A profile of spatial abilities in people with Down syndrome.
A Bracken, J Hauss, S Grinshpun and 3 others
PMID 38072820WHAT IT FOUND
People with Down syndrome showed uneven spatial abilities compared to ability-matched children.
They struggled significantly with understanding horizontality and verticality, and with mentally rotating objects. However, their skills in recognizing static shapes and taking visual perspectives were similar to their matched peers.
Key findings
01Participants with Down syndrome performed worse than ability-matched controls on tasks requiring understanding of horizontality and verticality (Cart task) and mental rotation.
02Performance was similar between groups for tasks involving static intrinsic skills (Figure Ground, Form Completion) and dynamic extrinsic skills (Three Mountain, Dog Task).
03Statistical analysis confirmed significant weaknesses in the Static-Extrinsic and Dynamic-Intrinsic categories, but no significant differences in the other two categories.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The groups were matched on nonverbal ability, not chronological age, so the findings describe performance relative to cognitive level, not age. A large portion of data was collected online due to the pandemic, which may affect the generalizability of results to in-person settings. Some tasks, particularly the Water Level and Cart tasks, were very difficult for both groups, potentially limiting the sensitivity of those measures. The sample size was moderate (40 per group), and missing data required truncating sample sizes for some analyses.
Declared interests
The authors declared no competing interests. The study was supported by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the 'ability-matched' comparison as evidence that individuals with Down syndrome have age-appropriate spatial skills. The study found that adults with Down syndrome performed at or below the level of 4- to 9-year-old children on these tasks, indicating a significant developmental delay despite matching on nonverbal IQ.