The home literacy environment of individuals with Down syndrome. A comparative study within a bilingual context

Abstract

The home environment typically offers the first setting for literacy development. However, inherent Down Syndrome (DS) phenotype characteristics, individual attributes, or caregiver influences can impact literacy growth. This study investigates the Home Literacy Environment (HLE) of children and adolescents with DS compared to their typically developing (TD) peers while also considering the age of participants and the Maltese bilingual context. Data was collected through structured face-to-face interviews with ninety-three caregivers (51 DS and 42 TD). The results indicated that participants with DS preferred reading English books, whereas peers without DS showed no language preference. Caregivers of participants with DS reported less initiative in shared-book reading and fewer instances of reading to their children than caregivers of children without DS. Additionally, participants with DS were introduced to the alphabet later but used flashcards earlier, favouring the look-and-say method. The study suggests that parental involvement, socioeconomic status, and individual child characteristics play more critical roles in shaping the HLE than the bilingual environment. These findings provide insights into early literacy practices and parental involvement in a bilingual context, highlighting the need for targeted interventions to support literacy development in children with DS.