Effect of Teaching Reading and Traditional Methods of Language Therapy on Grammatical Quotient of Children with Down Syndrome

The present study compares the effects of reading instruction and traditional methods on grammar quotient of 4 to 10 years old children with down syndrome having IQ scores of 40 to 60. In this quasi-experimental and interventional study, 20 children with down syndrome, average mean age of 63 months, and 40 to 60 IQ scores were selected from 96 children with down syndrome from rehabilitation clinics within Tehran and Karaj, using convenience sampling. Then, they were assigned into two groups in the presence of their parents, using balanced randomized method. The first group was educated by whole-word reading method and the second group by traditional methods. Both groups had three 15-minute sessions per week for a period of 6 months. Pre-test and post-test grammar quotient of both groups was assessed using the Test of Persian language development. The obtained data were analyzed using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, t-test, and paired t-test. Both groups were quite similar in age, IQ, and grammar quotient, prior to training. However, the first group showed significant development in grammar quotient, after training (p<0.001). In comparison with traditional methods of language therapy that emphasize on weakness of children with down syndrome by employing auditory modality, teaching reading through whole-word method based on their strength “visual memory” has more influence on grammar quotient of them.