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Down Syndrome: Understanding Cognitive and Behavioral Functioning across the Lifespan

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Children's Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 March 2023) | Viewed by 2426

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA 95817, USA
Interests: cognitive neuroscience; memory; neuroimaging; cognitive neuropsychology; executive function; learning and memory; behavioral neuroscience; cognitive development; neurobiology and brain physiology

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA 95817, USA
Interests: child development; autism spectrum disorders; down syndrome; emotion regulation; self-regulation; caregiver-child interactions

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent decades, there has been significant advancement regarding the research on Down syndrome (DS), partly due to the increase in multidisciplinary approaches to research. Evidence so far has demonstrated that individuals with DS have unique neurocognitive and neurobehavioral profiles across their lifespan that distinguish them from individuals with other types of intellectual disabilities (ID).  In addition, researchers now agree that individuals with DS should not be treated as a homogeneous group, since individual differences can be seen across multiple domains, including biological, cognitive, and behavioral features. Given the significant increase in life expectancy for individuals with DS, a focus on individual differences across individuals with trisomy 21 provides an opportunity to explore genotype/phenotype relations in DS and identify risk and protective factors for co-occurring conditions such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). Additionally, an emphasis on the development of psychometrically sound cognitive and behavioral outcome measures is essential to accurately assess development and decline in DS, as well as to measure treatment efficacy in novel therapies. 

This Special Issue focuses on current knowledge regarding cognitive and behavioral functioning across the lifespan of individuals with DS. Manuscripts addressing these topics are invited to contribute to this Special Issue. The keywords listed below provide examples of possible areas of interest.

Dr. Laura Del Hoyo Soriano
Dr. Amanda Dimachkie Nunnally
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • down syndrome
  • cognitive development
  • cognitive decline
  • psychometrically sound outcome measures
  • cognitive variability
  • language
  • interventions
  • childhood
  • adolescence
  • adulthood

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

15 pages, 375 KiB  
Article
Evaluating Processing Speed and Reaction Time Outcome Measures in Children and Adolescents with Down Syndrome
by Emily K. Schworer, Mekibib Altaye, Deborah J. Fidler, Dean W. Beebe, Susan Wiley, Emily K. Hoffman and Anna J. Esbensen
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(6), 5202; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20065202 - 15 Mar 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1973
Abstract
Reliable and valid cognitive outcome measures, including examiner-administered and computer-facilitated assessments of processing speed and reaction time, are necessary for future clinical trials that include individuals with Down syndrome (DS). The current study evaluated the score distributions and psychometric properties of four examiner-administered [...] Read more.
Reliable and valid cognitive outcome measures, including examiner-administered and computer-facilitated assessments of processing speed and reaction time, are necessary for future clinical trials that include individuals with Down syndrome (DS). The current study evaluated the score distributions and psychometric properties of four examiner-administered and three computerized processing speed and reaction time measures. Participants included 97 individuals with DS, aged 6 to 17 (M = 12.6, SD = 3.3). Two examiner-administered measures (Differential Ability Scales-II Rapid Naming and Cat/dog Stroop Congruent) met most predetermined psychometric criteria. Other assessments demonstrated good test-retest reliability and had negligible practice effects but lacked adequate feasibility. Recommendations for using processing speed and reaction time assessments in research and suggestions for modifications of measures are discussed. Full article
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