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

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Creator
  • Channell, Marie M
    • Other Affiliation: University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, USA; MIND Institute, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, USA
  • Phillips, B A
    • Other Affiliation: University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, USA; Ouachita Baptist University, Arkadelphia, USA
  • Loveall, Susan J
    • Other Affiliation: University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, USA; Life Span Institute, University of Kansas, Lawrence, USA
  • Conners, Frances A
    • Other Affiliation: University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, USA
  • Bussanich, Paige M
    • Other Affiliation: Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, USA
  • Klinger, Laura
    • Affiliation: School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry
    • Other Affiliation: TEACCH Autism Program
Abstract
  • Background Prevalence 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. Methods We 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. Results SRS 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. Conclusions General 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.
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  • Article
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  • In Copyright
Rights holder
  • Channell et al.; licensee BioMed Central.
Journal title
  • Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Journal volume
  • 7
Journal issue
  • 1
Page start
  • 5
Language
  • English
Bibliographic citation
  • Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders. 2015 Jan 17;7(1):5
Publisher
  • BioMed Central

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