TY - JOUR
T1 - Cross-sectional trajectories of mental state language development in children with down syndrome
AU - Channell, Marie Moore
N1 - Funding Information:
Funding was provided by the National Institutes of Health through Grant R03HD083596 (PI: Channell). I would like to
Funding Information:
express my gratitude first to the families who participated in this research and to the many regional Down syndrome community groups who supported recruitment efforts and provided data collection space. I thank National Institutes of Health’s DS-Connect and the University of Alabama’s Intellectual Disabilities Participant Registry for supporting recruitment efforts. I also thank the numerous students and staff who assisted with this project, including Emily Stratton, who led recruitment efforts, and Shealyn Ashby, Lauren Siragusa, Caitlyn Boni, and Adrianne Howe, who served as examiners. Finally, I thank my Co-Investigator, Leonard Abbeduto, for his research guidance and Danielle Harvey for her guidance on data analysis for this project at the University of California–Davis MIND Institute (supported by National Institutes of Health Grant U54HD079125; PI: Abbeduto).
Funding Information:
Funding was provided by the National Institutes of Health through Grant R03HD083596 (PI: Channell). I would like to express my gratitude first to the families who participated in this research and to the many regional Down syndrome community groups who supported recruitment efforts and provided data collection space. I thank National Institutes of Health?s DS-Connect and the University of Alabama?s Intellectual Disabilities Participant Registry for supporting recruitment efforts. I also thank the numerous students and staff who assisted with this project, including Emily Stratton, who led recruitment efforts, and Shealyn Ashby, Lauren Siragusa, Caitlyn Boni, and Adrianne Howe, who served as examiners. Finally, I thank my Co-Investigator, Leonard Abbeduto, for his research guidance and Danielle Harvey for her guidance on data analysis for this project at the University of California?Davis MIND Institute (supported by National Institutes of Health Grant U54HD079125; PI: Abbeduto).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
PY - 2020/5
Y1 - 2020/5
N2 - Purpose: This article (a) examined the cross-sectional trajectories of mental state language use in children with Down syndrome (DS) and (b) identified developmental factors associated with its use. Method: Forty children with DS aged 6–11 years generated stories from a wordless picture book and completed an assessment battery of other linguistic, cognitive, and social– emotional skills. Their narratives were coded for mental state language density (the proportion of utterances containing mental state references) and diversity (the number of different mental state terms used). Results: The emergence of mental state language use during narrative storytelling was observed across the sample; 0%– 24% of children’s utterances included references to mental states, and a variety of mental state terms were produced. Cross-sectional developmental trajectory analysis revealed that expressive vocabulary and morphosyntax were significantly related to increased mental state language density and diversity. Nonverbal emotion knowledge was significantly related to greater diversity of mental state terms used. Age and nonverbal cognition were not significant factors. Conclusions: This first in-depth, within-syndrome characterization of mental state language use by school-age children with DS provides an important next step for understanding mental state and narrative development in this population. By identifying skills associated with the development of mental state language, this study provides an avenue for future longitudinal research to determine causal relationships, ultimately informing intervention efforts.
AB - Purpose: This article (a) examined the cross-sectional trajectories of mental state language use in children with Down syndrome (DS) and (b) identified developmental factors associated with its use. Method: Forty children with DS aged 6–11 years generated stories from a wordless picture book and completed an assessment battery of other linguistic, cognitive, and social– emotional skills. Their narratives were coded for mental state language density (the proportion of utterances containing mental state references) and diversity (the number of different mental state terms used). Results: The emergence of mental state language use during narrative storytelling was observed across the sample; 0%– 24% of children’s utterances included references to mental states, and a variety of mental state terms were produced. Cross-sectional developmental trajectory analysis revealed that expressive vocabulary and morphosyntax were significantly related to increased mental state language density and diversity. Nonverbal emotion knowledge was significantly related to greater diversity of mental state terms used. Age and nonverbal cognition were not significant factors. Conclusions: This first in-depth, within-syndrome characterization of mental state language use by school-age children with DS provides an important next step for understanding mental state and narrative development in this population. By identifying skills associated with the development of mental state language, this study provides an avenue for future longitudinal research to determine causal relationships, ultimately informing intervention efforts.
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U2 - 10.1044/2020_AJSLP-19-00035
DO - 10.1044/2020_AJSLP-19-00035
M3 - Article
C2 - 32293911
AN - SCOPUS:85084721979
SN - 1058-0360
VL - 29
SP - 760
EP - 775
JO - American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology
JF - American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology
IS - 2
ER -