Grammatical abilities in German children with Down's Syndrome

唐氏综合症患者患有一种遗传性发育障碍，导致身体残疾和轻度至中度智力迟钝。在不同的语法领域，特别是在形态句法中观察到语言障碍。由于这些缺陷，唐氏综合症患者在日常生活中的沟通能力受到严重限制。对认知发展水平相似的受试者（如年龄较小的未受损儿童或具有类似智力迟钝的人）进行的研究提供了证据，证明唐氏综合征受试者中观察到的语言障碍不能归因于其有限的一般认知能力。相反，唐氏综合症中观察到的语言障碍似乎与认知限制无关，可能是综合症特有的。关于德语国家，迄今为止只有少数研究记录了唐氏综合症儿童的具体语言障碍和语言习得。该项目的目的是缩小这一差距。我们希望调查选定领域的德语语法在唐氏综合症儿童的心理年龄在3至4岁之间-在此期间，德国morphosyntax的核心领域收购，找出哪些具体的缺陷，可以观察到在这个人口。回答这个问题将有助于为唐氏综合症患者建立更好和更具体的言语和语言干预和康复，从而增加他们参与社会的机会。

Persons with Down Syndrome are affected by a genetic developmental disorder that leads to physical disabilities and mild to moderate mental retardation. Language impairments are observed in different grammatical areas, in particular in morphosyntax. Due to these impairments persons with Down Syndrome are severely restricted in their ability to communicate in everyday life. Studies with subjects at a similar level of cognitive development (like younger unimpaired children or persons with a comparable mental retardation) provide evidence that the observed language impairments in subjects with Down Syndrome cannot be attributed to their restricted general cognitive abilities. It rather seems to be the case that the language impairments observed in Down Syndrome are not related to the cognitive limitations and might be syndrome-specific. With respect to German-speaking countries, there are to date only a few studies documenting specific language impairments and language acquisition in children with Down Syndrome. The aim of this project is to close this gap. We want to investigate selected areas of German grammar in children with Down Syndrome with a mental age between three and four years - the period during which central areas of German morphosyntax are acquired, to find out which specific deficits can be observed in this population. Providing an answer to this question will help to establish a better and more specific speech and language intervention and rehabilitation of individuals with Down Syndrome, thus enhancing their chances of social participation.