Background: Down syndrome (DS) is associated with elevated rates of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and autism symptomatology. To better characterise heterogeneity in ASD symptomatology in DS, profiles of caregiver-reported ASD symptoms were modelled for children and adolescents with DS. Methods: Participants (n = 125) were recruited through several multi-site research studies on cognition and language in DS. Using the Social Responsiveness Scale-2 (SRS-2; Constantino and Gruber 2012), two latent profile analyses (LPA) were performed, one on the broad composite scores of social communication and interaction and restricted interests and repetitive behaviour, and a second on the four social dimensions of social communication, social motivation, social awareness, and social cognition. Results: A three-profile model was the best fit for both analyses, with each analysis yielding a low ASD symptom profile, an elevated or mixed ASD symptom profile and a high ASD symptom profile. Associations were observed between profile probability scores and IQ, the number of co-occurring biomedical conditions reported, sex, and SRS-2 form. Conclusions: Characterising heterogeneity in ASD symptom profiles can inform more personalised supports in this population, and implications for potential therapeutic approaches for individuals with DS are discussed.
Young children often struggle to accomplish goals without instructions or reminders from adults. Less-structured activities might facilitate children’s emerging self-directed executive functioning, by giving children opportunities to choose what to do and when, and to practice setting and accomplishing goals. In one study, 6-year-old children who spent more time in less-structured activities showed better self-directed switching on a verbal fluency task; conversely, more time in adult-structured activities predicted worse switching (Barker et al., 2014). However, it is unclear from such correlational studies whether children’s activities caused differences in executive functioning, as opposed to differences in executive functioning shaping how children spent time, or a third factor driving both. The current study thus investigated relationships between children’s experiences and self-directed executive function in a genetically-informative longitudinal twin sample (N= 936; 472 female, 464 male) . Twins who lived in more structured homes and participated in more structured activities at ages 3 and 4 showed worse self-directed switching on a verbal fluency task at age 7, controlling for earlier performance and concurrent levels of environmental structure. These relationships persisted controlling for general cognitive ability, vocabulary knowledge, and socioeconomic status. Associations between early time use and self-directed switching were mediated by nonshared environmental rather than genetic factors. These findings are consistent with early structured time causally affecting later self-directed executive function.
Children with Down syndrome (DS) are at risk for challenges with aspects of executive function (EF). The current study explores whether heterogeneity in EF profiles can be detected within a sample of children with DS. Participants were 69 children with DS, ages 3–10 years (M = 6.23, SD = 1.91). T-scores from a caregiver-report measure of executive function were modeled using latent profile analysis, and auxiliary analyses examined the association between demographic and biomedical factors and probability of profile membership. The two-profile solution was the best fit for the sample, with a profile that involved elevated scores in working memory only (“Working Memory Only” profile; 43% of sample) and a “Multi-Domain” profile that involved elevated scores in planning, inhibition, and working memory (57%). The presence of congenital heart defects was associated with a higher probability of assignment to the Multi-Domain profile. Findings from this study contribute to the characterization of heterogeneous outcomes associated with DS.
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