The effect of age on language in people with Down's syndrome.
Expect receptive language to slip while expressive language holds steady in aging adults with Down syndrome.
01Research in Context
What this study did
English et al. (1995) looked at language change in 345 adults with Down syndrome. They used the Adaptive Behavior Scale to see if receptive and expressive language shift with age.
What they found
Receptive language skills dropped as adults got older. Expressive language stayed about the same. The team warns that understanding words may fade even if talking keeps up.
How this fits with other research
Iacono et al. (2010) sharpened the picture. After removing the effect of Alzheimer’s disease, only expressive language and short-term memory declined with age. Receptive skills no longer looked worse.
Onnivello et al. (2024) studied kids and teens. They found mental age, not calendar age, best predicts communication growth. This hints that the adult drop may link more to brain changes than to birthdays.
McGonigle et al. (2014) list common adult comorbidities: hearing loss, thyroid problems, and dementia. These medical issues could explain part of the language slide seen in 1995.
Why it matters
Plan for receptive language to fade in your adult clients with Down syndrome. Schedule hearing screens, rule out thyroid issues, and track dementia signs. Keep instructions short, add visual cues, and keep goals focused on maintaining expressive output.
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Add a quick hearing check and use visual supports before giving verbal instructions.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
It has been previously suggested, in a small-sized study of 60 people with Down's syndrome, that receptive language skills were lower, the older the individual, whereas expressive language skills did not correlate with age (Carter-Young & Kramer 1991). By assessing language skills on 345 Down's syndrome adults living in Leicestershire (91% of the total population), the present authors have been able to confirm this finding, using the AAMD Adaptive Behaviour Scale. This may have clinical relevance with regard to communication with older people with Down's syndrome, and also for estimation of an individual's skill level when he or she was younger.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 1995 · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2788.1995.tb00501.x