Communication and Down syndrome

Communication and Down syndrome

Introduction

Individuals living with Down syndrome require special treatment when communication is being done to them. Down syndrome is a condition caused by an error in the development of chromosomes and not a disease as many people would probably understand. Individuals living with Down syndrome always want to be treated positively and should be considered before the Down syndrome condition. Several studies have been done on effective communication with people with Down syndrome.

Children suffering from Down syndrome condition develop their language skills at a slower rate as compared to the other cognitive abilities. However, children suffering from this condition need to communicate with their friends and family members. Several studies have been carried out on how to make communication with children suffering from Down syndrome more effective. Of importance, previous studies of the causes of low communication abilities to children suffering from Down syndrome will also be reviewed and how their communication abilities can be improved. Parents to the children living with Down syndrome condition should be able to understand the confusing message used by the children suffering from this condition. A study was carried out to investigate the use of gestures between children suffering from Down syndrome, and children suffering from spectrum disorder and their parents. In this study, the key participants were the children living with these disorders and their parents. The gestural communication for these children was analyzed using a certain coding scheme, which allowed for both qualitative and quantitative analysis of the gestural production. The results of this study showed that there was a difference in the number of gestures produced by children suffering from spectrum disorder and the children suffering from Down syndrome. Children suffering from Down syndrome tend to use more gesture when communicating with their mothers than the children suffering from a spectral disorder (Mastrogiuseppe, 2015). This study was focused on how often children suffering from Down syndrome use gestures to communicate with their parents.

Researchers have also studied the social functioning abilities of children living with Down syndrome conditions. Children living with this condition have the desire to interact with other children or other family members. Research has shown that when children suffering from Down syndrome condition socialize with others, their communication skills develop at a considerably higher rate. In this study, parents’ results and clinical reports were used to determine the social functioning of the children living with Down syndrome condition. The research showed that children suffering from Down syndrome had weaker social capabilities than children living with nonverbal disorders of the same age (Naess,2017). Children suffering from Down syndrome were not much interested in socializing, but there was no significant difference in emotions for both the children living with Down syndrome and healthy children. Children living with Down syndrome condition should be supported in social functioning. Integrated interventions focusing on social functioning should begin at preschool to prepare the children living with Down syndrome for social participation.

A study was also done by Marchal, (2016) to investigate how socializing, communicating and other skills for children suffering from Down syndrome vary with their age. In the research, one hundred and twenty-three children with Down syndrome symptoms were used to obtain the required data. The developmental outcomes of these children were investigated at their early life stage, and a follow-up was made until the children were about ten years of age. The data obtained was then analyzed using the two-step regression method. The research showed that communication was a more adaptive skill as compared to socialization. Children living with Down syndrome develop their communication skills with practice and as they age, which is opposite to their socialization skills. Also, the research showed that children living with Down syndrome have better ball skills than balance skills. Motor skills for young children living with Down syndrome predicted later intelligence. These findings provide a reference for developmental levels, strengths and weaknesses for the children suffering from Down syndrome condition.

Another research was carried out by Grieco, (2015) about short-term memory and vocabulary development in children with Down syndrome and children with specific language impairment. A comparison was made between the development of verbal and visuospatial short term memory in children with Down syndrome and children with specific language impairment. Normal developing children were used as the control group in this research. In this research, twelve children with Down syndrome where six were male and the other six were females were used in data collection. The other participants were nine children with specific language impairment where five were males, and the other four were females. The other group for normal developing children was also used in data collection whereby in this particular group of children five males were used, and seven females were used. All these participants were involved in verbal short term memory, visuospatial short term memory, and expressive tasks three times for one year. The results for this research showed that there was a difficulty in visuospatial short term memory for the children with specific language impairment as compared to the children with Down syndrome. Vocabulary performance for the children with Down syndrome was similar to the children with specific language impairment. Therefore, children living with Down syndrome have lower vocabulary abilities as compared to normally developing children.

Another study was carried out to establish the relationship between language compression and mental age for children living with Down syndrome. Language abilities for children with Down syndrome improve with age and the more the children interact with others, the faster the language skills develop. The study aimed to establish whether the communication capabilities for individuals with Down syndrome develop as the children grow from childhood to adulthood or whether the communication abilities decline (Facon,2019). In the study, a number of 58 individuals with Down syndrome were involved in the process of collecting the necessary data. Thirty-seven of the individuals were adults while twenty-one were children. All the participants completed the measures of nonverbal cognition and grammar comprehension. The data was obtained and analyzed accordingly to obtain the required results. The finding of this research showed that grammar cognition skills for individuals with Down syndrome improve through their childhood to adolescent but then at adulthood language comprehension abilities remains constant without any further improvement. Therefore, children with Down syndrome should be encouraged to communicate so that they can keep on improving their grammar comprehension abilities as they grow.

A research was carried out to establish environmental therapy that helps to develop intellectual abilities for children with Down syndrome. Down syndrome is a condition, which is characterized by intellectual disabilities and the condition is untreatable. The study was carried out to determine the growing environment for children with Down syndrome that can improve their intellectual abilities (Begenisic, 2015). In this study, several children with Down syndrome and their parents were the participants who were used in the process of data collection. The study showed that enrichment of environment improved visual and intellectual abilities for children with Down syndrome. Children with Down syndrome require that they are involved in conversations where they feel free, and in the process, their intellectual abilities improve. Children with Down syndrome should be taken to specific special schools where their growth environment is enriched to improve their intellectual abilities.

In 2017, a research was carried out to study sustained vowels and voice quality for individuals with Down syndrome. Spectrograms and perturbation data was used to analyze voice quality for individuals with Down syndrome. Acoustic measures of voice quality in people with Down syndrome do not reflect perceived voice qualities. Spectral data and acoustic data in this study were used to investigate the relationship between perceived voice qualities and acoustic measures (Bronman, 2017). The participants in this research included four young adults with Down syndrome where two of the participants were males, and the other two were females with learning disabilities. Participants imitated sustained /i/, /u/ and /a/ vowels at predetermined target pitches within their vocal range. The data collected was analyzed using fundamental frequency, harmonics-to-noise ratio, jitter and shimmer. Spectrograms were used to analyze the presence and the duration of sub harmonics at onset and offset and mid- vowel. The results of the data showed the perturbations data were highest for /a/ vowels and lowest for /u/ vowels. The study concluded that acoustic measures of voice quality do not reflect voice qualities for people with Down syndrome. The study suggested that further research is required to confirm the findings in the wider Down syndrome population and to assess the relationships between voice quality, vowel type, and physiological measures.

Another research that was aimed at understanding hearing disabilities, which affect communication skills for children with Down syndrome, was carried out. The study evaluated the prevalence of permanent hearing and transient hearing loss for children with Down syndrome (Nightengale, 2017). In the study, three hundred and eight children were involved in the process of data collection. One hundred and sixty of the children were boys while the other one hundred and forty were girls and all the participants had received an audio logical evaluation in 2013 as part of their healthcare. The data obtained was analyzed using retrospective analysis method, and results were obtained. The research found that about 25% of the children used in the exercise experienced hearing loss while an estimated 30% of the participants experienced transient hearing loss. There was no statistical difference between ethnicity and hearing loss for the children with Down syndrome. Treatments can be used to enhance hearing abilities for children with Down syndrome hence improving their communication skills. The research concluded that hearing loss was familiar to the children with Down syndrome and a treatment plan can be used to improve their hearing capabilities.

Spontaneous use of gestures for children with Down syndrome predicts future vocabulary development. A study was carried out in 2017 to establish how the use of gestures for children with Down syndrome relate to their future vocabulary development of the children (ÖZÇALIŞKAN, 2016). The researcher had a research question to establish whether gestures play a role in predicting later vocabulary size in children with Down syndrome, who have shown difficulties in speech production while young. In the research twenty-three children with Down syndrome was used in the process of data collection. The gestures and signs used by the children were examined and later compared to the expressive spoken vocabulary of the children one year later. The results of the research revealed that children with Down syndrome who shows strong use of sign language and gestures develop expressive spoken vocabulary in the future. The results of the research also highlighted that body gestures are essential for the development of language skills for children with Down syndrome. Parents who are taking care of children with Down syndrome should take the responsibility of coaching and encouraging their children to use gestures. Use of gestures will then help the children to develop language and communication abilities.

A structured relationship between parents and children with Down syndrome promote communication and language development for the children. A research was carried out whose objective was to assess parent-mediated interventions, which improve communication and language development for children with Down syndrome. Participants in the research were the children with Down syndrome and their parents. Meta-analysis method was used to analyze the data collected (O’Toole, 2016). The data showed the various ways, which parents use to deliver mediated interventions for the growth of their children with Down syndrome. The data obtained also showed how frequent the parents deliver mediated interventions to their children and the outcomes. The research showed that parents who continuously use mediated-interventions improved communication and language skills for their children with Down syndrome more quickly. Children with Down syndrome require support from their parents to improve their communication abilities. The research suggested that parents should coach their children with Down syndrome on how to communicate by actively involving them in physical activities. More research needs to be done on the use of gestures and development of communication skills for the children with Down syndrome.

Focus of Investigation

Overall, the communicative aspect being inspected in this study is that of communicating effectively with individuals with Down syndrome. The study gives insight into the effectiveness of the instructor’s communication with a child with Down syndrome. The study assesses the responses obtained from both the instructor and the child during a training session. The study aims at creating understandability between the two parties to enable a smooth relationship between the ordinary people and the individuals with Down syndrome. The video clip being analyzed gives an experience of a child appearing to have Down syndrome and their instructor. Most of the behavior shown by that child seems healthy, and it only takes a keen individual to notice any disability with the child. The behavior analyzed is the response got from communicating with a child living with Down syndrome and the right communication to hold with an individual living with Down syndrome. The instructor attempts to train the child to do some painting on objects given to him. The video captures several character traits of a child living with Down syndrome. In most of the times, the child is heard repeating confidently the instructions given by the instructor. The behavior of the child is in line with the character traits of people living with Down syndrome that, they take time before processing the information given to them. The instructor seems conversant and comfortable in dealing with people living with Down syndrome and does not appear to give up on the child. The study aims at showing how politeness in the communication with people living with Down syndrome achieves success for both parties involved. Also, the patience that is required to deal with people living with Down syndrome is seen in the way the instructor behaves around the child. The study, therefore, focuses on specifying the role of patience in dealing with individuals living with Down syndrome.

Analysis and Interpretation

Communication with people with Down syndrome requires patient and understanding individuals. Individuals affected by Down syndrome always show behaviors which could easily be mistaken for rudeness and pretence. For example, people with Down syndrome appear to be forgetful and have difficulties grasping concepts (Chang, Lou, & Cheng, 2017). A video is analyzed hereby, of a child who appears to be affected with Down syndrome. The caregiver seems to be well conversant with dealing with individuals who have Down syndrome without getting embarrassed or giving up on the child. The caregiver is trying to train the child on some concepts, probably color painting. The child could be heard making some rather deliberate repetition of the words said by the instructor, a case that would be interpreted as being rude if the instructor did not understand the condition of the child. Also, the child seems to be taking some time before grasping some concepts. In a specific instance, the instructor warns the child against licking some object; however, the child takes the purpose towards the mouth and then seems to remember the warning given some few minutes ago and then stops licking the object. The instructor seems to have a friendly way of communicating with the child. An analysis of the communication with an individual with Down syndrome is useful to individuals who might be responsible for dealing with individuals with Down syndrome.

The first important point to note before starting communication with a person with Down syndrome is that Down syndrome is not a disease. Down syndrome is only an error that happens during the development of chromosomes and should not be taken as a severe disability (Johansson et al. 2017). In addressing an individual with Down syndrome, the communicator should first be aware that the target is well aware of the condition. Communication with an individual with Down syndrome should thus take a person-first procedure in that; the person should be recognized first, then the condition later. People with Down syndrome constantly need to be assured that people communicating to them value their personality above the condition. The caregiver in the video has several activities to do to make the child comfortable. The zeal to work for the child is motivated by the fact that the child is human and needs a caring person around. The bond that is visible between the caregiver and the child appears to have grown from the ability of the caregiver to put the needs of the child before the challenges posed by the condition. The confrontation did when the child appears to misbehave also seen to be polite and well organized.

Communication with individuals with Down syndrome requires patience. Any individual dealing with an individual with Down syndrome should understand that individuals with Down syndrome have the same understanding capability as ordinary people, only that they need some time to interpret the information passed. Under appropriate circumstances, people with Down syndrome will require at least ten seconds to process any information passed to them (Brown, & Duguid, 2017). An individual dealing with people having Down syndrome should be patient enough to give the time required before receiving a response from someone with Down syndrome. As seen in the clip, the instructor gives some instructions to the child and then leaves to undertake some other duties as the child tries to connect the instructions given. The child seems to be putting extra efforts by repeating the instructions given by speaking them out loudly and confidently. The use of polite language by the instructor proves that she is not upset by the child’s slow understanding. People with Down syndrome need to be surrounded by people who understand their condition and try to make life much more comfortable.

People with Down syndrome require clear directions. In addressing people with Down syndrome, giving specifics is crucial in helping them achieve set goals. People with Down syndrome relate well to individuals who prefer ‘showing’ to ‘telling’.  In communicating with people with Down syndrome, individuals need to be clear and most importantly, concise in giving whatever directions as required. Also, people with Down syndrome tend to go Down well with positive people (Graaf, Levine, Goldstein & Skotko, 2019). Being positive in dealing with people with Down syndrome involves setting high expectations and giving encouragement to the potential held by them. In the clip analyzed in this study, the instructor gives specific directions concerning what has to be done by the child. For example, the instructor paints an object the way she needs the child to do then provide another object to be painted. The instructor appears positive in the way she treats the child and keeps on encouraging the child concerning the potential to do a good job. The success in the communication between the instructor and the child is motivated by the fact that the instructor seems experienced in making the child feel included in the whole activity taking place.

Down syndrome is not only associated with weaknesses alone. People with Down syndrome tend to have excellent grammar and vocabulary compared with normal people. The strength in grammar is associated with the ability to create information carefully by developing pictures first, and then creating a language from the pictures created. The strength in language can be used to create confidence while dealing with individuals with Down syndrome and proving to them that they can engage in the activities that everyone participates in the undertaking.

Recommendations and Conclusions

The evidence from the video provides additional evidence to the information provided in the literature review. However, the conclusions made from the analysis may suffer a setback in that the different researchers were motivated by different factors to carry out the researches. The conclusions made in the different studies could have been affected by personal opinions and thus could provide biased decisions. Also, conclusions could have been affected by the affection of the researchers towards people living with Down syndrome.

From the video, it is evident that people with Down syndrome need to be treated positively. People communicating with individuals with Down syndrome should be patient and polite. Also, confronting people with Down syndrome should be done politely to avoid unnecessary disagreements, which would lead to unsuccessful communication. On successful communication, individuals living with Down syndrome appear to grasp concepts more effectively. The only challenge that faces the training of an individual with Down syndrome is the requirement that the individuals require time to process information given to them. Individuals living with Down syndrome always want to be on the receiving end of the communication.

The type of communication in the video gives partial information concerning communication with people living with Down syndrome. The communication in the clip appears to be biased in the treatment of the parties involved in the communication set up. For example, every event in the video seems to be done in favor of the child with Down syndrome and no consideration is given to the instructor’s position in the communication. The success of communicating with people living with Down syndrome depends on the consideration given on both parties involved. For example, the people living with Down syndrome should not be allowed to take advantage of their condition to exploit the people taking care of them. The people communicating should only go to the extent to which they feel comfortable communicating with the individuals living with Down syndrome. A communication barrier could come up if an instructor feels intimated by an individual living with Down syndrome.

The communication with an individual living with Down syndrome should be in a well-set environment. For example, the instructor seems to be getting tools for the training, a situation that gives the instructor some challenges in the process of dealing with the child living with Down syndrome. The stage for holding a communication, or training an individual with Down syndrome should be well set to avoid creating unnecessary movements that would make the instructor tired and thus affect the effectiveness of the communication.

Reflection

The analysis method is employed in such a way that several studies are analyzed and evidence related to the video to minimize cases of bias that could affect the conclusions. The analysis of the video is done with restrictions obtained from the evidence from the literature. The study is done to ascertain the validity of the claims by different studies concerning the behavior of people living with Down syndrome. Personal experiences with people living with Down syndrome could have affected the analysis by creating over-expectations from the instructor. For example, the expectation that the instructor would feel bored or give up on the child could have led to the conclusion that instructors to people living with Down syndrome should be patient. The problem of bias due to personal experience is however minimized by relating the evidence from the literature review and the evidence on the video clip.

The nature of interpretation by the instructor plays a critical role in successful communication with the child. The instructor does not appear to have a harsh critique of the response by the child. For example, the child tries to lick the objects to be used for painting. However, the instructor discourages the child from continuing with the behavior politely. The study takes sufficient measures to avoid instances of personal contribution to the conclusions made. For example, the fact that a researcher could have an enlightened mind before watching is taken care of by going through the existing literature. The review of the literature gives an idea of what the researcher is supposed to observe while watching the video clip.

References

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