ENSINO E APRENDIZAGEM DE LÍNGUA ESTRANGEIRA (LE) PARA PESSOAS COM SÍNDROME DE DOWN ATRAVÉS DO MÉTODO AUDIOLINGUAL

Abstract

Down Syndrome is a chromosomal disorder caused by the presence of an extra chromosome in the individual’s cells (GONZÁLEZ, 2007). People with Down syndrome tend to have intellectual delays, hearing difficulties, problems related to language and learning. Their language development process is particularly difficult due to problems related to short-term memory and hearing processing. However, the Down syndrome child has the right to learn foreign languages (FL) and is able to do it, even though it is necessary a different lesson plan and attention in the classroom in comparison with the one provided to non-Down syndrome children. The main goal in this article is to analyze the benefits and the challenges of using the audiolingual approach in order to teach a FL to learners with Down syndrome. Therefore, we carry out an exploratory study about the concept and characteristics of Down Syndrome, Second Language Acquisition and the use of audiolingual approach in special education (BUCKLEY, 2002; GOMES, 2012; GONZÁLEZ, 2007; PUESCHEL, 1993; BROWN, 2007; LARSEN-FREEMAN, 2001; RICHARDS and RODGERS, 1986). Although the learner with Down syndrome may face some difficulties during the FL learning process due to their limitations, according to this research, it is possible to assume that the audiolingual method is a beneficial approach for these learners when learning a FL.