Down’s syndrome infants. Child Development, 47(4), 920–929.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cohn, J. F., Campbell, S. B., Matias, R., & Hopkins, J. (1990). Face-to-face interactions of postpartum depressed and nondepressed mother-infant pairs at 2 months. Developmental Psychology, 26(1), 15–23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coppus, A. M. W., Schuur, M., Vergeer, J., Janssens, A. C. J. W., Oostra, B. A., Verbeek, M. M., & van Duijn, C. M. (2012). Plasma β amyloid and the risk of Alzheimer’s disease in Down syndrome. Neurobiology of Aging, 33(9), 1988–1994.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cornish, K., Burack, J. A., Rahman, A., Munir, F., Russo, N., & Grant, C. (2005). Theory of mind deficits in children with fragile X syndrome. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 49(5), 372–378.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cornish, K. M., Munir, F., & Cross, G. (1999). Spatial cognition in males with fragile-X syndrome: Evidence for a neuropsychological phenotype. Cortex, 35(2), 263–271.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Couzens, D., Haynes, M., & Cuskelly, M. (2012). Individual and environmental characteristics associated with cognitive development in Down syndrome: A longitudinal study. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 25(5), 396–413.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cummings, L. (2009). Clinical pragmatics. Cambridge Univeristy Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Daunhauer, L. A., & Fidler, D. J. (2011). The Down syndrome behavioral phenotype: Implications for practice and research in occupational therapy. Occupational Therapy in Health Care, 25(1), 7–25.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • de Villiers, J. (2007). The interface of language and theory of mind. Lingua, 117(11), 1858–1878.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • del Hoyo Soriano, L., Thurman, A. J., & Abbeduto, L. (2018). Specificity: A phenotypic comparison of communication-relevant domains between youth with Down syndrome and fragile X syndrome. Frontiers in Genetics, 9, 424. https://doi.org/10.3389/fgene.2018.00424

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DiGuiseppi, C., Hepburn, S., Davis, J. M., Fidler, D. J., Hartway, S., Lee, N. R., et al. (2010). Screening for autism spectrum disorders in children with Down syndrome: Population prevalence and screening test characteristics. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 31(3), 181–191.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dykens, E. M. (2007). Psychiatric and behavioral disorders in persons with Down syndrome. Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Research Reviews, 13(3), 272–278.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dykens, E. M., Shah, B., Davis, B., Baker, C., Fife, T., & Fitzpatrick, J. (2015). Psychiatric disorders in adolescents and young adults with Down syndrome and other intellectual disabilities. Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders, 7(1), 9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s11689-015-9101-1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Edgin, J. O., Mason, G. M., Allman, M. J., Capone, G. T., DeLeon, I., Maslen, C., et al. (2010). Development and validation of the Arizona Cognitive Test Battery for Down syndrome. Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders, 2(3), 149–164.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eisermann, M. M., DeLaRaillère, A., Dellatolas, G., Tozzi, E., Nabbout, R., Dulac, O., & Chiron, C. (2003). Infantile spasms in Down syndrome – effects of delayed anticonvulsive treatment. Epilepsy Research, 55(1–2), 21–27.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ekstein, S., Glick, B., Weill, M., Kay, B., & Berger, I. (2011). Down syndrome and attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Journal of Child Neurology, 16(10), 1290–1295.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Esbensen, A. J., Johnson, E. B., Amaral, J. L., Tan, C. M., & Macks, R. (2016). Differentiating aging among adults with Down syndrome and comorbid dementia or psychopathology. American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 121(1), 13–24.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Feinman, S. (1992). Social referencing and the social construction of reality in infancy. Plenum Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Fernandez, F., & Reeves, R. H. (2015). Assessing cognitive improvement in people with Down syndrome: Important considerations for drug-efficacy trials. In K. Kantak & J. Wettstein (Eds.), Cognitive enhancement. Handbook of experimental pharmacology, Volume 228 (pp. 335–380). Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fidler, D. J. (2005). The emerging Down syndrome behavioral phenotype in early childhood. Infants and Young Children, 18(2), 86–103.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fidler, D. J., Lunkenheimer, E., & Hahn, L. (2011). Emerging behavioral phenotypes and dynamic systems theory. International Review of Research in Developmental Disabilities, 40, 17–42.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fidler, D. J., Philofsky, A., Hepburn, S. L., & Rogers, S. J. (2005). Nonverbal requesting and problem-solving by toddlers with Down syndrome. American Journal of Mental Retardation, 110(4), 312–322.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Finestack, L. H., Sterling, A. M., & Abbeduto, L. (2013). Discriminating Down syndrome and fragile X syndrome based on language ability. Journal of Child Language, 40(1), 244–265.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fishler, K., & Koch, R. (1991). Mental development in Down syndrome mosaicism. American Journal of Mental Retardation, 96(3), 345–351.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fitch, W. T., Huber, L., & Bugnyar, T. (2010). Social cognition and the evolution of language: Constructing cognitive phylogenies. Neuron, 65(6), 795–814.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frith, U. (1996). Social communication and its disorder in autism and Asperger syndrome. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 10(1), 48–53.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Galeote, M., Soto, P., Checa, E., Gómez, A., & Lamela, E. (2008). The acquisition of productive vocabulary in Spanish children with Down syndrome. Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disability, 33(4), 292–302.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ghosh, S., Feingold, E., & Dey, S. K. (2009). Etiology of Down syndrome: Evidence for consistent association among altered meiotic recombination, nondisjunction, and maternal age across populations. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part A, 149A(7), 1415–1420.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ghosh, S., Hong, C. S., Feingold, E., Ghosh, P., Ghosh, P., Bhaumik, P., & Day, S. K. (2011). Epidemiology of Down syndrome: New insight into the multidimensional interactions among genetic and environmental risk factors in the oocyte. American Journal of Epidemiology, 174(9), 1009–1016.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Giaouri, S., Alevriadou, A., & Tsakiridou, E. (2010). Theory of mind abilities in children with Down syndrome and non-specific intellectual disabilities: An empirical study with some educational implications. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2(2), 3883–3887.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gilmore, L., & Cuskelly, M. (2009). A longitudinal study of motivation and competence in children with Down syndrome: Early childhood to early adolescence. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 53(5), 484–492.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grieco, J., Pulsifer, M., Seligsohn, K., Skotko, B., & Schwartz, A. (2015). Down syndrome: Cognitive and behavioral functioning across the lifespan. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part C: Seminars in Medical Genetics, 169(2), 135–149.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hahn, L. J., Loveall, S. J., Savoy, M. T., Neumann, A. M., & Ikuta, T. (2018). Joint attention in Down syndrome: A meta-analysis. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 78, 89–102.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hartley, S. L., Handen, B. L., Devenny, D., Mihaila, I., Hardison, R., Lao, P. J., et al. (2017). Cognitive decline and brain amyloid-β accumulation across 3 years in adults with Down syndrome. Neurobiology of Aging, 58, 68–76.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hildebrand, E., Källén, B., Josefsson, A., Gottvall, T., & Blomberg, M. (2014). Maternal obesity and risk of Down syndorme in the offspring. Prenatal Diagnosis, 34(4), 310–315.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holodynski, M., & Friedlmeier, W. (2005). The internalization model of emotional development. In M. Holodynski & W. Friedlmeier (Eds.), Development of emotions and emotion regulation (Kluwer International Series in Outreach Scholarship) (Vol. 8, pp. 43–88). Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Horvath, S., Garagnani, P., Bacalini, M. G., Pirazzini, C., Salvioli, S., Gentilini, D., et al. (2015). Accelerated epigenetic aging in Down syndrome. Aging Cell, 14(3), 491–495.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hunter, J. E., Allen, E. G., Shin, M., Bean, L. J., Correa, A., Druschel, C., Hobbs, C. A., O’Leary, L. A., Romitti, P. A., Royle, M. H., Torfs, C. P., Freeman, S. B., & Sherman, S. L. (2013). The association of low socioeconomic status and the risk of having a child with Down syndrome: A report from the National Down Syndrome Project. Genetics in Medicine, 15(9), 698–705.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hyche, J. K., Bakeman, R., & Adamson, L. B. (1992). Understanding communicative cues of infants with Down syndrome: Effects of mothers’ experience and infants’ age. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 13(1), 1–16.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Iarocci, G., Yager, J., Rombough, A., & McLaughlin, J. (2008). The development of social competence among persons with Down syndrome: From survival to social inclusion. International Review of Research in Mental Retardation, 35, 87–119.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Iverson, J. M., & Goldin-Meadow, S. (2005). Gesture paves the way for language development. Psychological Science, 16(5), 367–371.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Iverson, J. M., Capirci, O., & Caselli, M. C. (1994). From communication to language in two modalities. Cognitive Development, 9(1), 23–43.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Iverson, J. M., Longobardi, E., & Caselli, M. C. (2003). Relationship between gestures and words in children with Down’s syndrome and typically developing children in the early stages of communicative development. International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders, 38(2), 179–197.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jackendoff, R., & Pinker, S. (2005). The nature of the language faculty and its implications for evolution of language (Reply to Fitch, Hauser, and Chomsky). Cognition, 97(2), 211–225.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jahromi, L. B., Gulsrud, A., & Kasari, C. (2008). Emotional competence in children with Down syndrome: Negativity and regulation. American Journal on Mental Retardation, 113(1), 32–43.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jap, S. N., & Ghaziuddin, N. (2011). Catatonia among adolescents with Down syndrome. The Journal of ECT, 27(4), 334–337.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jarrold, C., Thorn, A. S. C., & Stephens, E. (2009). The relationships among verbal short-term memory, phonological awareness, and new word learning: Evidence from typical development and Down syndrome. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 102(2), 196–218.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Karmiloff-Smith, A., Al-Janabi, T., D’Souza, H., Groet, J., Massand, E., Mok, K., et al. (2016). The importance of understanding individual differences in Down syndrome. F1000 Research, 5. https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.7506.1

  • Kasari, C., Freeman, S. F. N., & Hughes, M. A. (2001). Emotion recognition by children with Down syndrome. American Journal on Mental Retardation, 106(1), 59–72.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kasari, C., Freeman, S. B., Mundy, P., & Sigman, M. (1995). Attention regulation by children with Down syndrome: Coordinated joint attention and social referencing looks. American Journal of Mental Retardation, 100(2), 128–136.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kasari, C., Mundy, P., Yirmiya, N., & Sigman, M. (1990). Affect and attention in children with Down syndrome. American Journal of Mental Retardation, 95(1), 55–67.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kent, R. D., & Vorperian, H. K. (2013). Speech impairment in Down syndrome: A review. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 56(1), 178–210.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Klein, B. P., & Mervis, C. B. (1999). Contrasting patterns of cognitive abilities of 9- and 10-year-olds with Williams syndrome or Down syndrome. Developmental Neuropsychology, 16(2), 177–196.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Klusek, J., Martin, G. E., & Losh, M. (2014). A comparison of pragmatic language in boys with autism and fragile X syndrome. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 57(5), 1692–1707.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kothari, R., Skuse, D., Wakefield, J., & Micali, N. (2013). Gender differences in the relationship between social communication and emotion recognition. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 52(11), 1148–1157.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Knieps, L. J., Walden, T. A., & Baxter, A. (1994). Affective expressions of toddlers with and without Down syndrome in a social referencing context. American Journal of Mental Retardation, 99(3), 301–312.

    Google Scholar 

  • Krakow, J. B., & Kopp, C. B. (1983). The effects of developmental delay on sustained attention in young children. Child Development, 54(5), 1143–1155.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kumin, L. (2006). Speech intelligibility and childhood verbal apraxia in children with Down syndrome. Down Syndrome Research and Practice, 10(1), 10–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Laws, G., & Bishop, D. V. M. (2004). Pragmatic language impairment and social deficits in Williams syndrome: A comparison with Down’s syndrome and specific language impairment. International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders, 39(1), 45–64.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, M., Bush, L., Martin, G. E., Barstein, J., Maltman, N., Klusek, J., & Losh, M. (2017). A multi-method investigation of pragmatic development in individuals with Down syndrome. American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 122(4), 289–309.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Legerstee, M., & Bowman, T. G. (1989). The development of responses to people and a toy in infants with Down syndrome. Infant Behavior and Development, 12(4), 465–477.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lewy, A. L., & Dawson, G. (1992). Social stimulation and joint attention in young autistic children. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 20(6), 555–566.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lott, I. T. (2012). Neurological phenotypes for Down syndrome across the life span. Progress in Brain Research, 197, 101–121.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lowenthal, R., Paula, C. S., Schwartzman, J. S., Brunoni, D., & Mercadante, M. T. (2007). Prevalence of pervasive developmental disorder in Down’s syndrome. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 37(7), 1394–1395.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Macnamara, J. (1972). Cognitive basis of language learning in infants. Psychological Review, 79(1), 1–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martin, G. E., Barstein, J., Hornickel, J., Matherly, S., Durante, G., & Losh, M. (2017). Signaling of noncomprehension in communication breakdowns in fragile X syndrome, Down syndrome, and autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Communication Disorders, 65, 22–34.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCabe, A., & Bliss, L. S. (2003). Patterns of narrative discourse: A multicultural, life span approach. Allyn and Bacon.

    Google Scholar 

  • McCarron, M., McCallion, P., Reilly, E., Dunne, P., Carroll, R., & Mulryan, N. (2017). A prospective 20-year longitudinal follow-up of dementia in persons with Down syndrome. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 61(9), 843–852.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mervis, C. B., & Robinson, B. F. (2000). Expressive vocabulary ability of toddlers with Williams syndrome or Down syndrome: A comparison. Developmental Neuropsychology, 17(1), 111–126.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moore, D. G., Oates, J. M., Goodwin, J., & Hobson, R. P. (2008). Behavior of mothers and infants with and without Down syndrome during the still-face procedure. Infancy, 13(1), 75–89.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mundy, P., & Jarrold, W. (2010). Infant joint attention, neural networks and social cognition. Neural Networks, 23(8–9), 985–997.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mundy, P., Kasari, C., Sigman, M., & Ruskin, E. (1995). Nonverbal communication and early language acquisition in children with Down syndrome and in normally developing children. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 38(1), 157–167.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mutton, D., Alberman, E., & Hook, E. B. (1996). Cytogenetic and epidemiological findings in Down syndrome, England and Wales 1989 to 1993. National Down Syndrome Cytogenetic Register and the Association of Clinical Cytogeneticists. Journal of Medical Genetics, 33(5), 387–394.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Myers, B. A., & Pueschel, S. M. (1991). Psychiatric disorders in persons with Down syndrome. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 179(10), 609–613.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. (2014). Down syndrome directions: The National Institutes of Health research plan on Down syndrome. Resource document. Retrieved 27 September, 2019, from https://www.nichd.nih.gov/sites/default/files/publications/pubs/Documents/DSResearchPlan_2014.pdf#search=Down-syndrome-directions%3A-The-National-Institutes-of-Health-research-plan-on-Down-syndrome

  • Neil, N., & Jones, E. A. (2016). Communication intervention for individuals with Down syndrome: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Developmental Neurorehabilitation, 21(1), 1–12.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ninio, A., & Snow, C. E. (1996). Pragmatic development. Westview Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • O’Toole, C., Lee, A. S.-Y., Gibbon, F. E., van Bysterveldt, A. K., & Hart, N. J. (2018). Parent-mediated interventions for promoting communication and language development in young children with Down syndrome. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 15(10), CD012089. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD012089.pub2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parker, S. E., Mai, C. T., Canfield, M. A., Rickard, R., Wang, Y., Meyer, R. E., et al. (2010). Updated national birth prevalence estimates for selected birth defects in the United States, 2004-2006. Birth Defects Research Part A: Clinical and Molecular Teratology, 88(12), 1008–1016.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Patterson, D., & Cabelof, D. C. (2012). Down syndrome as a model of DNA polymerase beta haploinsufficiency and accelerated aging. Mechanisms of Ageing and Development, 133(4), 133–137.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Phillips, B. A., Loveall, S. J., Channell, M. M., & Conners, F. A. (2014). Matching variables for research involving youth with Down syndrome: Leiter-R versus PPVT-4. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 35(2), 429–438.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pitcairn, T. K., & Wishart, J. G. (1994). Reactions of young children with Down’s syndrome to an impossible task. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 12(4), 485–489.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pueschel, S. M., Bernier, J. C., & Pezzullo, J. C. (2008). Behavioural observations in children with Down’s syndrome. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 35(6), 502–511.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reilly, C. (2009). Autism spectrum disorders in Down syndrome: A review. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 3(4), 829–839.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roberts, J., Martin, G. E., Moskowitz, L., Harris, A., Foreman, J., & Nelson, L. (2007). Discourse skills of boys with fragile X syndrome in comparison to boys with Down syndrome. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 50(2), 475–492.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roberts, J. E., Price, J., & Malkin, C. (2007). Language and communication development in Down syndrome. Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Research Reviews, 13(1), 26–35.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roizen, N. J. (1997). Down syndrome. In M. L. Batshaw (Ed.), Children with disabilities (4th ed.). Paul H. Brooks.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sherman, S. L., Allen, E. G., Bean, L. H., & Freeman, S. B. (2007). Epidemiology of Down syndrome. Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Research Reviews, 13(3), 221–227.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sherman, S. L., Lamb, N. E., & Feingold, E. (2006). Relationship of recombination patterns and maternal age among non-disjoined chromosomes 21. Biochemical Society Transactions, 34(4), 578–580.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sigman, M., Ruskin, E., Arbeile, S., Corona, R., Dissanayake, C., Espinosa, M., et al. (1999). Continuity and change in the social competence of children with autism, Down syndrome, and developmental delays. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 64(1), 1–114.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Singer Harris, N. G., Bellugi, U., Bates, E., Jones, W., & Rossen, M. (1997). Contrasting profiles of language development in children with Williams and Down syndromes. Developmental Neuropsychology, 13(3), 345–370.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Slonims, V., & McConachie, H. (2006). Analysis of mother-infant interaction in infants with Down syndrome and typically developing infants. American Journal on Mental Retardation, 111(4), 273–289.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, E., Næss, K.-A. B., & Jarrold, C. (2017). Assessing pragmatic communication in children with Down syndrome. Journal of Communication Disorders, 68, 10–23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sorce, J. F., Emde, R. N., Campos, J. J., & Klinnert, M. D. (1985). Maternal emotional signaling: Its effect on the visual cliff behavior of 1-year-olds. Developmental Psychology, 21(1), 195–200.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sperling, K., Neitzel, H., & Scherb, H. (2012). Evidence for an increase in trisomy 21 (Down syndrome) in Europe after the Chernobyl reactor accident. Genetic Epidemiology, 36(1), 48–55.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stefanini, S., Caselli, M. C., & Volterra, V. (2007). Spoken and gestural production in a naming task by young children with Down syndrome. Brain and Language, 101(3), 208–221.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Steingass, K. J., Chicoine, B., McGuire, D., & Roizen, N. J. (2011). Developmental disabilities grown up: Down syndrome. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 32(7), 548–558.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stephens, G., & Matthews, D. (2014). The communicative infant from 0–18 months: The social-cognitive foundations of pragmatic development. In D. Matthews (Ed.), Pragmatic development (pp. 13–36). John Benjamin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tassé, M. J., Navas Macho, P., Havercamp, S. M., Benson, B. A., Allain, D. C., Manickam, K., & Davis, S. (2016). Psychiatric conditions prevalent among adults with Down syndrome. Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, 13(2), 173–180.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Termine, N. T., & Izard, C. E. (1988). Infants’ responses to their mothers’ expressions of joy and sadness. Developmental Psychology, 24(2), 223–229.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thordardottir, E. T., Chapman, R. S., & Wagner, L. (2002). Complex sentence production by adolescents with Down syndrome. Applied PsychoLinguistics, 23(2), 163–183.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thurman, A. J., & Fisher, M. H. (2015). The Williams syndrome social phenotype: Disentangling the contributions of social interest and social difficulties. International Review of Research in Developmental Disabilities, 49, 191–227.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thurman, A. J., & Mervis, C. B. (2013). The regulatory function of social referencing in preschoolers with Down syndrome or Williams syndrome. Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders, 5, 2. https://doi.org/10.1186/1866-1955-5-2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tomasello, M. (1995). Joint attention as social cognition. Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tomasello, M., & Carpenter, M. (2007). Shared intentionality. Developmental Science, 10(1), 121–125.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Urv, T. K., Zigman, W. B., & Silverman, W. (2010). Psychiatric symptoms in adults with Down syndrome and Alzheimer’s disease. American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 115(4), 265–276.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Virji-Babul, N., Kerns, K., Zhou, E., Kapur, A., & Shiffrar, M. (2006). Perceptual-motor deficits in children with Down syndrome: Implications for intervention. Down Syndrome Research and Practice, 10(2), 74–82.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walden, T. A., Blackford, J. U., & Carpenter, K. L. (1997). Differences in social signals produced by children with developmental delays of differing etiologies. American Journal on Mental Retardation, 102(3), 292–305.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wishart, J. G., & Johnston, F. H. (2008). The effects of experience on attribution of a stereotyped personality to children with Down’s syndrome. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 34(5), 409–420.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yang, Q., Sherman, S. L., Hassold, T. J., Allran, K., Taft, L., Pettay, D., Khoury, M. J., Erickson, J. D., & Freeman, S. B. (1999). Risk factors for trisomy 21: Maternal cigarette smoking and oral contraceptive use in population-based case-control study. Genetics in Medicine, 1(3), 80–88.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California Davis Health, Sacramento, CA, USA

    Angela John Thurman & Laura del Hoyo Soriano

  2. MIND Institute, University of California Davis Health, Sacramento, CA, USA

    Angela John Thurman & Laura del Hoyo Soriano

Authors
  1. Angela John Thurman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Laura del Hoyo Soriano
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Angela John Thurman .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of English and Communication, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong

    Louise Cummings

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2021 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Thurman, A.J., del Hoyo Soriano, L. (2021). Down Syndrome. In: Cummings, L. (eds) Handbook of Pragmatic Language Disorders. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-74985-9_5

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-74985-9_5

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-74984-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-74985-9

  • eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation