Enhancing the comprehension of visual metaphors in individuals with intellectual disability with or without down syndrome.

Shnitzer-Meirovich et al. (2018) tested a thinking-skills program for adults with intellectual disability or Down syndrome. The program taught people to find hidden likenesses in picture pairs, not just memorize answers.

Two groups got different lessons. One group practiced deep thinking: they mapped shared features and explained the link. The other group got shallow drills: they matched pictures by rote. Both trained for the same amount of time.

Deep-thinking adults learned more metaphors and used the skill on new pictures later. Shallow drills helped a little, but gains stayed small and did not spread to untrained items.

The study shows explicit analogical training beats simple repetition for this population.

Mashal et al. (2012) saw kids with learning disabilities score low on verbal idioms yet hold their own on visual metaphors. Shlomit’s adult results echo that visual metaphor is learnable, but they go further by proving an intervention that actually teaches it.

Heslop et al. (2007) used reciprocal reading strategies with adults with mild ID and also got big gains. Both studies tell us structured, talk-it-through methods work for higher-order language in this age group.

Prahl et al. (2023) later extended the idea to college students with IDD, showing strategy instruction boosts real-world reading. Shlomit’s metaphor work fits the same theme: teach the thinking rule, not just the content.

If you support adults with ID or Down syndrome, add short analogical-thinking lessons to your sessions. Use simple picture pairs, ask “How are these alike?” and demand a reason. Five minutes of deep talk can yield wider understanding than lots of rote naming. Start with concrete objects, then move to more abstract images as the learner gains confidence.