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. 2022 Mar;66(3):265-281.
doi: 10.1111/jir.12910. Epub 2022 Jan 4.

Latent profiles of autism symptoms in children and adolescents with Down syndrome

D J Fidler  1 , M A Prince  1   2 , K Van Deusen  1 , A J Esbensen  3 , A J Thurman  4 , L Abbeduto  4 , L Patel  5 , C Mervis  6 , E K Schworer  3 , N R Lee  7 , J O Edgin  8 , S Hepburn  1 , S Davis  2 , L A Daunhauer  1
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Latent profiles of autism symptoms in children and adolescents with Down syndrome

D J Fidler et al. J Intellect Disabil Res. 2022 Mar.

Abstract

Background: Down syndrome (DS) is associated with elevated rates of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and autism symptomatology. To better characterise heterogeneity in ASD symptomatology in DS, profiles of caregiver-reported ASD symptoms were modelled for children and adolescents with DS.

Methods: Participants (n = 125) were recruited through several multi-site research studies on cognition and language in DS. Using the Social Responsiveness Scale-2 (SRS-2; Constantino and Gruber 2012), two latent profile analyses (LPA) were performed, one on the broad composite scores of social communication and interaction and restricted interests and repetitive behaviour, and a second on the four social dimensions of social communication, social motivation, social awareness, and social cognition.

Results: A three-profile model was the best fit for both analyses, with each analysis yielding a low ASD symptom profile, an elevated or mixed ASD symptom profile and a high ASD symptom profile. Associations were observed between profile probability scores and IQ, the number of co-occurring biomedical conditions reported, sex, and SRS-2 form.

Conclusions: Characterising heterogeneity in ASD symptom profiles can inform more personalised supports in this population, and implications for potential therapeutic approaches for individuals with DS are discussed.

Keywords: Autism spectrum disorder; Down syndrome; Mixture modelling; Social relatedness.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflict of interest in the publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Visualizations of the Social Responsiveness Scale-2 DSM-5 Domains LPA. Note: SCI = Social Communication & Interaction; RIRB = Restricted Interests & Repetitive Behavior; L-ASD = low autism spectrum disorder symptom profile; E-ASD = elevated autism spectrum disorder symptom profile; H-ASD = high autism spectrum disorder symptom profile.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Visualizations of the Social Responsiveness Scale-2 Social domains LPA. Note: Mot = Social Motivation; Com = Social Communication; Aware = Social Awareness; Cog = Social Cognition; L-ASD = low autism spectrum disorder symptom profile; M-ASD = mixed autism spectrum disorder symptom profile; H-ASD = high autism spectrum disorder symptom profile.
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