Title: Language and executive functioning in young adults with Down syndrome
Legend: Spearman correlations between language skills and executive functioning. Panels (a), (d) and (g) show the correlations between PPVT-5 standard scores (SS) and total scores (TS) for WISC-IV Digit Span Forward (brown), WISC-IV Digit Span Backward (blue) and Corsi Block Tapping Task – Backward (red) in individuals with DS, respectively. The correlations between EVT-3 SS and the TS for the three tasks of executive functioning are shown in panels (b), (e) and (h). The correlations between NEPSY-2 TS and the total scores for the same three tasks are shown in panels (c), (f) and (i). [Colour figure can be viewed at wileyonlinelibrary.com]
Citation: Kristensen, K. M. Lorenz, X. Zhou, B. Piro-Gambetti, S. L. Hartley, S. P. Godar, Diel, E. Neubauer & R. Y. Litovsky Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, doi: 10.1111/jir.12868 (2021)
Abstract: This study examined the association between executive functioning and language in young adults with Down syndrome (DS). Methods: Young adults with DS (aged 19–24 years) completed standardized measures of overall cognition, vocabulary, verbal fluency and executive function skills. Results: Spearman correlations between language skills and executive functioning are shown above. Panels (a), (d) and (g) highlight correlations between PPVT-5 standard scores (SS) and total scores (TS) for WISC-IV Digit Span Forward (brown), WISC-IV Digit Span Backward (blue) and Corsi Block Tapping Task – Backward (red) in individuals with DS, respectively. The correlations between EVT-3 SS and the TS for the three tasks of executive functioning are shown in panels (b), (e) and (h). The correlations between NEPSY-2 TS and the total scores for the same three tasks are shown in panels (c), (f) and (i). Conclusion: Verbal and non-verbal measures of executive functioning skills had important associations with language ability in young adults with DS.
About the Lab: Binaural hearing refers to being able to integrate information that the brain receives from the two ears. Binaural hearing is known to help us with the ability to listen in noisy, complex auditory environments, and to localize sound sources.
In the Litovsky lab, we study binaural hearing in persons who have normal hearing and in persons who are deaf and use cochlear implants (CIs). We are interested in whether CI users can benefit from having two (bilateral) CIs and whether, for children, having bilateral CIs at a young age offers unique advantages.