Background: Persons with Down syndrome (DS) have low aerobic exercise capacity. The present authors sought to compare the oxygen uptake efficiency slope (OUES) between adults with and without DS performing graded exercise testing (GXT) and to investigate its relationship with peak oxygen uptake (VO[subscript 2peak]) in both groups of participants.…

Background: Although parental stress is higher for children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDs), it is unclear how this stress compares to more common NDs. The current study compared stress in parents of children with Williams syndrome (WS), Down syndrome (DS) and autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The impact of individual and contextual factors…

Background: This study compared levels of physical activity completed by adults with and without Down syndrome. Method: Fifteen adults with and 15 adults without Down syndrome matched for age and gender, took part. The intensity and duration of physical activity were measured using RT3 accelerometers worn for seven days. Results: Only, 12…

Background: Individuals with intellectual disability (ID) have very low physical activity and low peak oxygen uptake (VO[subscript 2peak]), potentially explained by physiologically lower peak heart rates (HR[subscript peak]). Method: The present authors performed a retrospective analysis of a large data set of individuals with intellectual…

Background: Overweight and obesity is a growing concern among individuals with intellectual disabilities; however, little is known about the prevalence among children and youth with Down syndrome (CYDS). The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of overweight/obesity among CYDS in South West Ireland. Methods: This cross-sectional…

Background: Lifestyle has previously been associated with the onset of Alzheimer's disease (AD) in the typically developing population, but research investigating this association in Down syndrome (DS) is limited. Method: Adults with DS and AD (n = 27) were compared to adults with DS without AD (n = 30) on physical activity, diet, weight, where…

Background: This study investigated whether a personalized life story book and rummage box enhanced well-being and led to changes in behaviour for people with Down syndrome (DS) who have dementia. Materials and Methods: A randomized single case series design was used with five participants who had DS and a diagnosis of dementia. Participants were…

Background: The nature and characteristics of the peer social networks of young children with Down syndrome (DS) in classroom settings were examined within a developmental framework. Method: Comparisons were made with younger typically developing children matched on mental age and typically developing children matched on chronological age.…

Background: The Netherlands are lacking reliable empirical data in relation to the development of birth and population prevalence of Down syndrome. For the UK and Ireland there are more historical empirical data available. A theory-based model is developed for predicting Down syndrome prevalence in the Netherlands from the 1950s onwards. It is…

Background: Through play children exercise their emerging mental abilities, and for their part, when in collaborative play, caregivers often adjust their behaviours to assist their children's progress. In this study, we focused on comparisons between play of Down Syndrome (DS) children with their two parents as well as on comparisons between the…

Background: Obesity is a major public health concern internationally and this study aimed to measure the prevalence of obesity in adults with intellectual disabilities in comparison with general population data, and examine the factors associated with obesity. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of all adults with intellectual disabilities,…

Background: Down syndrome (DS) has been the focus of much cognitive and developmental research; however, there is a gap in knowledge regarding sustained attention, particularly across different sensory domains. This research examined the hypothesis that children with DS would demonstrate superior visual rather than auditory performance on a…

Background: The purpose of the present study was to determine the stress in mothers whose children have autism and to compare it with the stress in mothers whose children have Down's syndrome. Method: Fifty mothers whose children had autism (n = 25) or Down's syndrome (n = 25) completed the Questionnaire on Resources and Stress (QRS) and answered…

Background: Aspects of daily life have been considered in a population of people with Down syndrome, followed repeatedly from infancy to 21-years old, and again at 30-, 35- and 40-years old. A control sample of non-disabled babies were seen at the same ages. Method: Parents (usually the mothers) and/or carers were interviewed about the people's…

Background: The study concerns the unknown value of group instruction for mothers of young children with Down syndrome (DS) in preventing or minimizing sleep problems. Method: (1) Children with DS were randomly allocated to an Instruction group (given basic information about children's sleep) and a Control group for later comparison including…