Associations between medical history, cognition, and behavior in youth with down syndrome: A report from the down syndrome cognition project

Tracie C. Rosser, Jamie O. Edgin, George T. Capone, Debra R. Hamilton, Emily G. Allen, Kenneth J. Dooley, Payal Anand, John F. Strang, A. Chelsea Armour, Michelle A. Frank-Crawford, Marie Moore Channell, Elizabeth I. Pierpont, Eleanor Feingold, Cheryl L. Maslen, Roger H. Reeves, Stephanie L. Sherman

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    21 Scopus citations

    Abstract

    The cause of the high degree of variability in cognition and behavior among individuals with Down syndrome (DS) is unknown. We hypothesized that birth defects requiring surgery in the first years of life (congenital heart defects and gastrointestinal defects) might affect an individual's level of function. We used data from the first 234 individuals, age 6-25 years, enrolled in the Down Syndrome Cognition Project (DSCP) to test this hypothesis. Data were drawn from medical records, parent interviews, and a cognitive and behavior assessment battery. Results did not support our hypothesis. That is, we found no evidence that either birth defect was associated with poorer outcomes, adjusting for gender, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. Implications for study design and measurement are discussed.

    Original languageEnglish (US)
    Pages (from-to)514-528
    Number of pages15
    JournalAmerican Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
    Volume123
    Issue number6
    DOIs
    StatePublished - Nov 2018

    Keywords

    • Behavior
    • Birth defect
    • Cognition
    • Congenital heart defect
    • Down syndrome
    • Gastrointestinal defect
    • Intellectual disability
    • Neuropsychological assessment
    • Trisomy 21

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health
    • Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology
    • Developmental and Educational Psychology
    • Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)
    • Clinical Neurology
    • Psychiatry and Mental health

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