MOTHERS LEXICON OF INTERNAL STATE WORDS IN SPEECH TO CHILDREN WITH DOWN-SYNDROME AND TO NONHANDICAPPED CHILDREN AT MEALTIME

This study examines internal state words in mothers' speech to childre n with Down syndrome, and the relation between the use of internal sta te words and the children's levels of social-adaptive, communicative, and linguistic functioning. Results indicate qualitative differences i n mothers' use of internal state words to children with children Down syndrome, compared with a sample of maternal speech to nonhandicapped children who were matched on the Vineland scales for their level of ad aptive functioning. Differences include use of fewer internal state wo rds overall to children with Down syndrome, and different kinds of int ernal state words: more words referring to physiological states, and f ewer words referring either to affect or to cognition. In general, chi ld Mean Length of Utterance (MLU) was associated with the pattern of i nner state words used by mothers, whereas no associations were found b etween children's social-adaptive competence and maternal input. Even when controlling for child MLU, there were, however, some qualitative differences in the inner state lexicons used to children with Down syn drome. Results suggest that speech to children with Down syndrome that is calibrated to their MLU may underestimate their competence in doma ins other than grammar.