A Study of Functional Literacy Skills in Young Adults with Down Syndrome

Bochner, Sandra; Outhred, Lynne; Pieterse, Moira

doi:10.1080/10349120120036314

Cited by 58 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…Most studies of reading in individuals with DS report that a number of the participants cannot read any words at all. The number of nonreaders varies from study to study, probably depending on cohort, recruiting strategies, and local educational opportunities for children with DS [e.g., Sheppardson, 1994;Bochner et al, 2001;Glenn and Cunningham, 2001;Cardoso-Martins et al, 2002;Laws and Gunn, 2002;Turner and Alborz, 2003;Fidler et al, 2005a]. Further, among those who can read words, most are in the beginning stages of reading.…”

Section: Literacymentioning

confidence: 98%

Language development in Down syndrome: From the prelinguistic period to the acquisition of literacy

Abbeduto¹,

Warren²,

Conners³

2007

Ment. Retard. Dev. Disabil. Res. Rev.

345

258

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Down syndrome (DS) is associated with abnormalities in multiple organ systems and a characteristic phenotype that includes numerous behavioral features. Language, however, is among the most impaired domains of functioning in DS and, perhaps, also the greatest barrier to independent meaningful inclusion in the community. In this article, we review what is known about the extent, nature, and correlates of the language and related problems of individuals with Down syndrome. In doing so, we focus largely on the syndrome-specific features of the language phenotype, although we also consider within-syndrome variation. The review focuses on the prelinguistic foundations of language and the major components of language (i.e., vocabulary, syntax, and pragmatics). We also consider two topics in the treatment and education of individuals with DS: prelinguistic communication intervention and the acquisition of literacy skills.

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Section: Literacymentioning

confidence: 98%

Language development in Down syndrome: From the prelinguistic period to the acquisition of literacy

Abbeduto¹,

Warren²,

Conners³

2007

Ment. Retard. Dev. Disabil. Res. Rev.

345

258

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…There is a growing body of knowledge about their literacy development, and the need for continued literacy learning that builds on the academic skills that they have been developing throughout their school years and beyond (Farrell and Elkins 1994, Moni and Jobling 2001, Bochner et al 2001, Morgan et al 2004.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘They’re a lot cleverer than I thought’: challenging perceptions of disability support staff as they tutor in an adult literacy program

Moni

Jobling

Kraayenoord

2007

International Journal of Lifelong Education

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Being literate empowers individuals to be effective consumers, to be informed about lifestyle options, to read aesthetically for relaxation and enjoyment and to further their knowledge of people and places that can enable them to participate more fully in communities. However, there are limited literacy opportunities and programs specifically designed to meet the needs of individuals with intellectual disabilities across their lifespan. The aim of this Australian National Training Authority funded project was to develop and implement a training, teaching and resource package for the development of literacy for adults with intellectual disabilities. The aim of this project was to assess, develop, train and assist support staff in two community-based services for clients with intellectual disabilities to act as literacy tutors for their clients. The project was undertaken within two disability-service programs using an applied action research approach. The results indicated that the tutors learnt much about tutoring and about the literacy abilities of their clients. There was some initial resistance from the tutors about the value of literacy learning for their clients. However, resistance decreased as tutors developed confidence, and clients demonstrated interest, engagement and skills in the activities. Implications for the effectiveness of such programs lie in the needs to tailor any training specifically to the needs of the support staff; and to provide time for implementation, on-going support and access to appropriate resources.

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“…For example, Bochner et al (2001) investigated the functional literacy skills of 30 individuals with Down syndrome (ages 18 to 36) who lived at home with their families. They found a positive relationship between literacy development and age for participants born after 1970, and between literacy development and school placement for participants who spent all or most of their school careers in general education or partially integrated classrooms located in regular schools.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Home and community literacy experiences of individuals with Down syndrome

Trenholm¹,

Mirenda²

2006

Downs Syndr. Res. Pract.

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-This exploratory survey was conducted to gain a detailed understanding of the home and community literacy experiences of children, adolescents and adults with Down syndrome. The data were collected from 224 parents/guardians across Canada who were asked to indicate literacy goals and priorities for their children with Down syndrome, the literacy resources they and their children utilised at home and in the community, perceived barriers to their children's literacy attainment, and solutions for alleviating the barriers. The results were analysed according to age when appropriate, in order to better understand the course of literacy development. Overall, the number of respondents who indicated their children with Down syndrome could read and write appeared to be consistent with previously published estimates, including the number reporting advanced reading levels. The wide range of reading and writing materials observed in use at home appeared to be greater than the range of materials actually used by children with Down syndrome. Relatively few of the parents who read storybooks to their children reported asking higher-level questions, suggesting that some parents might benefit from support in this activity. Many respondents reported using the library, and many expressed concerns about the quality and scarcity of literacy programs. The results are discussed with regard to their implications for how parents, caregivers, teachers, and program providers can encourage literacy development in persons with Down syndrome, and suggestions for future research.

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A Study of Functional Literacy Skills in Young Adults with Down Syndrome

Cited by 58 publications

References 19 publications

Language development in Down syndrome: From the prelinguistic period to the acquisition of literacy

Language development in Down syndrome: From the prelinguistic period to the acquisition of literacy

‘They’re a lot cleverer than I thought’: challenging perceptions of disability support staff as they tutor in an adult literacy program

Home and community literacy experiences of individuals with Down syndrome

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