Developmental delays in phonological recoding among children and adolescents with Down syndrome and Williams syndrome. (August 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Danielsson, Henrik; Henry, Lucy; Messer, David; Carney, Daniel P.J.; Rönnberg, Jerker
• Is Part Of: Research in developmental disabilities. Volume 55(2016:Aug.)
• Page Start: 64
• Page End: 76
• Publication Date: 2016-08
• Subjects: Down syndrome -- Williams syndrome -- Phonological recoding -- Phonological similarity effect -- Word length effect -- Visual similarity effect -- Short-term memory; Developmental disabilities -- Periodicals; Developmentally disabled -- Research -- United States -- Periodicals; Developmentally disabled children -- Education -- Research -- United States -- Periodicals; Developmental Disabilities -- Periodicals; Disabled -- Periodicals; Mental Retardation -- rehabilitation -- Periodicals; Personnes atteintes de troubles du développement -- Recherche -- États-Unis -- Périodiques; Enfants atteints de troubles du développement -- Éducation -- Recherche -- États-Unis -- Périodiques; Développement, Troubles du -- Recherche -- États-Unis -- Périodiques; 616.858800
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ridd.2016.03.012
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0891-4222

Abstract

Highlights: Children and adolescents with Down syndrome show some evidence of using phonological recoding. Children and adolescents with Williams syndrome show no evidence of using phonological recoding. Development of phonological recoding is related to both language and cognitive abilities. Abstract: This study examined the development of phonological recoding in short-term memory (STM) span tasks among two clinical groups with contrasting STM and language profiles: those with Down syndrome (DS) and Williams syndrome (WS). Phonological recoding was assessed by comparing: (1) performance on phonologically similar and dissimilar items (phonological similarity effects, PSE); and (2) items with short and long names (word length effects, WLE). Participant groups included children and adolescents with DS ( n = 29), WS ( n = 25) and typical development ( n = 51), all with average mental ages around 6 years. The group with WS, contrary to predictions based on their relatively strong verbal STM and language abilities, showed no evidence for phonological recoding. Those in the group with DS, with weaker verbal STM and language abilities, showed positive evidence for phonological recoding (PSE), but to a lesser degree than the typical group (who showed PSE and WLE). These findings provide new information about the memory systems of these groups of children and adolescents, and suggest that STM processes involving phonological recoding do not fit with the usual expectations of the abilities of children and adolescents with WS and DS.