Literacy-related skills and literacy environments of Maltese children and adolescents with down syndrome

Abstract

This research project was composed of four (4) studies, whereby the performance of young Maltese participants with Down Syndrome (DS) was investigated on different aspects of pre-reading and reading skills was investigated. Home literacy and school literacy environments were also evaluated. A mixed research design was employed using explorative, cross-section, comparative and correlational designs. Throughout the studies, the performance of the participants with DS was compared to that of typically developing (TD) peers matched for abstract reasoning and fluid intelligence abilities. A comparison of mean scores, correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis was employed to investigate the groups' similarities and differences and identify possible predictors of aspects of reading. This study identified that the participants with DS had several strengths, such as word reading, nonword reading, visual discrimination and phonological awareness tasks with the exception of rhyming abilities. Verbal short-term memory (VSTM) tested through nonword repetition, visual perceptual processing skills and rhyming skills were identified as weaker areas in DS when compared with the control group. Both monoliterate and biliterate readers were identified, and their performance was evaluated in Study 2. Results also indicated that in the DS group, the use of the ‘look and say’ method of reading is still predominantly used; however, results show that children with DS can also learn to read through a phonological method. Results call educators to expose readers with DS to a phonological approach to reading while also accommodating for difficulties in VSTM. This study yielded preliminary findings within the local context and contributed to the gaps in relevant knowledge. Further research is warranted within the local scene to provide deeper insights into the reading abilities of participants with DS.