Evaluating Verbal Fluency Outcome Measures in Children With Down Syndrome.
Catelyn N Smeyne, Anna J Esbensen, Emily K Schworer and 4 others
PMID 36122330WHAT IT FOUND
Semantic fluency tasks work for children with Down syndrome over age 10, but phonemic tasks fail because many children cannot produce enough words.
Use category naming, not letter naming, for outcome measures in this population.
Key findings
01Semantic verbal fluency trials met feasibility criteria for children with Down syndrome aged 10 years and older, whereas phonemic trials did not.
02Limited verbal ability was the primary reason participants could not complete the verbal fluency tasks.
03Test-retest reliability was moderate to good for semantic trials and the phonemic /T/ trial, but poor for the phonemic /B/ trial.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample was racially and ethnically limited (primarily non-Hispanic Caucasian). There were few participants younger than 10 years (n = 22), limiting conclusions for this age group. The two-week test-retest interval may not reflect stability over longer periods typical of clinical trials. Ecological validity was not assessed; it is unknown how task performance relates to real-world communication.
Declared interests
The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume semantic fluency tasks are universally appropriate for all children with Down syndrome. The study found that feasibility and reliability were only adequate for children aged 10 and older, and even then, many younger children could not complete the tasks due to limited verbal abilities.