Rosangela Viana Andrade

A emergência da comunicação expressiva na criança com síndrome de Down

BACKGROUND expressive communication in the child with Down syndrome (DS). AIM this study had as a purpose the qualitative and quantitative analyses of the different forms of communication in children with DS; the emergence of oral expression and its relationship with the use of gestures; the development of gestures and their qualification; the effectiveness of the dialectic-didactic method, based on the clinical method proposed by Piaget, as a form of speech-language intervention. METHOD participants of this study were eight children with DS (ages between 33 and 52 months at the beginning of the research) - four composing the research group (RG) and four composing the control group one (CG1); and four children with normal development ND (ages between 14 and 16 months at the beginning of the research) - control group number two (CG2). All children presented cognitive development classified between the final sensory motor stage and the beginning of the pre-operational stage, and were assessed three times during a period of 12 months: initial, after six months and after twelve months. All assessments were recorded and transcribed. Toys, appropriate to the cognitive stage of the children, were used as materials during the assessments. The therapeutic process, exclusively for the RG, consisted of 40 therapy sessions, using similar materials to those used at during the assessments. RESULTS children in the RG developed better than children in CG1. Children who expressed themselves better were those who presented a better cognitive development. CONCLUSION it was possible to confirm the effectiveness of the dialectic-didactic method as a therapy method, shown through the language development of the RG when compared to GC1.

Utilização de substantivos e verbos por crianças com síndrome de Down em duas situações diferentes

PURPOSE: To verify the use of nouns and verbs by children with Down syndrome and to compare this use between conditions of interaction with the mother and the Speech-language pathologist (SLP). METHODS: Participants were 21 children aged between 5 and 11 years, divided into three groups, according to chronological and mental age as established by the results of the Primary Tests of Nonverbal Intelligence. The speech sample was obtained through free interaction situations that were videotaped during session of 30 minutes and transcribed in specific protocols. The first 100 utterances from the first five minutes were used. The interval between each situation ranged from 7 to 15 days. T-test and analysis of variance were used for statistical analysis and the significance level adopted was of 5%. RESULTS: More verbs than nouns were used in both conditions; however, a higher number of nouns were observed during the interaction with the SLP. The between-group comparison in the interaction with the SLP shows significant differences for verbs and nouns, but during the interaction with the mother, there was tendency for difference only for the verbs. CONCLUSION: The data indicate the growing development on using of nouns and verbs according to the increase of age. There was a higher use of verbs when compared with nouns mainly in the condition of interaction with the SLP.PURPOSE To verify the use of nouns and verbs by children with Down syndrome and to compare this use between conditions of interaction with the mother and the Speech-language pathologist (SLP). METHODS Participants were 21 children aged between 5 and 11 years, divided into three groups, according to chronological and mental age as established by the results of the Primary Tests of Nonverbal Intelligence. The speech sample was obtained through free interaction situations that were videotaped during session of 30 minutes and transcribed in specific protocols. The first 100 utterances from the first five minutes were used. The interval between each situation ranged from 7 to 15 days. T-test and analysis of variance were used for statistical analysis and the significance level adopted was of 5%. RESULTS More verbs than nouns were used in both conditions; however, a higher number of nouns were observed during the interaction with the SLP. The between-group comparison in the interaction with the SLP shows significant differences for verbs and nouns, but during the interaction with the mother, there was tendency for difference only for the verbs. CONCLUSION The data indicate the growing development on using of nouns and verbs according to the increase of age. There was a higher use of verbs when compared with nouns mainly in the condition of interaction with the SLP.

O uso da comunicação suplementar e/ou alternativa no trabalho com a morfossintaxe em adolescentes com Síndrome de Down

Purpose to present and to discuss the use of augmentative and alternative communication as a therapeutic tool with the morphosyntax with adolescents with Down syndrome. Methods this pilot study monitored during 12 months four adolescents chronologically aged between 13 and 15 years and mentally aged between 5 and 6 years. It were analyzed the initial and the final assessments, situations of free interaction between the participant and the caregiver videotaped during 30 minutes. The speech samples were analyzed as MLU values considering morphemes and words, comparing both the two situations. All of the participants were submitted to the same procedures during the therapeutic interventions. Picture Communication Symbols (PCS) has been used and the symbols were organized according to a simple syntactic structure (substantive + verb + complement) with a gradual extension, and the elements were rated at the following order: articles, prepositions, pronouns (personals, possessives and demonstratives), and conjunctions. Each therapeutic session was recorded in specific protocol. It was used the Wilcoxon test and the p value considered was 5%. Results spites there were no statistical significant differences, increase in number of morphemes and words used between the both assessments was observed. This improve was represented by the worked elements, including prepositions and conjunctions beyond substantives and verbs. For personal pronouns there was tendency to significance (p=0,068). Conclusion the communication system showed to be a therapeutic tool to improve the use of syntactic elements in statement structures, as articles, prepositions and conjunctions, which use for individuals with Down syndrome are difficult.

As noções de classificação e seriação na criança com síndrome de Down

PURPOSE: To characterize the development of classification and seriation notions in children with Down syndrome. METHODS: The sample was composed of 15 children with chronological ages between five and 13 years old. Subjects were placed in the pre-operational period of cognitive development and arranged in three egalitarian groups, according to their mental age. Mean mental ages were 3.4 years for G1, 4.3 years for G2, and 5.4 years for G3, as measured by the Primary Test of Nonverbal Intelligence (PTONI), administered in a different session than the others tasks. Children were submitted to classification tasks using non-figurative and figurative materials, and seriation tasks using bowls and sticks of different sizes. Subjects were individually assessed in different sessions for classification and seriation tasks, with no previously established order. All sessions were registered in video and transcribed in specific protocols. RESULTS: Statistically significant differences between G1 and G3 were observed for figural classification, with a higher use by G1 and no use by G3, and for non-figural classification with semantic characteristics with a lower use by G1 and a higher use by G3. For seriation, statistically significant results were obtained for comparisons between G1 and G3 regarding the empirical kind, and for comparisons between G3 and the other groups regarding the intermediate kind. Operational seriation was observed only for G3. CONCLUSION: Within- and between-group analysis showed the progressive and cumulative character of classification and seriation notions. Moreover, the studied children followed the same acquisition order observed in typical development. Clinical Trials registration # NCT00952354.