Written by Hannah Harp
Spoon Feed
Children with Down syndrome achieve developmental milestones at later ages than the CDC non-Down syndrome cohort, though the timing of achieving milestones varied widely.
Summary
This study provides age-based developmental milestones specific to children with Down syndrome across key domains, including language, motor, adaptive, and academic skills. Utilizing data from 842 children in a specialized Down syndrome clinic, the study mapped milestone attainment using probabilities to support individualized developmental screening. Children with Down syndrome generally achieved milestones later than the typical population, with marked delays in language and academic domains. Significant sex differences were observed, with females achieving most milestones earlier than males. These findings offer pediatricians a valuable tool to guide developmental expectations and identify areas requiring targeted support. (AI generated)
Getting down to business
Data in this study were collected from a cohort of patients with Down syndrome seen in a multi-disciplinary Down syndrome clinic at a quaternary academic pediatric hospital. It’s a specific population of patients who are plugged into medical care and likely into therapies (though this wasn’t discussed). All infants and toddlers with Down syndrome should be enrolled in Early Intervention and should be bridged to necessary therapies at school with an individualized education program (IEP), but certainly not all of them are. It makes me wonder how these milestones differ for patients with exposure to therapies and which milestones we should be using. Also, the developmental phenotypes of Down syndrome patients vary widely. Is there a way that a follow-up study could create cohorts of patients with mild, moderate, or severe disease? Will this study affect my clinical practice? Probably not. I’ll keep trying to get my patients with Down syndrome into developmental therapies regardless of which milestones they have reached.
Source
Developmental Milestones for Children With Down Syndrome. Pediatrics. 2024 Oct 1;154(4):e2023065402. doi: 10.1542/peds.2023-065402. PMID: 39279536
