Characteristics Associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder Risk in Individuals with Down Syndrome

Channell, Marie Moore; Hahn, Laura J.; Rosser, Tracie C.; Hamilton, Debra; Frank-Crawford, Michelle A.; Capone, George T.; Sherman, Stephanie L.

doi:10.1007/s10803-019-04074-1

Original Paper
Published: 23 May 2019

Characteristics Associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder Risk in Individuals with Down Syndrome

Marie Moore Channell¹,
Laura J. Hahn¹,
Tracie C. Rosser²,
Debra Hamilton²,
Michelle A. Frank-Crawford³,
George T. Capone³,
Stephanie L. Sherman² &
The Down Syndrome Cognition Project

Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders volume 49, pages 3543–3556 (2019)Cite this article

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Abstract

We examined autism spectrum disorder (ASD) risk in a large national sample of 203 individuals with Down syndrome, 6–25 years old, to determine the association of ASD risk with age, sex, IQ, adaptive behaviors, and maladaptive behaviors. We used a two-pronged approach by (1) considering ASD symptomatology continuously across the sample of individuals with DS and examining associations with each characteristic, and (2) dichotomizing our sample into high and low ASD risk groups and comparing groups on each characteristic. The pattern of results was largely similar across both types of analyses. ASD symptomatology/risk was negatively associated with IQ and adaptive behaviors and positively associated with certain types of maladaptive behaviors. Clinical implications for screening and therapeutic purposes are discussed.

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Acknowledgments

Funding for the Down Syndrome Cognition Project was provided by LuMind Research Down Syndrome Foundation. We thank the many students and staff who have contributed to recruitment, data collection, and data management across project sites. We also thank Dr. Anna Esbensen at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital for providing feedback on an early draft of this manuscript. We especially thank the families who have donated their time and effort to participate in this research. Preliminary data described in this manuscript were presented at the 51st Annual Gatlinburg Conference on Research and Theory in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in San Diego, CA, March 2018. MMC and LH conceived of the study and participated in its design. MMC performed the statistical analyses and interpretation of the data and had a primary role in drafting the manuscript. LH assisted with interpretation of the data and helped to draft the manuscript. TR and DH had primary roles in the design and coordination of the study and in overseeing data collection and preparation for analysis. MF helped with data collection, assisted in interpretation of the data, and assisted in drafting of the manuscript. GC and SS participated in the study’s conception and design, assisted in data interpretation and drafting of the manuscript, and provided mentorship throughout the project. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Funding

This study was funded by a grant from the LuMind Research Down Syndrome Foundation (PI: Sherman).

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Authors and Affiliations

Department of Speech and Hearing Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 901 S. Sixth St., Champaign, IL, 61820, USA
Marie Moore Channell & Laura J. Hahn
Department of Human Genetics, Emory University, 615 Michael St, Whitehead Bldg, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
Tracie C. Rosser, Debra Hamilton & Stephanie L. Sherman
Kennedy Krieger Institute, 707 N. Broadway, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
Michelle A. Frank-Crawford & George T. Capone

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Marie Moore Channell
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Laura J. Hahn
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Tracie C. Rosser
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Debra Hamilton
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Michelle A. Frank-Crawford
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George T. Capone
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Stephanie L. Sherman
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The Down Syndrome Cognition Project

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Correspondence to Marie Moore Channell.

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Channell, M.M., Hahn, L.J., Rosser, T.C. et al. Characteristics Associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder Risk in Individuals with Down Syndrome. J Autism Dev Disord 49, 3543–3556 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-019-04074-1

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Published: 23 May 2019
Issue Date: 15 September 2019
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-019-04074-1

Keywords

Autism spectrum disorder
Down syndrome
Maladaptive behavior
Psychiatric comorbidities
Intellectual disability