ABSTRACT
Purpose:
to verify the expressive vocabulary of children with Down syndrome, compare it to the performance of children of both genders with typical development, in two distinct pairings: chronological and mental age, separately, and determine the influence of the age considered in this population evaluation.
Methods:
ethical aspects were met. The sample consisted of 42 children of both genders, 14 with Down syndrome, and chronological age between 38 and 63 months, 14 with typical development paired by gender and mental age, and 14 with typical development paired by gender and chronological age. An interview and the Child Language ABFW Vocabulary Test Part B were conducted. Statistical analysis was performed by applying the parametric ANOVA, the Kruskal-Wallis test and the Tukey`s test, whenever necessary.
Results:
children with Down syndrome showed a lower performance compared to those in the group paired by chronological age for correct naming and no naming of the figures. There was no significant difference between the group with Down syndrome and the group with typical development paired by mental age for any of the three skills evaluated.
Conclusion:
children with Down syndrome showed expressive vocabulary below the expected for their chronological age, but close to the expected for their mental age, allowing the inference that the age considered in the evaluation of the language of this population interferes in the analysis of the results found.
Keywords:
Vocabulary; Child; Down Syndrome; Child Language; Child Development