Learning to read new words in individuals with Down syndrome: testing the role of phonological knowledge.
Saying a new word aloud first gives a small, short-lived reading boost to kids with Down syndrome who still decode poorly.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Van Hanegem et al. (2014) asked if saying a new word out loud first helps kids with Down syndrome read it later.
They pre-taught 12 made-up words by speaking them. Then kids tried to read the same words on paper.
The team compared children with Down syndrome to reading-level-matched peers without disabilities.
What they found
Pre-teaching the spoken form gave a small boost. The Down-syndrome group read the words a bit better than controls.
The edge vanished when the groups were matched on decoding skill instead of overall reading level.
How this fits with other research
Leaf et al. (2012) pooled many studies and found vocabulary, not phonology, drives reading gaps in Down syndrome. Van Hanegem et al. (2014) now shows a tiny phonological boost is possible, but only when decoding is still weak.
Madden et al. (2003) taught phonological skills directly and saw clear gains. Van Hanegem et al. (2014) used a lighter touch—just saying the word first—and got only a weak effect, showing the earlier, stronger training still sets the bar.
Macchi et al. (2014) saw large reading delays in kids with specific language impairment. Van Hanegem et al. (2014) found only a small benefit in Down syndrome, reminding us that different developmental groups respond differently to phonological help.
Why it matters
If a learner with Down syndrome struggles to sound out words, quickly saying the new word before the reading trial can give a slight head start. Keep it simple: show the picture, say the word, then flip to the text. Do not expect big gains—use it as a bridge while stronger decoding instruction continues.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This study examined the effect of word level phonological knowledge on learning to read new words in Down syndrome compared to typical development. Children were taught to read 12 nonwords, 6 of which were pre-trained on their phonology. The 16 individuals with Down syndrome aged 8-17 years were compared first to a group of 30 typically developing children aged 5-7 years matched for word reading and then to a subgroup of these children matched for decoding. There was a marginally significant effect for individuals with Down syndrome to benefit more from phonological pre-training than typically developing children matched for word reading but when compared to the decoding-matched subgroup, the two groups benefitted equally. We explain these findings in terms of partial decoding attempts being resolved by word level phonological knowledge and conclude that being familiar with the spoken form of a new word may help children when they attempt to read it. This may be particularly important for children with Down syndrome and other groups of children with weak decoding skills.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2014 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2014.01.030