Abstract
Recent studies have suggested that the visuospatial component of working memory (WM) is selectively impaired in individuals with Down syndrome (DS), the deficit relating specifically to the spatial-simultaneous component, which is involved when stimuli are presented simultaneously. The present study aimed to analyze the effects of a computer-based program for training the spatial-simultaneous component of WM in terms of: specific effects (on spatial-simultaneous WM tasks); near and far transfer effects (on spatial-sequential and visuospatial abilities, and everyday memory tasks); and maintenance effects (1 month after the training). A comparison was drawn between the results obtained when the training was led by parents at home as opposed to an expert in psychology. Thirty-nine children and adolescents with DS were allocated to one of two groups: the training was administered by an expert in one, and by appropriately instructed parents in the other. The training was administered individually twice a week for a month, in eight sessions lasting approximately 30 min each. Our participants’ performance improved after the training, and these results were maintained a month later in both groups. Overall, our findings suggest that spatial-simultaneous WM performance can be improved, obtaining specific and transfer gains; above all, it seems that, with adequate support, parents could effectively administer a WM training to their child.
Highlights
Down syndrome (DS), or trisomy 21, is the most common cause of intellectual disability of genetic origin, affecting about 1 in 700–1000 live births (e.g., McGrowther and Marshall, 1990; Sherman et al, 2007)
In the light of the above-mentioned findings on the particular weakness in spatial-simultaneous working memory (WM) identified in individuals with DS, the aim of the present study was to investigate the feasibility of improving visuospatial WM in children and adolescents with DS
A 3 × 2 repeated measures ANOVA, with Session as within-group factors and Group as the betweengroup variables, was run on the raw scores obtained on each measure to identify specific, near and far transfer, and maintenance effects2
Summary
Down syndrome (DS), or trisomy 21, is the most common cause of intellectual disability of genetic origin, affecting about 1 in 700–1000 live births (e.g., McGrowther and Marshall, 1990; Sherman et al, 2007). Despite a marked variability in terms of the severity of specific impairments (Dykens et al, 2000; Silverman, 2007), individuals with DS essentially have a profile featuring particular strengths and weaknesses. Their cognitive functioning is characterized by speech and language impairments (Chapman and Hesketh, 2000), and they often have more difficulty with expressive language than with language comprehension. Their non-verbal skills are usually less severely impaired, recent studies have shown a variable picture that depends on which aspect of visuospatial cognition. Several researchers have focused on working memory (WM) because of its crucial role in many everyday situations, such as learning, orientation, reasoning, and comprehension (Baddeley, 1986)
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