Down syndrome and parental depression: A double hit on early expressive language development.
Hana D'Souza, Amanda Lathan, Annette Karmiloff-Smith and 1 others
PMID 32192950WHAT IT FOUND
Children with Down syndrome whose parents had depression showed a slower rate of expressive language growth in the first four years.
This delay was specific to speaking; understanding, motor skills and visual reception were unaffected. Screening for parental depression may help identify families needing extra language support.
Key findings
01Parental depression was associated with a slower rate of expressive language development in children with Down syndrome, measured by parent report.
02The association was specific to expressive language; no significant differences were found between groups in receptive language, gross motor, fine motor, or visual reception.
03Initial levels of expressive language (intercepts) did not differ between the Depression and No-depression groups; the difference was in the rate of growth over time.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study used a convenience sample, which may underestimate the true impact of depression if parents struggling most were unable to participate. Parental depression was determined by a simple yes/no report of diagnosis, without details on severity, duration, or timing. The expressive language finding in the parent-report measure was supported by a trend in the experimenter-led measure, but the experimenter-led result was not statistically significant. The sample size was small (38 children), limiting the power to detect effects in other developmental domains. It is unclear whether the association is due to environmental factors (like reduced interaction) or inherited genetic vulnerabilities.
Declared interests
The authors declared no competing interests.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume this study proves that treating parental depression will improve the child's language. The research shows an association between depression and slower language growth, but it did not test any interventions. Additionally, the finding was significant in parent-reported data but only a trend in the direct testing, so the evidence is not yet strong enough to change standard clinical protocols.