As
many as eighteen percent of
children with Down syndrome have an
autistic spectrum disorder.1 2Many
parents have expressed that once their
child received the additional diagnosis
of autism, it became the most
important issue.
“My husband and I were
both a little perturbed at the
fact that Sadie had been in close
contact with a ton of professionals.
She wasn’t progressing in
therapies. Some even witnessed
her regression in skills. Yet,
no one hinted at autism. However,
once we told (them) of her new
diagnosis, they all were a little
relieved themselves and even started
doing some of the autism approach
therapies to which she responded
positively.”
- Missy W.,
mother
of a five-year-old with Down
syndrome and Autism
“The last thing I wanted was
another label or diagnosis for my
precious girl, but when it was determined
that autism was definitely part of
my daughter’s challenges, I
felt validated. I love my daughter
and I want to do what’s best
for her, so it was worth pushing
for answers. I was also quite relieved
that she would start receiving
the understanding, services and
attention that she deserved.”
- Robin Z.,
mother
of a twelve-year-old with Down
syndrome and Autism |
BENEFITS OF KNOWING
A formal diagnosis could:
- Help get needed school and community
services and programs that are tailored
to children with autism
- Explain why a child with Down syndrome
and autism develops and acts differently
- Help parents to better understand,
support and guide their child
BEHAVIORS TO NOTICE
Your child with Down syndrome may have
an autism spectrum disorder if he or
she 3456:
- Does not
orient to people (for example, often
does not respond when you call his/her
name),
- Stops using
speech, signs, or other means of communication,
- Seems happiest
playing alone,
- Shows more
interest in objects than people,
- Eats only
a small selection of foods and resists
new foods,
- Has unusual
responses to pain, sound, light, or
touch,
- Rarely includes
other people in his/her interests
- Rarely shows
interest in what other people are doing,
- Has difficulty
understanding gestures like pointing,
- Doesn’t
seem to automatically smile back
at you when you smile at him/her.
Many of these behaviors are normal for
children with Down syndrome at certain
points of development. Also, a child
with Down syndrome may experience relatively
normal development but then regress by
developing these behaviors between the
ages of three and seven.7 When one or
two of these behaviors become predictable,
extreme, or resistant to change,
your child may benefit from a thorough
evaluation for autistic spectrum disorders
performed by a professional who is experienced
in working with children with Down syndrome.8
More Information
References
- Hepburn,
S., Fidler, D., Lee, N., & Robinson,
C. (2008). Comorbidity of autism
in Down Syndrome: Implications
for education and intervention. Presented
at the Annual Gatlinburg Conference on Research in
Developmental Disabilities (San Diego,
March).
- Starr
E. M., Berument S. K., Tomlins
M., Papanikolaou K., Rutter M.. Brief
report: autism in individuals with
Down syndrome. Journal of autism and developmental
disorders. 2005;35:665–673.
- Carter
J. C., Capone G. T., Gray R. M.,
Cox C. S., Kaufmann W. E..
Autistic-spectrum disorders in Down
syndrome: further delineation and distinction
from other behavioral abnormalities. American
journal of medical genetics. Part B,
Neuropsychiatric genetics : the official
publication of the International Society
of Psychiatric Genetics. 2007;144B:87–94.
- Hepburn,
S., Philofsky, A., Fidler, N., & Rogers,
S. “Autism symptoms in toddlers
with Down syndrome: a descriptive study,” Journal
of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities.
21:48-57 (2008).
- Molloy
C. A., Murray D. S., Kinsman
A., et al. Differences in the clinical
presentation of Trisomy 21 with and
without autism. Journal of intellectual disability
research : JIDR. 2009;53:143–151.
- Howlin,
P., Wing, L., and Gould, J. "The
Recognition of Autism in Children with
Down syndrome: Implications for Intervention
and Some Speculations About Pathology," Developmental
Medicine and Child Neurology. 37:406-414
(1995).
- Castillo
H., Patterson B., Hickey F., et al.
Difference in age at regression in
children with autism with and without
Down syndrome. Journal of developmental
and behavioral pediatrics : JDBP. 2008;29:89–93.
- Capone,
G. Kennedy Krieger Institute Page. www.kennedykrieger.org/kki_misc.jsp?pid=2141.
Down Syndrome and Autistic Spectrum
Disorder: A Look at What We Know. Accessed
Nov. 2, 2009.
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