ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT Purpose: this study aimed to analyze the vocabulary performance of children with Down syndrome, up to 36 months of age, in different semantic categories. Methods: eighteen children with Down syndrome, between 8 and 36 months of age. Section D of the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory was applied with guardians: First Words and Gestures, in order to obtain expressive and receptive performance in 22 semantic categories. The data were analyzed in a descriptive and inferential manner, using the Kruskal-Wallis, Spearman's correlation and Tukey's range tests (p <0.05). Results: children had higher performance averages in understanding semantic categories than in understanding and expression. The "action words" were the most understood ones, while the "people" category was the most understood and expressed. The greater the chronological age, the greater the children's vocabulary. A statistical difference was found between the understanding of nouns and other categories, according to chronological age, with a greater performance after 24 months of age. Conclusion: children with Down syndrome, up to 36 months of age, perform better in understanding vocabulary in all semantic categories.