At the University of Alberta, researchers are helping children with Down syndrome who stutter find their voice and speak with ease.
Stuttering is a common problem that affects almost half of all children with Down syndrome, yet despite the scope of the problem, little research exists about preferred treatment options—or even whether to treat at all. Researchers with the U of A's Institute for Stuttering Treatment and Research (ISTAR) point to a new case study that shows fluency shaping can indeed improve a child's speech.
Down Syndrome
Down Syndrome is a congenital disorder among children commonly born to older mothers. The condition is also known as 'Up syndrome' because of the cheerful persona of the Down children.
Advertisement
"People who stutter, whether they have a developmental delay or not, can do very well with treatment," said study co-author Jessica Harasym, a speech-language pathologist and Elks clinician with ISTAR in the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine. "There is no difference between the way the child in our case study responded compared with other children and families we've worked with who don't have Down syndrome."
Co-author Marilyn Langevin, ISTAR's director of research, said there is little consensus in the speech-language pathology community about treating stuttering for kids with co-existing disorders like Down syndrome. Their descriptive case study directly challenges the notion that children with Down syndrome should not be taught fluency skills for fear that failure could lead to frustration and damaged self-esteem.
![Genetic Testing of Diseases]( "Genetic Testing of Diseases")
Genetic testing helps to confirm a genetic condition in an individual and involves q complex laboratory techniques
"The difference in treating a child with Down syndrome might be using more simplified terms and slight modifications in how skills are explained, more modelling of skills—the more you show, the better," Langevin says.
In the study, Harasym and Langevin worked with an eight-year-old girl, "Sarah," whose stuttering had affected her scholastic performance and ability to speak with friends and teachers at school. Four months of treatment, including the practice of prolongation—speaking at an exaggeratedly slow rate—plus breathing techniques and voice management skills inside the clinic and at home, helped Sarah improve her fluency by 98.6 per cent.
"This is front-line clinical research and it is making a difference in people's lives," Langevin says, explaining that stuttering can lead to social isolation, teasing and bullying. She says treatment helped Sarah find a way to get her words out, and helped with school work as well as interacting and making new friends.
"When there is less interference with communication, a child like Sarah can function that much better. She's functioning better with friends, she's functioning better with family, and she's able to reach her potential in a more robust way."
Langevin and colleagues at ISTAR plan to publish studies that report on treating young adults with Down syndrome who stutter, as well as those with Prader-Willi syndrome and other co-existing disorders.
Source: Eurekalert
Genetic Testing of Diseases
Genetic testing helps to confirm a genetic condition in an individual and involves q complex laboratory techniques
Advertisement
"The difference in treating a child with Down syndrome might be using more simplified terms and slight modifications in how skills are explained, more modelling of skills—the more you show, the better," Langevin says.
In the study, Harasym and Langevin worked with an eight-year-old girl, "Sarah," whose stuttering had affected her scholastic performance and ability to speak with friends and teachers at school. Four months of treatment, including the practice of prolongation—speaking at an exaggeratedly slow rate—plus breathing techniques and voice management skills inside the clinic and at home, helped Sarah improve her fluency by 98.6 per cent.
"This is front-line clinical research and it is making a difference in people's lives," Langevin says, explaining that stuttering can lead to social isolation, teasing and bullying. She says treatment helped Sarah find a way to get her words out, and helped with school work as well as interacting and making new friends.
"When there is less interference with communication, a child like Sarah can function that much better. She's functioning better with friends, she's functioning better with family, and she's able to reach her potential in a more robust way."
Langevin and colleagues at ISTAR plan to publish studies that report on treating young adults with Down syndrome who stutter, as well as those with Prader-Willi syndrome and other co-existing disorders.
Source: Eurekalert
Genetic Test for Down Syndrome, Edwards Syndrome
A new, noninvasive genetic test to screen for trisomy (Down syndrome) and Edwards syndrome proves highly accurate.
Advertisement
 Research Finds Lithium Restores Cognitive Function in Down Syndrome MiceIt is common knowledge that Down syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder and is a leading cause of genetically defined intellectual disability. | Advertisement
|
Advertisement
Recommended Readings
Latest Research News
Light therapy enhances sleep and psycho-behavioral symptoms in Alzheimer's patients with minimal side effects.
Electrical stimulation improves Alzheimer's patients' cognitive function and correlates with restored cortical plasticity.
South Korea's total fertility rate, averaging the number of children a woman aged 15-49 has in her lifetime, dropped to 0.81.
Scientists identified mechanisms governing immune cells, selectively removing troublemakers to reshape skin immunity. Benefits those with psoriasis, vitiligo.
By 2050, an anticipated increase from 494 million cases in 2020 to 1.06 billion people with musculoskeletal disabilities is expected.