Are the cognitive functions of children with Down syndrome related to their participation?

Abstract

AIM There is a lack of investigation into the functional developmental profile of children with Down syndrome. On the basis of current international health paradigms, the purpose of this study was to assess the developmental profile of these children.METHOD Sixty children (33 males, 27 females) with Down syndrome (age range 6-16y; mean age 9y 3mo, SD 28.8mo), who had received standard, holistic, early intervention, were assessed. Of these, 42 (70%) had congenital anomalies, 12 had severe congenital heart defects. Participants were assessed on measures of cognitive function (Beery-Buktenica Developmental Test of VisualMotor Integration; Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale) and participation (Vineland Adaptive Behaviour Scales).RESULTS No difference was found on any measure on the basis of severity of congenital anomaly.Results showed improvements in age-related body function and correlations between specific body functions and participation. No decline in IQ was found with age, and significant correlations between IQ and all other measures were noted. Although sex differences were found in the body functions of short-term memory and motor function, no difference in measures of activity performance and participation was found.INTERPRETATION Our findings emphasize the need for paediatric Down syndrome intervention to encourage improved body functions while emphasizing the acquisition of functional skills that enable enhanced participation in age-appropriate activities.Down syndrome is the most common autosomal anomaly occurring in live births 1,2 and has been described as 'a syndrome-complex of genetic origin with protean neurobiological consequences, and several characteristic neurodevelopmental and neuropsychological manifestations'. 3 Resulting from trisomy of chromosome 21, 4 Down syndrome is the most common single cause of mild, moderate and severe learning disability,* 1,5,6 with between 70% and 75% of individuals with Down syndrome attaining an IQ of between 25 and 50 by the end of the first decade of life. 3,7 A wide variety of frequencies is reported, but most report a range of 1 in 650 to 1000 live births. [1][2][3]8 When compared with the general population, individuals with Down syndrome experience a reduced life expectancy, but within the Down syndrome population, life expectancy is increasing. 9 There is a statistically significant difference between the survival of males and females with Down syndrome, in favour of males. 10,11 Clinically, individuals with Down syndrome present with a wide range of physical and anatomical characteristics, congenital malformations and a tendency towards specific medical conditions. 4,6,12 Medical paradigms have undergone major changes in recent years, and international measures of health now reflect the importance of participation and function on the health of individuals, communities and society. The World Health Organization has adopted the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), a biopsychosocial model that no longer measures the rep...

Consideração da idade mental na avaliação do vocabulário expressivo de crianças com Síndrome de Down

“…The performance of the children with Down syndrome regarding the expressive vocabulary was significantly inferior compared to the performance of children with typical development of the same gender and chronological age (GC2) for usual word designation population, and the language development is coherent with the cognitive skills [4][5][6][7][8]17 .…”

“…The verbal and non-verbal mental age influence the cognitive flexibility of children with DS; there is a direct correlation between the verbal performance and the cognitive flexibility, and between the intellectual quotient and the functional, and participation development [5][6][7][8][9] .…”

“…There is also a possibility of maladaptive behaviors, which directly influence lexical development and communication skills 5,6,11,18 .…”

Comparação do léxico de crianças com Síndrome de Down e com desenvolvimento típico de mesma idade mental

“…Relacionado à forma de comunicação das crianças com SD, autores realizaram estudos enfocando diferentes objetivos quanto ao uso de gestos, considerando sua influência nas habilidades INTRODUÇÃO A síndrome de Down (SD) é a causa genética mais comum de deficiência intelectual. É prevista alteração global do desenvolvimento de crianças com SD que engloba as áreas motora, cognitiva, linguística, de autocuidados e socialização [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] . São esperadas características fenotípicas relacionadas ao comportamento de linguagem,…”

“…A literatura tem apresentado que a redução do vocabulário em indivíduos com SD pode ser decorrente do tempo de atenção diminuído, do déficit na memória de curto prazo, da memória fonológica, do atraso no desenvolvimento da função simbólica, das dificuldades para reconhecer regras gramaticais, das dificuldades na produção de fala, dos comportamentos mal-adaptativos, além de características específicas do processamento de informações auditivas e visuais nesta população 1,2, [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] . Quanto à correlação do desempenho dos participantes entre os testes aplicados (Tabela 3), verificou-se que houve correlação entre o desempenho da amostra total e de cada grupo quando comparado o desempenho no vocabulário expressivo (ABFW) 26 e receptivo (TVIP) 25 e esta correlação foi estatisticamente significante.…”