A comparison of the development of independence in two cohorts of young people with Down syndrome

Abstract

Studies in infancy, teens and the mid-twenties were made of an original cohort of children with Down syndrome, born in the 60s and brought up at home in South Wales. The young people continued to improve in their self-care and daily living skills into adulthood, although no one had reached full independence. Studies were made in infancy and teens of a second comparative cohort of children with Down syndrome, born in the 70s and brought up at home in South Wales. In the teens, significantly more of the comparative cohort were independent in their self-care skills and daily living skills compared with the original cohort when they were in their teens, nine years earlier. It was not that there were individuals in the comparative cohort who were superior to individuals in the original cohort, rather there were far fewer in the comparative cohort with extremely limited achievements who were not reaching their potential.