Down Syndrome: The Measure of Intelligence

by Vicki Vila from Thoroughly Modern Messy:
What is considered intelligent varies with culture. For example, when asked to sort, the Kpelle people (a tribal ethnic group in Liberia and southern Guinea ) take a functional approach. A Kpelle participant stated “the knife goes with the orange because it cuts it.” When asked how a fool would sort, they sorted linguistically, putting the knife with other implements and the orange with other foods, which is the style considered intelligent in other cultures.
            Credit: Wikipedia: Glick (1975) reported in Resnick, L. (1976). The Nature of Intelligence. Hillsdale, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. 

Here’s what this has to do with my 4-year-old son with Down syndrome:

Because of his genetic anomaly, Trisomy 21, which means possessing three copies of the 21^st chromosome instead of two, my son and others like him have been deemed “intellectually disabled.” Or, a term that is thankfully falling out of favor even in medical circles, mentally retarded.

To come to this conclusion, researchers and psychologists have administered IQ tests that by and large are incapable of accurately determining the true abilities of people with Down syndrome. There are a number of reasons why they aren’t completely accurate, even though they may be the best tools available. But the most obvious is that they fail to take into account that people with Down syndrome cannot often easily express to others all that they know, either linguistically or through other means of communication. Their receptive language skills (the ability to receive and process information) are typically much stronger than their expressive language skills (their ability to give back).

 

Copyright © jaya vijayan, via Flickr

teachmetotalk.com’s Christmas Therapy Guide is now for sale!

by Laura Mize from Teach Me To Talk:

I’m launching a brand new feature here on teachmetotalk.com with the release of our very first Therapy Guide just in time for Christmas.

What’s a Therapy Guide?

teachmetotalk.com’s Therapy Guide consists of two components for helping you learn to work with a young child with a language delay or disorder.

First you’ll receive access to an instructive video. In this 50 minute video I’ll walk you through many, many ideas for using 6 different toys and activities based on holiday themes. I’ll teach you exactly what to say to engage a toddler or young preschooler, target new play and cognitive skills, and teach new language skills. I’ll discuss and demonstrate several activities for each toy providing practical application tips to increase your effectiveness and make sure you know what you’re doing!

You’ll also get a comprehensive written treatment plan (This one is 16 pages!) to pair with the activities demonstrated on the video. In the written guide you’ll find a list of suggested goals, materials, instructions, and strategies to make this a productive learning opportunity for both the child and you! Each activity lists 5 to 10 goals for targeting social, cognitive, both receptive and expressive language, and perhaps even speech intelligibility skills in very young children.

This information is appropriate for use by speech-language pathologists, committed parents and grandparents, occupational and developmental therapists, early intervention and preschool teachers, and other professionals who work with toddlers with language delays and developmental concerns.

Like several of my other projects, the Christmas Therapy Guide is written in a homework format and may be copied and shared with families during sessions. It’s a fantastic parent and caregiver training tool for SLPs and other therapists who work in early intervention.

The Christmas Therapy Guide is $19.99.

To purchase now, select Christmas Therapy Guide from the product list by going to www.shop.teachmetotalk.com. PayPal is a payment option.