Sustained attention to response task performance trajectories in Down syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Sustained attention (SA) has been reported to be a unitary construct in youth with Down syndrome (DS), but additional analyses of how auditory and visual SA change over task presentation time are warranted. METHOD: The current study was a secondary data analysis employing multilevel modeling. Specifically, we compared auditory and visual sustained attention to response task (SART) performance trajectories within a group of 42 youth with DS aged 10 to 22 years. RESULTS: We found that auditory omission errors increased at a faster rate than visual omission errors over increasing SART block presentations in youth with DS. CONCLUSIONS: Youth with DS experience more SA lapses over time in the auditory than visual modality. Results have implications for academic instruction and assessment.

A cross-sectional analysis of executive function in Down syndrome from 2 to 35 years.

BACKGROUND: Previous research has indicated a unique profile of executive function (EF) in children and adolescents with Down syndrome (DS). However, there is a paucity of research on EF in adults with DS. This study aimed to gain a broader understanding of strengths and weaknesses in EF in DS from 2 to 35 years. METHOD: Parents of 112 individuals with DS between 2 and 35 years participated in this study. Parents either completed the Behaviour Rating Inventory of Executive Function - for individuals 6+ years - or the Behaviour Rating Inventory of Executive Function Preschool Version - for children 2-5 years. RESULTS: Results suggest not only overall difficulties but also patterns of strength and weakness within EF for individuals with DS. For the 2 to 5-year-old group, emotional control and shift were relative strengths, planning/organisation and inhibit were intermediate skills, and working memory was a relative weakness. For the 6 to 18-year-old group, emotional control and organisation of materials were relative strengths, inhibit and initiate were intermediate skills, and working memory, monitor, planning/organisation, and shift were relative weaknesses. Most abilities were consistent from 2 to 18 years, except shift, which decreased in preadolescence before beginning to recover in adolescence. Across the full age range (2-35 years), composite scores indicated quadratic trends in inhibit, working memory, and planning/organisation, and a cubic trend in shift, with EF abilities generally declining in middle childhood before recovering in adulthood. CONCLUSIONS: This study extends previous research on EF in DS by providing an initial description of EF profiles across the lifespan. More longitudinal and behavioural research is needed to further characterise the development of EF in DS.