國外文獻資料顯示,隨著年齡增長,唐氏症患者的智商有下降的趨勢,但國內仍缺乏相關研究資料。臨床案例觀察可發現唐氏症患者的語言能力較弱,且文獻資料已顯示唐氏症之神經心理功能與其腦部生理特徵有所關聯,因此,本研究進一步探討:隨年齡增長,患者之語文-非語文能力之發展分歧是否增大。 本研究以2002-2009年曾於臺大醫院就診並接受筆者評估之57名唐氏症患者為受試者 (男性23人、女性34人;平均年齡為8歲3個月),其中12人 (男性4人、女性8人) 有追蹤評估資料,可作前後測之比較 (前測之平均年齡為4歲6個月,後測之平均年齡為6歲9個月,前後測之時間間隔介於14-50個月)。納入分析的心理測驗資料包含貝莉嬰幼兒認知發展量表、斯比智力量表及魏氏幼兒/兒童/成人智力量表等測驗分數;在分數指標上,則有語文智商、非語文智商及總智商等三項智能指標,以及發展心理年齡指標。 本研究結果指出: (一) 在語文智商上,女生顯著高於男生;在非語文智商及總智商上,男女生則無顯著差異。 (二) 智商有隨年齡增長而下降之趨勢,且在5歲之前的降幅最明顯。 (三) 在語言功能和聽覺記憶功能上,不同年齡組之發展心理年齡皆無顯著差異;在視覺空間功能上,不同年齡組之發展心理年齡則有顯著差異,尤其是大於10歲的受試者,其非語文之視覺空間功能有較明顯的發展。此外,語文-非語文能力之發展分歧隨前後測時間間隔越長而有差距增大的傾向,呈正相關但未達統計顯著水準。
Background Previous foreign studies revealed that the IQ in Down syndrome (DS) declines with age, but not any investigation of domestic data in Taiwan was available. Individuals with DS are characterized by limited verbal development, and in this article, authors look into the diverging verbal-nonverbal abilities in the DS phenotype. Method The present study investigated this by analysis the test results of development /intelligence scales of 57 people with DS (34 females, 23 males; mean age 8 years 3 months). To compare initial cross-sectional data with longitudinal follow-up, 12 in 57 people were included (8 females, 4 males; initial mean age 4 years 6 months, follow-up mean age 6 years 9 months). Results 1) Female subjects had higher verbal IQ, but no significant gender differences in nonverbal IQ and full-scale IQ; 2) IQs declined with age, that came up before age 5 years; 3) There was a significant increase in mental age (MA) of visuospatial function at follow-up, but no such increases was found in MA of verbal subscale(s). Besides, there was a positive correlation between follow-up age interval and verbal-nonverbal divergence, but not be statistically significant.