Down syndrome (DS) research is advancing rapidly, yet efforts have raised ethical questions. This mixed methods study describes views of people with DS (self-advocates) and their parents regarding medical interventions for DS. Responses from 35/171 (20.5%) self-advocates and 430/867 (49.6%) parents showed the majority of self-advocates were glad…

Background: Transitioning from paediatric medical care to adult care is a challenging process for children, parents and healthcare professionals. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences, concerns and needs of parents of children with Down syndrome and of professionals regarding this transition. Method: A qualitative study was…

This study was aimed at investigating the impact of music on exercise performance and affective response to exercise in individuals with Down syndrome (DS). Twelve individuals with DS completed a treadmill walking protocol in both music and no music conditions. Heart rate (HR), walking steps, rate of perceived exertion (RPE), and enjoyment scores…

The purpose of this ethnographic study was to understand the lived experience of a special education teacher, school administrator and father of a special needs child with Down syndrome. Autoethnography allows researchers to explore the overarching facets of social life, provide a snapshot of widely held beliefs, commonly practiced behaviors, and…

The theory of self-determination considers that both environmental issues (such as the opportunity of choice) and intra-individual factors are correlated or predictive of self-determination. With regard to within-individual factors, some studies have explored the links between intellectual functioning and self-determination in people with Down…

Background: Individuals with Down syndrome are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 because they are recognised as significantly immunocompromised. Yet their voices regarding their lived experiences of pandemic lockdowns have not been sought or heard. Aim: This study aims to describe the lived experiences of people with Down syndrome during the…

The aim of this study was to investigate the oral health status and quality of life (QOL) of the parental caregivers of individuals with Down syndrome (DS), and to evaluate whether there is an association between these variables. The sample of this cross-sectional study was composed by parental caregivers of children with DS (CCDS) and parental…

The performance of children and young adults with Down syndrome (DS) on reading subskills and nonword reading was investigated. The performance of the participants with DS (N = 42) was compared to that of typically developing (N = 36) peers matched on fluid intelligence abilities. The study accounted for the different depths in orthography…

Background: Residential transitions have long been recognised as challenging for people with learning disabilities and can be packed with problem stories. Narrative Therapy practices have the potential to centre the voice of people with learning disabilities; to enable alternative stories to be told; and to shine a light on their own and their…

Globally it is estimated that Down syndrome occurs in 1 in 800 live births (Bull 2020). It has also been estimated that the incidence of Down syndrome occurs in 1/444 live births in the Republic of Ireland. Given the prevalence of Down syndrome births in Ireland and the fact that care is provided by the majority of parents at home, this…

Infants with Down syndrome are more likely to experience feeding problems and mothers are likely to require more feeding support than mothers of typically developing infants. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many feeding support services changed from face-to-face to online, which impacted some maternal feeding experiences negatively, but no studies…

Introduction: This article reports the physical abilities and physical wellness of three groups of children with different neurodevelopmental disabilities--Autism, Down Syndrome and Intellectual Disability. Methods: The causal-comparative research method was implemented in this study. The participants comprised 32 students with moderate…

No previous systematic reviews have focused on which targeted interventions successfully raise educational outcomes (i.e. reading, writing, mathematics, science and general attainment outcomes) for students with Down syndrome. This study reports on the findings from a larger pre-registered systematic review of targeted interventions for students…

Background: Adults with intellectual disability, especially those with Down syndrome, are at increased risk of dementia. Whilst memory decline is often considered the earliest symptom, emerging research indicates decline in language, executive function, and non-cognitive domains may also occur early, potentially before memory changes. Method: A…

Our bodies are made up of over 250 specific cell types, and all initially arise from stem cells during embryonic development. Stem cells have two characteristics that make them unique: (1) they are pluripotent, meaning that they can differentiate into all cell types of the body, and (2) they are capable of self-renewal to generate more of…