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Ratings Of Communication Competence By Siblings Of Persons With Down Syndrome, Sarah E. Smith, Paul Cascella

Paul Cascella

This study surveyed 25 siblings of persons with Down Syndrome to gain an ecological perspective of important communication competence indicators. Siblings favorably described persons with Down Syndrome as "effective" and "good" communicators who "communicate to potential." Siblings regarded social communication skills as especially important, i.e., being able to communicate without fear, ebing able to express wants, needs, opinions, and feelings, being able to ask questions, and alerting partners to communication breakdowns. Siblings also regarded language comprehension as an important skill. Favorable descriptive labels were often applied to adult-aged persons with mild ID and normal hearing. Clinical implications are discussed focused …