Background: When developing walking programmes for improving health in adults with Down syndrome (DS), physical activity professionals are in need of an equation for predicting energy expenditure. We therefore developed and cross-validated an equation for predicting the rate of oxygen uptake (VO[subscript 2]; an index of energy expenditure) for…

Key word signing, an unaided augmentative, and alternative communication (AAC) system is commonly used by children with Down syndrome who attend mainstream primary schools. To ensure the successful use of key word signing within a mainstream environment, a meaningful, contextually appropriate sign vocabulary must be available to all communication…

Introduction: Diagnosing dementia in people with severe/profound intellectual (and multiple) disabilities (SPI(M)D) is complex. Whereas existing dementia screening instruments as a whole are unsuitable for this population, a number of individual items may apply. Therefore, this study aimed to identify applicable items in existing dementia…

Research focused on identifying effective interventions for individuals with Down syndrome is increasingly informed by the behavioral phenotype -- a profile of performance associated with a genetic abnormality. Recent studies substantiate the efficacy of phenotypically aligned instruction in improving basic reading skills for children with Down…

Introduction: Having a diagnosis of Down syndrome (DS) is associated with intellectual disability (ID), pervasive developmental disorders and Alzheimer's dementia (AD). The association between these conditions has not been well evaluated. This paper looks to examine the current evidence pertaining to the relationship between dementia in people…

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of early childhood adapted physical education (APE) and caregiver-implemented homework on the gross motor skill development of 19 young children with Down Syndrome (DS). The results of three groups were compared: (a) APE only, (b) APE plus picture card homework, and (c) APE plus instructional…

The current pilot study examines pre-schooler's play behaviour involving dolls with and without facial characteristics of Down syndrome over a period of 16 weeks. Play behaviours were categorized into one of 3 behavioural categories with predefined observational scoring grids: prosocial, antisocial, or neutral/no behaviour. Participants also…

Down syndrome is acknowledged to be the most common neurogenetic cause for intellectual disability. It is a multisystem disorder which results in multiple lifelong health problems. At present, students with Down syndrome can receive education in inclusive mainstream education settings. However, this is not without its accompanying challenges. The…

It has been reported that approximate number sense (ANS) task performance is impaired in individuals with Williams syndrome (WS) and Down syndrome (DS). Research with infants has suggested this impairment is caused by sticky fixation in WS and sustained attention deficits for those with DS. This study examined looking patterns of older children…

Background: Historically, research exploring the impact of having a child with an Intellectual Disability (ID), has focussed exclusively on mothers. The present study aimed to investigate fathers' experiences of parenting a child with Down's syndrome (DS), their contributions, influences on family functioning and inclusion in their child's support…

The current study evaluates the psychometric properties of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) with children with Down syndrome. Caregivers of 84 children with Down syndrome rated their child's behavior with the BRIEF. Teacher ratings were obtained for 57 children. About 40% of children with Down syndrome were reported by…

Background: Parents often face many barriers when taking care of their offspring with disabilities. In childhood, support needs vary with families of children with Down syndrome often reporting less caregiving challenges. However, it is unclear whether support needs vary in adulthood. This study compared parents of adults with Down syndrome (DS),…

In this paper, the hypothesis that Developmental Dyscalculia (DD) is a characteristic of Down syndrome (DS) is proposed. Implications for the hypothesis are addressed: If it were to be confirmed that DS implies DD, what would be the consequences for the mathematics education of learners with DS? The use of prosthetic devices to overcome the…

This study describes the profile of repetitive behaviour in individuals with Williams syndrome, utilising cross-syndrome comparisons with people with Prader-Willi and Down syndromes. The Repetitive Behaviour Questionnaire was administered to caregivers of adults with Williams (n = 96), Prader-Willi (n = 103) and Down (n = 78) syndromes. There were…

Background: Structured exercise has shown to improve parameters of functional fitness in adults with Down syndrome (DS). However, few, if any, continue to exercise after exercise intervention studies. Consequently, the purpose of this study was to determine the effects of detraining on anthropometry, aerobic capacity and functional ability of…