The authors present a case study of a 70-year-old man with Down syndrome ("Mr. C.") who they followed for 16 years and who does not exhibit declines in cognitive or functional capacities indicative of dementia, despite having well-documented, complete trisomy 21. The authors describe the age-associated changes that occurred over 16 years as well…

An association between weight loss and Alzheimer's disease has been established in the general population but little information is available regarding this association in people with intellectual disabilities. A 4-year longitudinal study of adults with Down syndrome with and without Alzheimer's disease was undertaken. Age-associated weight loss…

Because dyspraxia (partial loss of the ability to perform purposeful motor acts) is an early symptom of Alzheimer disease, a 62-item dyspraxia scale adapted for adults with Down syndrome (DS) was developed. Use of the measure over 3.5 years with 72 DS individuals (age 40 or older) found statistically significant deterioration that suggested…

Recently, more attention is being given to identifying aging-related and dementia-related pathological changes in performance and cognition among persons with intellectual disabilities (ID). This literature review examines age-related differences in specific aspects of cognitive functioning and cognitive performance of people with ID and…

Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses compared age-related changes in adaptive functioning in institutionalized adults with and without Down's syndrome. Cross-sectional analysis showed significant differences related to level of functioning but not to age or etiology. Longitudinal analysis showed a decline in self-help and communication skills…