Adaptive Skills and School Readiness in Children With Down Syndrome

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of adaptive skills on school readiness in children with Down syndrome. Children with Down syndrome experience a variety motor and cognitive deficits (Bull, 2011; Safford, 2008). Combined, these deficits place children with Down syndrome at risk for developmental delays limiting their ability to enter the school system with their same age peers.

DESIGN: This descriptive study recruited 12 (6 male, 6 female; ages 4-6) participants with Down syndrome for a laboratory school serving children ages 2-6 with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Participants were assessed during their weekly occupational therapy sessions.

METHOD: To assess adaptive skills, parents of the participants completed the Vineland II. The Vineland II focuses on several relevant areas including communication, daily living skills, socialization, motor skills, and maladaptive or behavior index. School readiness was objectively assessed with the International Development and Early Learning Assessment (IDELA) by an occupational therapist and a pre-occupational therapy student. The IDELA measures motor development, language, problem solving, and socio-emotional skills. Pearson product correlations were used to look at relationships between various adaptive skills and components of school readiness. Linear regression was used to look at various adaptive skills as predictors of overall school readiness.

RESULTS: Expressive communication skills (r = 0.7, p<0.05) and personal daily living skills (r = 0.68, p<0.05) had the strongest relationship to overall school readiness. Together, those two variables explained 48% of the variance for school readiness. Normative scores show participants were delayed in their expressive language, receptive language, and personal daily living skills.

CONCLUSIONS: Children with Down syndrome often experience global developmental delays. These delays can include motor, cognitive, and social skills. Results of this study suggest pre-school children with Down syndrome are delayed in expressive language, receptive language, and personal daily living skills. As a result of these delays, preschool children with Down syndrome might not be ready to start kindergarten. Occupational therapists are uniquely positioned to help children with Down syndrome and their families’ develop treatment programs to increase meaningful engagement and readiness for school participation.

IMPACT STATEMENT: A common area of concern for families of children with Down syndrome is school readiness. Occupational therapists are uniquely positioned to help children with Down syndrome and their families’ develop treatment programs to increase meaningful engagement and readiness for school participation.

References

Bull, M., & Comm Genetics. (2011). Clinical report-health supervision for children with Down syndrome. Pediatrics, 128(2), 393-406. doi:10.1542/peds.2011-1605

Ivic, S. (2016). Communication Skills of a Child with Down Syndrome at the End of the First Grade of Elementary School. Journal of Education and Practice, 7(23), 19-28.

Pentimonti, J. M., Murphy, K. A., Justice, L. M., Logan, J. A. R., & Kaderavek, J. N. (2016). School readiness of children with language impairment: Predicting literacy skills from pre-literacy and social-behavioural dimensions: Models of school readiness. International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders, 51(2), 148-161. doi:10.1111/1460-6984.12193