Early learning and adaptive behaviour in toddlers with Down syndrome: Evidence for an emerging behavioural phenotype?

Abstract

-Background:Though the Down syndrome behavioural phenotype has been described as involving relative strengths in visuo-spatial processing and sociability, and relative weaknesses in verbal skills and motor planning, the early emergence of this phenotypic pattern of strengths and weaknesses has not yet been fully explored. Method: In this study, we compared the performance of eighteen 2 to 3-year-olds with Down syndrome to an MA-matched comparison group of nineteen 2 to 3-year-olds with mixed developmental disabilities, and an MA-matched comparison group of 24 children with typical development on two developmental measures: the Mullen Scales of Early Learning and the Vineland Adaptive Behaviour Scales. Results: While the specificity of the Down syndrome profile was (for the most part) not yet evident, results showed that toddlers with Down syndrome in this study did show emerging areas of relative strength and weakness similar to that which has been described in older children and young adults with Down syndrome. This pattern included relatively stronger social skills, weaker expressive language, and poor motor coordination. When this pattern of strengths and weaknesses was compared to the developmental profiles of the two comparison groups, socialisation strengths differentiated the Down syndrome group from the mixed developmental disabilities group.

Impaired Locomotor Learning and Altered Cerebellar Synaptic Plasticity in pep-19/pcp4-Null Mice

“…Deficiencies in, and compromised development of, motor skills and motor planning are among the most common findings in DS (17,18,55,60). Furthermore, many cerebellumdependent deficits are evident in mouse models of DS, including reduced granule cell number (3,44), mimicking the cerebellar hypoplasia of DS (2) and variable locomotor deficits that, depending on the mouse model, can include gait anomalies and impaired performance on the rotarod test (3,13,20).…”

Time management guidelines for the intervention of a child with Down syndrome using the Developmental "Resource Stimulation Programme" (DRSP)

“…According to the literature there are few effective early-intervention programmes for children with developmental problems in South Africa [1][2][3][4] . There is a need to ascertain, not only the effectiveness of an intervention programme, but also, at what age intervention should start, what the duration of the intervention should be, and what the frequency of intervention sessions should be 5 .…”

Linguagem narrativa e fluência na síndrome de down: uma revisão

“…Several factors contribute to the change of oral language that is present in individuals with Down syndrome; they are both anatomic as on the nervous system and hearing levels 12 . Is still a relative delay in the development of nonverbal behaviors, the use of eye contact, gesture or vocalization for instrumental purposes 13 . The main causes or factors related to language disorder in children with Down syndrome are cognitive impairment, impaired short-term memory, impaired quality of mother-child interaction, developmental delay, neurological disorders of the stomatognathic system, auditory and visual.…”