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4 pages, 188 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Individuals with Down Syndrome: Editorial

by Silvia Lanfranchi, Chiara Meneghetti, Enrico Toffalini and Barbara Carretti

Brain Sci. 2022, 12(3), 398; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci12030398 - 16 Mar 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2240

Abstract

Down syndrome (DS) is the most common syndromic cause of intellectual disability, so it has long been of interest to researchers [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Individuals with Down Syndrome)

Research

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17 pages, 1271 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Reading for Comprehension in Individuals with Down Syndrome, Autism Spectrum Disorder and Typical Development: Similar or Different Patterns of Ability?

by Maja Roch, Kate Cain and Christopher Jarrold

Brain Sci. 2021, 11(7), 828; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11070828 - 22 Jun 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3018

Abstract

Reading for meaning is one of the most important activities in school and everyday life. The simple view of reading (SVR) has been used as a framework for studies of reading comprehension in individuals with Down syndrome (DS). These tend to show difficulties [...] Read more.

Reading for meaning is one of the most important activities in school and everyday life. The simple view of reading (SVR) has been used as a framework for studies of reading comprehension in individuals with Down syndrome (DS). These tend to show difficulties in reading comprehension despite better developed reading accuracy. Reading comprehension difficulties are influenced by poor oral language. These difficulties are common in individuals with DS and autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but they have never been compared directly. Moreover, the components of reading for comprehension have rarely been investigated in these populations: a better understanding of the nature of reading comprehension difficulties may inform both theory and practice. The aim of this study was to determine whether reading comprehension in the two populations is accounted for by the same component skills and to what extent the reading profile of the two atypical groups differs from that of typically developing children (TD). Fifteen individuals with DS (mean age = 22 years 4 months, SD = 5 years 2 months), 21 with ASD (mean age = 13 years 2 months, SD = 1 year 6 months), and 42 TD children (mean age = 8 years 1 month, SD = 7 months) participated and were assessed on measures of receptive vocabulary, text reading and listening comprehension, oral language comprehension, and reading accuracy. The results showed similar levels in word reading accuracy and in receptive vocabulary in all three groups. By contrast, individuals with DS and ASD showed poorer non-word reading and reading accuracy in context than TD children. Both atypical groups showed poorer listening and reading text comprehension compared to TD children. Reading for comprehension, investigated through a homograph reading accuracy task, showed a different pattern for individuals with DS with respect to the other two groups: they were less sensitive to meaning while reading. According to the SVR, the current results confirm that the two atypical groups have similar profiles that overlap with that of poor comprehenders in which poor oral language comprehension constrains reading for comprehension. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Individuals with Down Syndrome)

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21 pages, 593 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

The Home Learning Environment of Primary School Children with Down Syndrome and Those with Williams Syndrome

by Erica Ranzato, Andrew Tolmie and Jo Van Herwegen

Brain Sci. 2021, 11(6), 733; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11060733 - 31 May 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3756

Abstract

Background and aims: Research on typically developing (TD) populations has shown that the home learning environment plays a significant role in cognitive development and learning, but very little is known about the home learning environment of children with Down syndrome (DS) or children [...] Read more.

Background and aims: Research on typically developing (TD) populations has shown that the home learning environment plays a significant role in cognitive development and learning, but very little is known about the home learning environment of children with Down syndrome (DS) or children with Williams syndrome (WS). The present study examined and compared, for the first time, the home learning environment of children diagnosed with DS and children diagnosed with WS to investigate whether different cognitive profiles were reflected in their home literacy and number experiences. Methods and procedures: Quantitative and qualitative data were collected through a web-based survey from 58 parents and one foster parent of primary school children with DS (n = 35) and WS (n = 24) mostly based in the UK. The survey targeted the children’s general level of functioning and academic skills; type, format, and frequency of home learning activities; parents’ expectations for their child’s academic outcomes; parents’ attitudes towards literacy and mathematics; children’s interest towards mathematics; and the use of technology to support home learning activities. Outcomes and results: Our results showed that, overall, the home learning environment of children with DS and children with WS were similar but changed based on the child’s cognitive profile. Comparative analyses showed that parents of children with DS engaged more often in activities supporting counting than parents of children with WS, despite both groups reporting difficulties with this skill. Moreover, our results indicated that literacy-based activities occurred more often than mathematics-based activities and that the home numeracy environment was characterized by activities supporting different mathematical skills such as counting, arithmetic, and numeracy. Parents in both groups engaged with their child in both formal and informal literacy and mathematics-based activities, but informal activities occurred more often when supporting counting and number recognition skills. Conclusions and implications: The current study provides evidence that the home learning environment of children with DS and children with WS include different literacy- and mathematics-based activities and that the home learning environment changes on the basis of the child’s strengths and weaknesses. The findings are discussed in relation to previous studies and the impact on parental interventions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Individuals with Down Syndrome)

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16 pages, 270 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Is the Age of Developmental Milestones a Predictor for Future Development in Down Syndrome?

by Chiara Locatelli, Sara Onnivello, Francesca Antonaros, Agnese Feliciello, Sonia Filoni, Sara Rossi, Francesca Pulina, Chiara Marcolin, Renzo Vianello, Enrico Toffalini, Giuseppe Ramacieri, Anna Martelli, Giulia Procaccini, Giacomo Sperti, Maria Caracausi, Maria Chiara Pelleri, Lorenza Vitale, Gian Luca Pirazzoli, Pierluigi Strippoli, Guido Cocchi, Allison Piovesan and Silvia Lanfranchi Show full author list Hide full author list

Brain Sci. 2021, 11(5), 655; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11050655 - 18 May 2021

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 4714

Abstract

Down Syndrome (DS) is the most common genetic alteration responsible for intellectual disability, which refers to deficits in both intellectual and adaptive functioning. According to this, individuals with Down Syndrome (DS) reach developmental milestones (e.g., sitting, walking, and babbling) in the same order [...] Read more.

Down Syndrome (DS) is the most common genetic alteration responsible for intellectual disability, which refers to deficits in both intellectual and adaptive functioning. According to this, individuals with Down Syndrome (DS) reach developmental milestones (e.g., sitting, walking, and babbling) in the same order as their typically developing peers, but later in life. Since developmental milestones are the first blocks on which development builds, the aims of the current study are to: (i) expand the knowledge of developmental milestone acquisition; and (ii) explore the relationship between developmental milestone acquisition and later development. For this purpose 105 children/adolescents with DS were involved in this study, divided in two groups, Preschoolers (n = 39) and School-age participants (n = 66). Information on the age of acquisition of Sitting, Walking, Babbling, and Sphincter Control was collected, together with cognitive, motor, and adaptive functioning. Sitting predicted later motor development, but, with age, it became less important in predicting motor development in everyday life. Babbling predicted later language development in older children. Finally, Sphincter Control emerged as the strongest predictor of motor, cognitive, language, and adaptive skills, with its role being more evident with increasing age. Our data suggest that the age of reaching the milestones considered in the study has an influence on successive development, a role that can be due to common neural substrates, the environment, and the developmental cascade effect. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Individuals with Down Syndrome)

15 pages, 286 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Inhibitory Dimensions and Delay of Gratification: A Comparative Study on Individuals with Down Syndrome and Typically Developing Children

by Martina Fontana, Maria Carmen Usai, Sandra Pellizzoni and Maria Chiara Passolunghi

Brain Sci. 2021, 11(5), 636; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11050636 - 14 May 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2234

Abstract

While previous research on inhibition in people with Down syndrome (DS) reported contradictory results, with no explicit theoretical model, on the other hand, a more homogeneous impaired profile on the delay of gratification skills emerged. The main goal of the present study was [...] Read more.

While previous research on inhibition in people with Down syndrome (DS) reported contradictory results, with no explicit theoretical model, on the other hand, a more homogeneous impaired profile on the delay of gratification skills emerged. The main goal of the present study was to investigate response inhibition, interference suppression, and delay of gratification in 51 individuals with DS matched for a measure of mental age (MA) with 71 typically developing (TD) children. Moreover, we cross-sectionally explored the strengths and weaknesses of these components in children and adolescents vs. adults with DS with the same MA. A battery of laboratory tasks tapping on inhibitory sub-components and delay of gratification was administrated. Results indicated that individuals with DS showed an overall worse performance compared to TD children on response inhibition and delay of gratification, while no differences emerged between the two samples on the interference suppression. Additionally, our results suggested that older individuals with DS outperformed the younger ones both in response inhibition and in the delay of gratification, whereas the interference suppression still remains impaired in adulthood. This study highlights the importance of evaluating inhibitory sub-components considering both MA and chronological age in order to promote more effective and evidence-based training for this population. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Individuals with Down Syndrome)

16 pages, 1981 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Developmental Trajectories in Spatial Visualization and Mental Rotation in Individuals with Down Syndrome

by Elizabeth Maria Doerr, Barbara Carretti, Enrico Toffalini, Silvia Lanfranchi and Chiara Meneghetti

Brain Sci. 2021, 11(5), 610; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11050610 - 10 May 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2392

Abstract

Background. The analysis of developmental trajectories of visuospatial abilities in individuals with Down Syndrome (DS) remains an unexplored field of investigation to examine in depth. The study aimed to fill such a gap by examining changes in two visuospatial abilities: spatial visualization (the [...] Read more.

Background. The analysis of developmental trajectories of visuospatial abilities in individuals with Down Syndrome (DS) remains an unexplored field of investigation to examine in depth. The study aimed to fill such a gap by examining changes in two visuospatial abilities: spatial visualization (the ability to manage spatial stimuli) and mental rotation (the ability to rotate spatial stimuli). Method. Eighty-seven participants with DS, aged between 7 and 53 years (forty-seven males and forty females), completed spatial visualization and mental rotation tasks. Changes in these two abilities were analyzed in relation to chronological age and developmental level, the latter derived from Raven’s Colored Progressive Matrices. Results. Chronological age was linearly associated with spatial visualization performance, whereas mental rotation performance increased until 14 years of age and then decreased. Developmental level was linearly associated with increased performance in spatial visualization, the trend in mental rotation was segmented with an increase after 5 years of age. Furthermore, developmental trajectories in mental rotation depended on the rotation degree. Conclusion. Chronological age explains a modest quote of variance. Developmental level better describes changes in spatial visualization and mental rotation of individuals with DS. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Individuals with Down Syndrome)

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15 pages, 6556 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Everyday Memory in People with Down Syndrome

by Yingying Yang, Zachary M. Himmelberger, Trent Robinson, Megan Davis, Frances Conners and Edward Merrill

Brain Sci. 2021, 11(5), 551; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11050551 - 27 Apr 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2480

Abstract

Although memory functions in people with Down Syndrome (DS) have been studied extensively, how well people with DS remember things about everyday life is not well understood. In the current study, 31 adolescents/young adults with DS and 26 with intellectual disabilities (ID) of [...] Read more.

Although memory functions in people with Down Syndrome (DS) have been studied extensively, how well people with DS remember things about everyday life is not well understood. In the current study, 31 adolescents/young adults with DS and 26 with intellectual disabilities (ID) of mixed etiology (not DS) participated. They completed an everyday memory questionnaire about personal facts and recent events (e.g., school name, breakfast). They also completed a standard laboratory task of verbal long-term memory (LTM) where they recalled a list of unrelated words over trials. Results did not indicate impaired everyday memory, but impaired verbal LTM, in people with DS relative to people with mixed ID. Furthermore, the laboratory verbal LTM task predicted everyday memory for both groups after taking into account mental age equivalent. Our research showed both an independence and a connection between everyday memory and the standard laboratory memory task and has important research and clinical implications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Individuals with Down Syndrome)

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21 pages, 374 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Differences and Similarities in Predictors of Expressive Vocabulary Development between Children with Down Syndrome and Young Typically Developing Children

by Kari-Anne B. Næss, Johanne Ostad and Egil Nygaard

Brain Sci. 2021, 11(3), 312; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11030312 - 2 Mar 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 4720

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine potential differences in the predictors of expressive vocabulary development between children with Down syndrome and typically developing children to support preparation for intervention development. An age cohort of 43 children with Down syndrome and 57 [...] Read more.

The purpose of this study was to examine potential differences in the predictors of expressive vocabulary development between children with Down syndrome and typically developing children to support preparation for intervention development. An age cohort of 43 children with Down syndrome and 57 typically developing children with similar nonverbal mental age levels were assessed at three time points. Linear mixed models were used to investigate the predictors of expressive vocabulary over time. Both groups achieved progress in expressive vocabulary. The typically developing children had steeper growth than the children with Down syndrome (1.38 SD vs. 0.8 SD, p < 0.001). In both groups, receptive vocabulary, auditory memory, and the home literacy environment were significant predictors of development. In the children with Down syndrome, the phonological awareness and oral motor skills were also significant. Group comparisons showed that receptive vocabulary, auditory memory and oral motor skills were stronger predictors in the children with Down syndrome than in the typically developing children. These results indicate that children with Down syndrome are more vulnerable when it comes to risk factors that are known to influence expressive vocabulary than typically developing children. Children with Down syndrome therefore require early broad-based expressive vocabulary interventions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Individuals with Down Syndrome)

13 pages, 283 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Early Regulatory Skills and Social Communication Development in Infants with Down Syndrome

by Emily K. Schworer, Deborah J. Fidler and Lisa A. Daunhauer

Brain Sci. 2021, 11(2), 208; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11020208 - 9 Feb 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3052

Abstract

Children with Down syndrome (DS) demonstrate substantial variability in communication and language outcomes. One potential source of variability in this skill area may be early regulatory function. Characterizing the early link between regulatory function and early social communication may benefit infants with DS [...] Read more.

Children with Down syndrome (DS) demonstrate substantial variability in communication and language outcomes. One potential source of variability in this skill area may be early regulatory function. Characterizing the early link between regulatory function and early social communication may benefit infants with DS at risk of difficulties with social communication and language skill acquisition. Forty-three infants with DS were assessed at two time points, six months apart. At Time 1, the average chronological age was 9.0 months (SD = 3.9) and caregivers completed the Infant Behavior Questionnaire-Revised (IBQ-R) to assess regulatory function. Six months later, caregivers rated infant communication at the second visit using the Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales Infant Toddler Checklist (CSBS-ITC). Infant developmental level was assessed at both visits using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition and caregivers reported on developmental history and biomedical comorbidities. Infant regulatory function at Time 1 predicted social communication outcomes at Time 2, six months later. Findings from this study suggest that elevated risk for pronounced communication challenges may be detectable as early as infancy in DS. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Individuals with Down Syndrome)

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