Rates of prelinguistic communication and early symbol use in toddlers with Down syndrome: Using a progress-monitoring tool to model growth

Purpose. This study aims to provide descriptive data on rates of expressive communication skill use in young children with Down syndrome (DS) across early childhood. Children with DS are known to have delays in expressive communication, but there are little current data on rates of communication in early skills, such as gestures, vocalizations, words, and word combinations. In addition, few studies use measures that offer a composite or “across-skills” view of early development across time.

Method. This article used a longitudinal descriptive design to generate growth curves for expected rates of communication in young children with DS in 4 major skill elements as measured by the Individual Growth and Development Indicator–Early Communication Index. Using data from 19 children aged 11–42 months with DS, we used hierarchical linear modeling to generate growth curves for children with DS while comparing them to the benchmarked data available for children who are typically developing.

Results. Results indicate relative strengths in gesture use, a longer period of vocalizations, and lower rates of growth in single and multiple word combinations across time. Children differed significantly from one another on all parameters.

Conclusion. These data indicate a need to develop and research interventions to support the transition from gestures to words and that support early word combinations in young children with DS.