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

10 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

  • General Medicine

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