Speech control in children with Down syndrome

Speech behaviours and their assessment in children with Down syndrome Three types of problems with speech motor control are typically experienced by children with Down syndrome: 1) early articulation and phonological difficulties, 2) fluency disorders such as stuttering and cluttering, and 3) developmental aphasia-type problems. The first and second involve speech motor processes and the second and third involve interaction between the speech and language processes. This contribution details how motor factors affect speech and reports on the interface between language and speechmotor processes. At the end of each section, the fluency problems associated with these processes are presented and evidence whether children with Down syndrome are affected by these problems is discussed. Research questions that still need to be addressed are identified and the final section, some potential clinical implications are drawn.