Causation and Developmental Course of Down Syndrome: An Overview

Children with Down syndrome: Implications for assessment and intervention in the school
School Psychology Quarterly
Jun, 2008, Vol 23(2)

This article discusses the study of causation and developmental course of Down syndrome. It measures the evidence based on treatments and/or therapies that one should consider during a psycho-educational evaluation. Down syndrome is the most common genetic disorder in children and occurs in 1 out of 600 live births. It is the leading cause of cognitive disorders and is associated with mild to moderate learning disabilities. Most all individuals with Down syndrome have noticeable physical characteristics including a flattened face, upward slanting eyes, small mouths, short broad hands and fingers, etc. Most individuals with Down syndrome also suffer from speech impairment.
Psych-educational assessments for children with Down syndrome are to predominately find the child’s strengths and weaknesses. They then compare those symptomologies to other similar conditions or disorders. The categories would include traits such as language development, verbal memory, motor development, visual spatial processing, social and behavioral development, hearing loss, reading acquisition, etc. When designing individualized interventions for children with Down syndrome one should focus on behavior phenotypes. Also, the interventions should be performed early rather than later. Delays in the onset of treatment result in poorer development in motor, language, and social skills.
Research has found that placing children with Down syndrome in a regular education classroom will benefit their social and emotional development. Studies show that the language skills of children with Down syndrome that were placed in “special schools” were 2 ½ years behind children with Down syndrome that were placed in regular “mainstream” schools. Other ways children with Down syndrome benefit from being in a regular classroom are their speech, behavior, social development, and academic skills. Down syndrome wasn’t always viewed as a high-need group and there is much more research needed for evidence-based interventions in the classroom.

References:
Book:
Cast, P.C. (2008). Chosen: A House of Night Novel / P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast. New York: St. Martin’s Griffin.
Article:
Ku, G. (2008). Learning to de-escalate: The effects of regret in escalation of commitment. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 105(2), 221-232. doi:10.1016/j.obhdp.2007.08.002
Website:
Drums from Africa. (2002). Retrieved May 17, 2005, from http://www.abcd.com/africa/b2k
Interview:
(A. Bruce, personal communication, November 15, 2012)

Children with Down Syndrome: Implications for
Assessment and Intervention in the School
General Psychology 1030 D21
Joyce Cartor
November 15, 2012

References: November 15, 2012