Addressing phonological memory in language therapy with clients who have Down syndrome: Perspectives of speech-language pathologists.
Gayle G Faught, Frances A Conners, Angela B Barber and 1 others
PMID 27150499WHAT IT FOUND
Speech-language pathologists who worked with clients with Down syndrome were least likely to address memory for speech sounds, compared with clients with specific language impairment or autism.
Almost half addressed it occasionally or regularly.
Key findings
01Almost half of the speech-language pathologists who worked with clients who have Down syndrome reported addressing phonological memory occasionally or regularly.
02Of the three client types surveyed, clients with Down syndrome were the least likely to have phonological memory addressed in language therapy.
03SLPs were less likely to report using all three phonological memory approaches with clients who have Down syndrome (27.8%) than with clients who have specific language impairment (45.2%) or autism (43.0%).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The response rate was unknown because the number of invited speech-language pathologists was not known. The sample was geographically uneven, with a large share from southern states and the District of Columbia. All findings were based on self-report, so SLPs may have guessed, forgotten or not recognised what they do as phonological memory work. The survey did not observe therapy sessions, so reported practice may not match actual practice. The paper reports current practices and opinions, not whether phonological memory techniques improve language outcomes.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these reported strategies as proven ways to improve language in Down syndrome. The paper surveyed speech-language pathologists' practices and opinions; it did not test whether addressing phonological memory changes language outcomes.