This study examined the association between sensory-rich messy play and language development in children with Down syndrome (DS) and children with intellectual disabilities of unknown etiology (IDUE). Drawing on Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory and the framework of embodied cognition, the study investigated whether different play contexts are differentially associated with expressive and receptive language outcomes across developmental populations. A 2 × 2 quasi-experimental pretest–posttest design was employed. Forty children aged 4 to 6 years were assigned to one of four conditions based on diagnostic group (DS vs. IDUE) and intervention type (sensory-rich messy play vs. structured non-sensory play). Language development was assessed before and after a 12-week intervention using the LaTo standardized test. Mixed-design analyses of variance revealed significant improvements in language performance over time, as well as significant effects of intervention type and diagnostic group. Children who participated in sensory-rich messy play demonstrated greater gains in expressive and receptive language compared to those engaged in structured play. A significant interaction between diagnostic group and intervention type was also observed, indicating that the association between play context and language development differed across groups. In particular, children with DS in the messy play condition showed the most pronounced improvements, especially in expressive language. These findings suggest that sensory-rich play contexts are associated with enhanced language outcomes, particularly for children with DS. However, due to the quasi-experimental design, causal interpretations should be made with caution. These findings suggest that sensory-rich play contexts are associated with enhanced short-term language outcomes, particularly for children with DS. However, due to the quasi-experimental design and the absence of follow-up assessment, conclusions regarding long-term or causal effects should be made with caution.
Katsarou et al. (Mon,) studied this question.