For individuals with Down syndrome, the most common genetic mental retardation syndrome, research is converging on a cognitive profile consisting of poor verbal working memory and relatively stronger visuo-spatial processing. The implications of this research point to changes in the way children with Down syndrome are taught. Yet this information has remained relatively under-utilized by practitioners, possibly because the visuo-spatial processing relative strength remains poorly understood. In this application, the investigator proposes to:
in Specific Aim 1, describe the strengths and weaknesses within the visuo-spatial relative strength in Down syndrome; and in Specific Aim 2, explore the relationship between performance on domains within visuo-spatial processing and other domains of processing (i.e. verbal working memory, auditory processing, expressive vocabulary, reading/decoding, logic). In subsequent research endeavors, the investigator also plans to identify strategies for improving auditory-dependent outcomes in Down syndrome (such as language acquisition) through the relative strength in visuo-spatial processing.
| Hahn, Laura J; Fidler, Deborah J; Hepburn, Susan L et al. (2013) Early intersubjective skills and the understanding of intentionality in young children with Down syndrome. Res Dev Disabil 34:4455-65 |
| Fidler, Deborah J; Hepburn, Susan L; Mankin, Galit et al. (2005) Praxis skills in young children with Down syndrome, other developmental disabilities, and typically developing children. Am J Occup Ther 59:129-38 |
| Fidler, Deborah J; Most, David E; Guiberson, Mark M (2005) Neuropsychological correlates of word identification in Down syndrome. Res Dev Disabil 26:487-501 |
