Intelligibility of Speech in Children with down Syndrome in Natural Settings: Parents' Perspective

1994/02/01 by Libby Kumin
Health Professions · Psychology · Social Sciences · #Assistive Technology in Communication and Mobility #Disability Education and Employment #Language Development and Disorders

paper · doi:10.2466/pms.1994.78.1.307

crossref issued 1994/02/01 · crossref published 1994/02/01 · crossref published-online 1994/02/01 · crossref published-print 1994/02/01 · openalex publication_date 1994/02/01 · crossref created 2011/08/31 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · crossref deposited 2026/05/01 · crossref indexed 2026/07/30 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/31

Abstract

Data collected from 937 parent questionnaires regarding intelligibility of speech in children with Down syndrome were analyzed. Intelligibility was a wide-spread problem. Parents reported evidence of difficulties classified as oral motor skills, motor programming skills, and specific speech skills. Children experienced greater difficulty with sentences and in conversation than with single words. Intelligibility problems were more frequent when the child was conversing with unfamiliar adults. The implications of these findings for clinical assessment and remediation are discussed.

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