Abstract
Although early features of infant cognition are predictive of executive function (EF) in typically developing (TD) children, there is little information regarding the developmental origins of EF in neurogenetic conditions, such as Down syndrome (DS). The current study compared the performance of infants with and without DS on three dimensions that are hypothesised EF precursors: visual engagement, attention shifting and action planning. Additionally, the relationship between these EF precursors at Time 1 and EF performance at Time 2 (6months later) was examined in the DS group. Participants were 36 infants with DS, M chronological age=12.65months, SD=2.11; M developmental age=8.84months, SD=2.22, and 36 TD infants, M chronological age=8.62, SD=3.06; M developmental age=8.64months, SD=3.40. Infants with DS visually engaged with objects for longer durations and demonstrated challenges with action planning compared with TD infants at Time 1. Attention shifting at Time 1 significantly predicted EF performance at Time 2 in the DS group. This study provides evidence that an early atypical presentation of EF precursors is detectable during infancy in DS and is predictive of subsequent EF performance. These findings contribute to the identification of areas of early cognitive risk in DS and can inform future interventions in this population.
Highlights
Though early features of infant cognition are predictive of executive function (EF) in typically developing (TD) children, there is little information regarding the developmental origins of executive functions’ (EFs) in neurogenetic conditions, such as Down syndrome (DS)
Attention shifting was found to be a significant predictor of early EF performance in the DS group, such that slower shifting of visual attention at Time 1 was associated with less successful manual shifting on the A-not-B task at Time 2
This study provides important novel information regarding the atypical presentation of EF precursors that are predictive of subsequent EF performance in infants with DS
Summary
Though early features of infant cognition are predictive of executive function (EF) in typically developing (TD) children, there is little information regarding the developmental origins of EF in neurogenetic conditions, such as Down syndrome (DS). The current study compared the performance of infants with and without DS on four dimensions that are hypothesized EF precursors: attention shifting, sustained attention, processing speed, and action planning. The relationship between these EF precursors at Time 1 and EF performance at Time 2 (6 months later) was examined in the DS group. This study provides evidence that an early atypical presentation of EF precursors is detectable during infancy in DS and is predictive of subsequent EF performance These findings contribute to the identification of areas of early cognitive risk in DS and can inform future interventions in this population
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