A qualitative analysis of general receptive vocabulary of adolescents with Down syndrome.

Facon et al. (2012) looked at 34 teens with Down syndrome and 34 typical teens.

Both groups took the same receptive vocabulary test.

The researchers lined up every word from easiest to hardest for each teen.

Then they asked: do Down syndrome teens struggle with the same words as typical teens?

When both groups knew the same total number of words, the hard words were the same.

No special "Down syndrome word list" appeared.

A word that was tricky for one Down syndrome teen was usually tricky for a matched typical peer.

This finding lines up with Leaf et al. (2012). Their big reading review showed vocabulary size—not phonics—explains most reading gaps in Down syndrome.

It also matches MacLean et al. (2011), who found vocabulary drives reading comprehension issues.

Laugeson et al. (2014) looked younger and saw noun-verb gaps, but those gaps still follow the same rank order once size is matched.

So the pattern holds from preschool to adolescence.

You can use the same vocabulary lists and teaching order you use for any peer. Focus on growing total word count, not hunting for "special" Down syndrome words.