The role of interaction and communication in early language acquisition among children with DS

Children with Down Syndrome (DS) are children who grow and have interests, desires and needs just like any other child in their age group. Although mental retardation (MR) does give rise to certain syndrome-specific characteristics in their language development, these must not be treated in isolation because they have a bearing on other global development acquisitions.This paper advocates that we consider the importance of interaction and communication in early language acquisition from a functional perspective, bearing in mind the complexity of the language system and the interconnections between cognitive, emotional and social aspects in the acquisition process, in addition to the specificities of children with DS in their overall development. As the focus in this case is early childhood, rather than working directly with the child the proposed intervention seeks to help parents find communicative strategies that enhance the interactions they have with their children.