Patterns of autism spectrum symptomatology in individuals with Down syndrome without comorbid autism spectrum disorder

Abstract

BackgroundPrevalence estimates of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in Down syndrome (DS) are highly varied. This variation is partly due to the difficulty of screening for and diagnosing comorbid ASD in individuals with a syndrome that carries its own set of social communicative and behavioral difficulties that are not well documented. The aim of this study was to identify the typical range of social communicative impairments observed in children, adolescents, and young adults with DS who do not have comorbid ASD.MethodsWe examined patterns of scores from the five subscales of the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) in 46 individuals with DS (ages 10–21 years) without comorbid ASD relative to the published normative sample. We also explored the correlations between SRS symptomatology and age, nonverbal cognition, and receptive language.ResultsSRS scores were elevated (i.e., more ASD symptoms endorsed), with mean scores falling into the clinically significant range. Analysis by subscale revealed a specific pattern, with Autistic Mannerisms and Social Cognition scores significantly more elevated than Social Communication scores, which were significantly more elevated than Social Awareness and Social Motivation scores. Correlations between SRS scores and the other measures varied by subscale.ConclusionsGeneral elevated ASD symptomatology on the SRS indicates the need for developing population-based norms specific to DS. The pattern of scores across subscales should inform clinicians of the typical range of behaviors observed in DS so that individuals with atypical patterns of behavior can be more easily identified and considered for a full ASD evaluation.

Qualitative Analysis of Parental Observations on Quality of Life in Australian Children with Down Syndrome

“…17 Behavior and emotion was variable with some children observed as cheerful and content most of the time yet others experienced frequent challenging behaviours. 18,19 A small proportion of our sample had also been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, 4 a comorbidity providing additional complexities for some children yet less often acknowledged during clinical practice.…”

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Excitatory/Inhibitory Balance and Circuit Homeostasis in Autism Spectrum Disorders

“…An early suggestion that Autism may be a hypoglutamatergic disorder (Carlsson, 1998) was based (as was a similar hypothesis for schizophrenia) on the preponderance of glutamatergic neurons in implicated brain structures including the amygdala, hippocampus and neocortex, and on the ability of some glutamate antagonists to mimic some symptoms. The complementary idea, namely an excess of inhibition, has been proposed to account for learning deficits in Down syndrome (Belichenko et al, 2009; Fernandez et al, 2007; Kleschevnikov et al, 2004), a disorder sharing many symptomatic components with ASD (Channell et al, 2015). For instance, DS patients also show restricted and repetitive behaviors (Evans et al, 2014), a core symptom in ASD (Leekam et al, 2011).…”

Violations of Personal Space in Young People with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Williams Syndrome: Insights from the Social Responsiveness Scale

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