Personalized reading intervention for children with Down syndrome

Dynamic insights into research trends and trajectories in early reading: an analytical exploration via dynamic topic modeling

Introduction

Early reading has gained significant attention in the academic community. With the increasing volume of literature on this subject, it has become crucial to assess the current research landscape and identify emerging trends.

Methods

This study utilized the dynamic topic model to analyze a corpus of 1,638 articles obtained from the Web of Science Core Collection to furnish a lucid understanding of the prevailing research and forecast possible future directions.

Results

Our in-depth assessment discerned 11 cardinal topics, among which notable ones were interventions' impacts on early reading competencies; foundational elements of early reading: phonological awareness, letters, and, spelling; and early literacy proficiencies in children with autism spectrum disorder. Although most topics have received consistent research attention, there has been a marked increase in some topics' popularity, such as foundational elements of early reading and early literary proficiencies in children with autism spectrum disorder. Conversely, other topics exhibited a downturn.

Discussion

This analytical endeavor has yielded indispensable insights for scholars, decision-makers, and field practitioners, steering them toward pivotal research interrogatives, focal interest zones, and prospective research avenues. As per our extensive survey, this paper is a pioneering holistic purview of the seminal areas of early reading that highlights expected scholarly directions.

ABRACADABRA literacy instruction for children with Down syndrome via telepractice during COVID-19: A pilot study

BACKGROUND

COVID-19 has resulted in some educators and allied health practitioners transitioning to online delivery of literacy instruction. As far as we are aware, no studies have investigated online delivery of comprehensive literacy instruction for children with Down syndrome.

AIMS

In this pilot study, we explore the efficacy of online delivery of ABRACADABRA (a free literacy web application) for children with Down syndrome, alongside supplementary parent-led shared book reading, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

SAMPLE

Six children with Down syndrome, aged 8-12 years, participated in this within-participants design study.

METHODS

Participants acted as their own controls with outcome variables measured at three timepoints: baseline, pre-instruction and post-instruction. Children participated in 16-18 hrs of one-to-one literacy instruction online over a 6-week instruction phase, along with twice weekly parent-led shared book reading activities.

RESULTS

Outcomes from standardized assessments revealed statistically significant improvements in word- and passage-level reading accuracy skills over the instruction phase (pre-instruction to post-instruction) compared with the no-instruction control phase (baseline to pre-instruction). Improvements in reading comprehension skills were inconsistent across assessment measures and statistical analyses.

CONCLUSION

Children with Down syndrome can benefit from comprehensive literacy instruction delivered via telepractice. Our study provides critical initial evidence of successful service delivery during a global pandemic and beyond.

Language Intervention in Down Syndrome: A Systematic Literature Review

Language is one of the most affected areas in people with Down syndrome and is one of the most influential throughout their development. That is why the linguistic difficulties presented by this group are susceptible to treatment through different specific interventions. However, little emphasis has been placed on the effectiveness and importance of this type of intervention in improving their language skills. Therefore, this work aimed to carry out a systemic literature review of language intervention programs that have been carried out in the last 20 years. To this end, a total of 18 articles were analyzed in which the effectiveness of different types of treatment related to oral language, written language and communication, in general, was studied, using the guidelines of the PRISMA Statement and the COSMIN methodology. The results highlight that language intervention improves linguistic levels in people with Down Syndrome. Most of the research focuses on early interventions and interventions carried out through individual sessions. Nevertheless, the data are unanimous in considering the efficacy and effectiveness of the proposed treatments for improving the language skills of people with Down syndrome. Thus, linguistic intervention is a fundamental area of work throughout the lives of people with Down syndrome.

Reach Out and Read Implementation in a Pediatric Down Syndrome Clinic

INTRODUCTION

To examine the first Reach Out and Read (ROR) program in a pediatric Down syndrome (DS) clinic in the United States and the literacy behaviors of young children with DS and their families.

METHOD

This is a large cohort (n = 747) review of children with DS participating in ROR and a family literacy survey (n = 209). Data from the electronic medical records were included.

RESULT

On average, children with DS began independently reading at 6.15 years (standard deviation = 1.42). Overall, 36.7% of children with visual/audio impairments required additional encouragement. Time spent reading was impacted by the mother's education level. Differences were found among ROR participants with DS for reported favorite activity.

DISCUSSION

ROR is an important clinic-based literacy program for children with DS. Children with DS attain independent reading abilities similar to typically developing peers when provided appropriate resources. Additional support is needed to encourage reading enjoyment in this population.

Intensive computer-based phonics training in the educational setting of children with Down syndrome: An explorative study

Children with Down syndrome (DS) using intensive computer-based phonics (GraphoGame, GG) were studied. The children's independence and improvement in phonological processing, letter knowledge, word decoding, and reading strategies were investigated. Seventeen children (5-16 years) with DS participated in a crossover design through 8 weeks (one period), with three test sessions separated by 4 weeks. Children were randomly assigned to GG intervention or regular schooling (RS). All children completed one period and eight children completed two periods. A majority gradually became independent in managing GG. At the group level, very little benefit was found from working with GG. At the individual level, several children with mild to severe intellectual disabilities showed increased decoding of trained words. After one period of GG and RS, an increase in alphabetically decoded words was found. The finding suggests that when individual challenges are considered, computer-based phonics may be beneficial for children with DS in their educational setting.

Ed Zigler's developmental approach to intellectual disabilities: Past, present, and future contributions

Comprising two parts, Ed Zigler's developmental approach has greatly influenced how one conceptualizes children with intellectual disabilities (ID). In part one, Zigler championed a "two-group approach" concerning the cause of children's ID. He distinguished persons with a clear, organic cause of their ID from those displaying no clear cause. Members of this "organic" group often displayed IQs below 50 and co-occurring physical-medical conditions. The second, "cultural-familial" group, mostly showed IQs of 50-70, did not possess co-occurring physical or health problems, and often came from families of lower IQs and lower socioeconomic status. While the presence of these two groups has been supported, recent advances have also further differentiated the organic group, mostly in relation to behavioral phenotypes of persons with several genetic etiologies. In part two, Zigler championed the child with ID as a "whole person." Originally focused on the child's reactions to social deprivation and failure, recent studies directly examine parent-child, within-family, and wider system interactions throughout the life span. For decades a force within the ID field, Zigler's developmental approach to children with ID continues to influence researchers, interventionists, and policymakers.