Language Test Developed for People With Down Syndrome

Language test is suitable for most individuals with Down syndrome from 6 to 23 years old. However, researchers call for additional studies to develop other measures for those with more limited spoken language skills.

Language test has been developed to evaluate the expressive language skills of Down syndrome people, reveals a new study funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Down syndrome is a condition resulting from an extra copy or piece of chromosome 21.

Down Syndrome Increases COVID-19 Mortality Among Adults
Adults with Down syndrome are more likely to die from COVID 19 than the general population, which supports the need to focus on immunizing individuals with the genetic disorder.

‘Language test is suitable for most individuals with Down syndrome from 6 to 23 years old. However, researchers call for additional studies to develop other measures for those with more limited spoken language skills.’

Expressive language is the use of words to convey meaning to others. Language delays are common in people with Down syndrome, and the study authors believe their test provides a more effective way to evaluate prospective language interventions, compared to current evaluation methods.

The study was conducted by Angela Thurman, Ph.D., of the University of California, Davis, and appears in the Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders. Funding was provided by NIH's Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences.

The 107 participants in the study ranged from 6 to 23 years old, and all had an IQ of 70 or less. Researchers engaged the participants in conversation, which was recorded, transcribed and scored on the basis of talkativeness, vocabulary, sentence structure and other aspects of spoken language. Participants took the test again four weeks later.

Down Syndrome Gene Suppresses Corneal Clouding
Down syndrome associated gene DSCR-1 was found to suppress the age-related corneal clouding, said researchers.

Test scores were consistent across both versions, an indication of the test's reliability. Similarly, scores were consistent with those of other language tests the participants took.

Participants whose language was limited to basic phrases and those who had a developmental level below 4 years of age had difficulty completing the test.

Study Offers Fresh Insights into Chromosome 21 and Its Effect on Down Syndrome
In mice with Down syndrome, the specific regions of chromosome 21 cause memory and decision-making problems, said researchers.

The researchers concluded the test was suitable for most individuals with Down syndrome from 6 to 23 years old, but they call for additional studies to develop other measures for those with more limited spoken language skills.

Down Syndrome Linked to Dementia
Evidence from autopsies shows that, by age 40, the brains of nearly all adults with Down syndrome harbor signs of dementia.

Source-Eurekalert