Search results for ‘Subject term:"downs syndrome"’ Sort:
Results 1 - 10 of 23
Social reasoning skills in adults with Down syndrome: the role of language, executive functions and socio-emotional behaviour
- Author:
- HIPPOLYTE L.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 54(8), August 2010, pp.714-726.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
The prevalence of mental illness and behaviour problems is lower in adults with Down syndrome (DS) than other intellectual disability populations but they do still present emotional, relational and social interaction difficulties. Few studies have looked at specific competences central to developing appropriate social relationships (social reasoning, emotion processing, theory of mind) in the adult DS population. The authors examined the ability to understand the appropriateness of others' social behaviour in 34 Swiss, French speaking adults with DS (mean age 32 years), using the Social Resolution Task (SRT). Their results were compared with those of 34 typically developing (TD) children matched for receptive vocabulary (mean age 5.7 years). The relationships among the SRT experimental task, cognitive competences (receptive and productive vocabulary, non-verbal reasoning, inhibition, selective attention) and a caregiver-rated measure of socio-emotional behaviour were examined. The DS group’s global scores did not differ from those of the controls but subscores revealed fewer inappropriate situations than the control group. When they did identify behaviour as inappropriate, they were equally able to explain the rules underlying their responses. Receptive vocabulary, selective attention and a specific dimension of the socio-emotional profile (social relating skills) were the best predictors of the DS adults' performance on the SRT. Overall the DS participants demonstrated relatively good social reasoning skills in comparison with the TD children. There were however distinct response patterns.
The first confirmed case of Down syndrome with dementia with Lewy bodies
- Authors:
- PRASHER V. P., AIRUEHIA E., CAREY M.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 23(3), May 2010, pp.296-300.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is the second most common cause of dementia in the general population. Several researches have established an association between Down syndrome and Alzheimer's disease. Very few studies have, however, showed such an association between dementia with Lewy bodies and Down syndrome. The occurrence of dementia with Lewy bodies in persons with Down syndrome is widely unrecognised. This article reports the first case of a person with Down syndrome who fulfils the operational criteria for dementia with Lewy bodies and was also found to have Lewy bodies on neuropathological examination. The article emphasises the importance of making an early and accurate diagnosis as patients with dementia with Lewy bodies may respond differently than Alzheimer's dementia patients to certain behavioural and medical treatments.
The project: building a brighter future
- Author:
- DAVIS Jill
- Journal article citation:
- Learning Disability Today, 10(1), January 2010, pp.34-36.
- Publisher:
- Pavilion
- Place of publication:
- Hove
The transition to adulthood can be stressful for young people with learning disabilities and their families, due to the lack of co-ordinated planning, information and options. Some years ago, the Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities launched a project called ‘What kind of a future?’ to improve the lives of people with Down’s syndrome. This project produced a booklet featuring stories of young people doing exciting things with their lives after leaving full-time education and can be downloaded at www.learningdisabilities.org.uk/what-kind-of-a-future. The project also ran a series of 10 workshops in 2008 and 2009 in Cardiff, Derby and London to help participants plan for their future and to help turn those plans into reality. The aims of the workshops were to ask participants to select topics linked to transition, invite local professionals to share their knowledge about the topics, offer the young people activities at home to enhance learning about the topic, and allow the families to make links with local professionals and organisations. A number of positive outcomes were achieved from the workshops, such as a family acquiring a direct payment that helped their daughter have a social life.
Difficulties of dealing with dementia in individuals with intellectual disabilities: the healthcare perspective
- Authors:
- JETHWA Hannah, CASSIDY Geraldine
- Journal article citation:
- Advances in Mental Health and Intellectual Disabilities, 4(4), December 2010, pp.48-52.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
Dementia is a condition that involves inevitably progressive deficits in numerous cognitive domains, including thought, language, memory, understanding and judgement. It is more than 4 times as prevalent in people with intellectual disabilities as in the general population. This paper explains the main difficulties in dealing with dementia in people with intellectual disabilities, including late diagnosis, assessment and management issues. Diagnosis of the condition in people with intellectual disabilities is often difficult due to lack of baseline skill assessment, high staff turnover in supported accommodation and low expectations of capabilities. Current National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines on anti-dementia medication state that treatment should not be initiated until the condition has reached moderate severity. Determining whether symptoms are at this stage in people with intellectual disabilities is difficult because their skill level is already impaired. An accurate and extensive record of baseline skill levels in people with intellectual disabilities is therefore crucial, and regular comparison with baseline is key to early diagnosis of dementia.
The perception of friendship in adults with Down syndrome
- Authors:
- WATT K. J., JOHNSON P., VIRIJ-BABUL N.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 54(11), November 2010, pp.1015-1023.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
The authors test their hypothesis that individuals with Downs syndrome (DS) have specific perceptual deficits that influence the interpretation of social interactions and, consequently, the understanding of friendship behaviours in a manner that differs from individuals with typical development. While studies have investigated friendship in children with DS, few have considered how adults with DS view the concept of friendship. This Canadian study evaluated the perception of friendship in adults with DS using a visually based scale. Sixty-six individuals participated: 22 adults with DS (aged 20.4-36.4 years with a mental age between 4-11.3 years), 22 typical mental age (MA) matched children and 22 typical adults matched for chronological age (CA). The Friendship Scale consisted of photographs depicting social interactions. It was composed of two parts: participants were shown two photographs and asked to select the photograph that best depicted friends and then asked to view one photograph and asked, ‘Is it okay for friends to do this?’. Adults with DS scored lower on the Friendship Scale compared with both matched groups. They made more errors in identifying ‘friends’ from ‘non-friends’ but were equally able to distinguish friendly behaviours and actions from non-friendly behaviours as were the comparator groups. Individuals with DS were more likely to incorrectly identify photographs depicting a teacher, or a mother with a child as friends. Actions or behaviours that depicted subtle negative emotions were also incorrectly identified.
Stigmatised attitudes towards intellectual disability: a randomised crossover trial
- Authors:
- VARUGHESE Sabu John, LUTY Jason
- Journal article citation:
- Psychiatrist (The), 34(8), August 2010, pp.318-322.
- Publisher:
- Royal College of Psychiatrists
A major UK government objective is to tackle discrimination, stigma and inequalities in mental health – with stigma being a social construct that devalues people due to distinguishing characteristics or marks. Yet people with intellectual disabilities continue to suffer serious stigma and discrimination. The study aimed to determine the effect of viewing a picture of a person with intellectual disability on stigmatised attitudes. The 20-point Attitude to Mental Illness Questionnaire (AMIQ) was used and a representative panel of members of the general public were randomised to complete the questionnaire either with or without looking at a picture of a man with Down syndrome. Six months later the same experiment was performed with the groups crossed over. Results were received for 360 participants. It was theorised that looking at the picture would produce a more negatively stigmatised attitude than simply asking participants to complete the test without viewing pictures. However, findings showed that after examination of the picture attitudes were actually reduced by a small by significant extent, possibly by personalising the description and producing a more sympathetic response. The actual sequence of the test had no significant effect on the outcome. In conclusion, the author suggests that looking at a picture of a young man with Down syndrome significantly reduces reported stigmatised attitudes.
Mothers and fathers at play with their children with Down syndrome: influence on child exploratory and symbolic activity
- Authors:
- FALCO Simona De, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 23(6), November 2010, pp.597-605.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Down Syndrome (DS) children exercise their emerging mental abilities through play. For their part, when in collaborative play, caregivers often adjust their behaviours to assist their children’s progress. This study compared play of DS children with their two parents as well as on comparisons between the two parents’ play behaviours. Forty parent-child dyads, 20 children with their mothers and again separately with their fathers, participated. Participants’ play behaviours during child solitary and mother-child and father-child collaborative sessions was recorded. Findings indicated that although children increased exploratory play from solitary to collaborative sessions with both parents, symbolic play increased only during joint play with fathers. Fathers displayed less symbolic and more exploratory activity compared to mothers. Mothers and fathers alike were attuned to their children, although fathers showed a higher degree of attunement. The authors concluded that maternal and paternal contributions to DS child play skills are positive but different. During collaborative play the fathers’ contributions were unique.
Identifying facilitators and barriers to physical activity for adults with Down syndrome
- Authors:
- MAHY J., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 54(9), September 2010, pp.795-805.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Adults with Down syndrome typically have a sedentary lifestyle and many also have medical conditions that may be exacerbated by lack of exercise. The aim of this exploratory study was to identify the barriers and facilitators to physical activity from the perspective of these adults and their supporters. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 participants recruited through two agencies in Melbourne providing services for adults with disabilities; six participants were adults with Down syndrome (5 women and I man, aged 21-44 years) and 12 participants were support people (four were parents and eight were employed by day programmes attended by those with Down syndrome). The interviews were recorded and independently coded by two researchers. Three themes around facilitators to physical activity were identified: support from others; physical activity being fun or having an interesting purpose; and routine and familiarity. Three themes around barriers were also identified: lack of support; not wishing to engage in physical activity; and medical and physiological factors. The authors conclude that support people play a key role, both as facilitators and barriers but also that many of the barriers and facilitators of activity for adults with Down syndrome are similar to those reported for adults without impairment.
Coping with dementia and older families of adults with Down syndrome
- Authors:
- JANICKI Matthew P., ZENDELL Anna, DEHAVEN Kathleen
- Journal article citation:
- Dementia: the International Journal of Social Research and Practice, 9(3), August 2010, pp.391-407.
- Publisher:
- Sage
The study investigated a group of older carers of aging adults with Down syndrome (DS) to determine what effects such caregiving may have on them given the presence of dementia. The study also explored the comparative levels of care provided. Key signs were noted when decline was beginning – the subjective burden being experienced, and the key health factors when carers faced a changed level of care. Findings indicated that this group was made up of long-term, committed carers who have decided early on to look after their relative with DS over their lifetime. When faced the progression of dementia, their commitment was still apparent as evidenced by adopting physical accommodations and finding ways to continue to provide care at home, while also seeking help from outside sources. Most participants saw a family or group home environment as the place of choice for their relative with DS when they decided they could no longer offer care. The study did not suggest any burn-out or significant health related problems associated with their continued caregiving.
Dementia in older adults with intellectual disabilities: epidemiology, presentation and diagnosis
- Authors:
- STRYDOM Andre, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, 7(2), June 2010, pp.96-110.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
The authors conducted a literature review on the epidemiology, presentation and diagnosis of dementia in older adults with intellectual or learning disabilities (ID) and specific genetic syndromes, such as Downs syndrome (DS) using Medline, EMBASE and PsycINFO for original papers in English, German or Dutch, between 1997 and 2008. Articles from the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, United States, Netherlands, Ireland; Japan, South Africa, Scandinavia and Italy had varied methodologies and differences in diagnoses resulting in a wide range of prevalence rates of dementia. Rates of dementia in those with ID, not because of DS, were comparable or higher than those in the general population. The onset of Alzheimers disease in DS appears earlier and the prevalence increases from less than 10% in the 40’s, to more than 30% in the 50’s with varying prevalence reported in those over 60 years. Incidence rates increased with age. Presentation differs in the ID population compared with the general population, with those with DS presenting with behavioural changes believed to be due to frontal lobe deficits. Few studies of dementia in other genetic syndromes such as Rett syndrome, an autistic spectrum disorder, and Sanfilippo syndrome were located in the literature, but these are discussed and tabulated along with others found.