Measuring Auditory Memory in Higher vs. Lower Functioning Down\u27s Syndrome Subjects

One of the most common congenital disorders occurring in the newborn is the phenomenon of Mongolian or Down\u27s Syndrome. It occurs more frequently than any other specific kind of mental deficiency, or any other malformation in early development such as cleft lip or clubfoot. On the average, one in 640 babies has Down\u27s Syndrome (Smith and Wilson, 1973). Due to the high incidence of Down\u27s Syndrome in the population, it can safely be assumed that there is also a high incidence of Down\u27s Syndrome children in our special schools and mental institutions. Because of their genetic abnormality, the development of Down\u27s Syndrome children is affected in many ways. Their developmental difficulties range from physical and motor incoordination, to mental, speech and language deficiencies. As stated by Fishier (1975), the area of slowest progress in Down\u27s Syndrome children has been in the area of language development. In this area, Down\u27s Syndrome children often lag significantly in comparison to normal children. It also should be noted that the articulatory performance of Down\u27s Syndrome retarded persons is exceptionally poor. They have a higher incidence of articulation disorders than any other mentally deficient group, and their spontaneous articulatory abilities lag behind their other language skills, (Blanchard, 1964). In light of this information, one can see the desperate need of these children to have their overall communication skills improved. However, there is little information in regards to the mental processes that affect language and speech perception. Therefore, it is the intent of this research to further investigate the mental processes affecting speech perception