Profiles of Caregiver-Reported Executive Function in Children with Down Syndrome.
Kaylyn Van Deusen, Mark A Prince, Anna J Esbensen, Jamie O Edgin, Emily K Schworer, Angela John Thurman, Lina R Patel, Lisa A Daunhauer, Deborah J Fidler
Author Information
Kaylyn Van Deusen: Human Development and Family Studies, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.
Mark A Prince: Department of Psychology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA. ORCID
Anna J Esbensen: Division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA. ORCID
Jamie O Edgin: Sonoran University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.
Emily K Schworer: Division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA. ORCID
Angela John Thurman: Department of Psychiatry, MIND Institute, University of California Davis Health, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA.
Lina R Patel: Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado-Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA.
Lisa A Daunhauer: Human Development and Family Studies, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.
Deborah J Fidler: Human Development and Family Studies, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA. ORCID
Children with Down syndrome (DS) are at risk for challenges with aspects of executive function (EF). The current study explores whether heterogeneity in EF profiles can be detected within a sample of children with DS. Participants were 69 children with DS, ages 3-10 years (M = 6.23, SD = 1.91). T-scores from a caregiver-report measure of executive function were modeled using latent profile analysis, and auxiliary analyses examined the association between demographic and biomedical factors and probability of profile membership. The two-profile solution was the best fit for the sample, with a profile that involved elevated scores in working memory only ("Working Memory Only" profile; 43% of sample) and a "Multi-Domain" profile that involved elevated scores in planning, inhibition, and working memory (57%). The presence of congenital heart defects was associated with a higher probability of assignment to the Multi-Domain profile. Findings from this study contribute to the characterization of heterogeneous outcomes associated with DS.
