Language in Down Syndrome: A Life-Span Perspective

Jean-Adolphe Rondal, Ph.D.
University of Liege, Belgium



Course Prerequisites:  
Basic knowledge of developmental psycholinguistics and intellectual disabilities.

Course Description:  

1.    Aspects of language development in Down syndrome (4 hours).
2.    Exceptional cases of language development in intellectual disability and Down syndrome (2 hours).
3.    Language in ageing persons with Down syndrome and probable Alzheimer disease (2 hours).
4.    Language intervention in Down syndrome (2 hours).

Reading List


1.    Rondal, JA., & Edwards, S. (1997). Language in mental retardation. London: Whurr Publishers.

2.    Thordardottir, E., Chapman, R., & Wagner, L. (2002). Complex sentence production by adolescents with Down syndrome. Applied Psycholinguistics, 23 (2), 163-183.

3.    Rondal, J.A. (2003). Atypical language development in individual with mental retardation: Theoretical implications. In L. Abbeduto (Ed.), Language and communication in mental retardation. International Review of Research in Mental Retardation (Vol. 27, pp. 281- 308). New York: Academic Press.

4.    Rondal, J.A., Ylieff, M., Elbouz, M., & Docquier, L. (2003). Françoise: A fifteen-year follow up. Down Syndrome, 8 (3), 89-99.

5.    Rondal, J.A., & Buckley, S. (2003). Principles of language intervention. In J.A. Rondal & S. Buckley (Eds.), Speech and language intervention in Down syndrome (pp. 1-10). London: Whurr Publishers.

Class Material

Longitudinal Language Intervention in Down Syndrome (Powerpoint Presentation)