Laboratory‐based measures of executive function and daily living skills in young children with Down syndrome: informing future interventions

Abstract

BackgroundAdaptive behaviour refers to the practical skills necessary for independence and is considered a high‐priority intervention target for children with neurogenetic conditions associated with intellectual disability, like Down syndrome (DS). Daily living skills (DLS) are a critical aspect of adaptive behaviour, but they have received little intervention attention, possibly because they involve a wide variety of skills across many settings. The present study aimed to advance DLS intervention science by examining the concurrent and longitudinal association between DLS performances and a cognitive skillset hypothesised to support DLS skill acquisition, executive function (EF).MethodsParticipants were 71 children with DS between the ages of 2.5 and 8.7 years (M = 5.23 years; standard deviation = 1.65) who completed a battery of adapted EF tasks and a primary caregiver who completed the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales 3rd Edition Parent/Caregiver Comprehensive Report Form. A subset of caregivers also provided 6‐ and 12‐month follow‐up adaptive behaviour information.ResultsResults demonstrated a positive association between EF task performance and DLS standard scores and v‐scores both concurrently and longitudinally.ConclusionsThe findings have implications for potential future intervention approaches that aim to strengthen DLS performances by advancing EF skills in this population.